LSU hiring former ND, OU DBs coach, coordinator Kerry Cooks, per report

The departure of longtime assistant Corey Raymond headlined another hectic day of comings-and-goings news for LSU on Wednesday.

While the highly respected cornerbacks coach and recruiting coordinator leave big shoes to fill, at least one key piece of new head coach Brian Kelly's defensive puzzle already appears to be on board.

Longtime Power Five defensive backs coach Kerry Cooks will reportedly join the Tigers staff, according to Brody Miller of The Athletic.

The Irving, Texas, native spent the past two years as a defensive assistant under Kelly at Notre Dame, his second stint in South Bend, Ind.

Cooks previously spent the first five years of Kelly's tenure with the Fighting Irish coaching cornerbacks from 2010 to 2014, including the last three as co-defensive coordinator.

He then coached defensive backs for four seasons at Oklahoma, the last two also as assistant defensive coordinator.

Cooks coached safeties at Texas Tech in 2019 before returning to Notre Dame.

He played for Nimitz High School and Iowa before NFL stints with the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers in 1998, Atlanta Falcons in 2000 and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Cooks began coaching as a graduate assistant at Kansas State in 2003 before moving on to Western Illinois in 2004, Minnesota in 2005 and Wisconsin from 2006 to 2009.