Former Syracuse DC Elijah Robinson joins Lane Kiffin’s LSU staff
After Fran Brown demoted Elijah Robinson from defensive coordinator to defensive line coach, Robinson left Syracuse for the same position at Lane Kiffin's new staff at LSU. Joe Zhao | Senior Staff Photographer
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Elijah Robinson is leaving Syracuse to join Lane Kiffin’s new coaching staff at LSU, online publication Football Scoop first reported Thursday night and confirmed Saturday. Robinson will be a defensive assistant with the Tigers and focus on the defensive line, the same position he would’ve served at SU in 2026 if he’d returned to the program after being demoted from defensive coordinator.
According to On3, Robinson was in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Friday to meet with Kiffin and finalize the details of his new role.
Robinson served under head coach Fran Brown’s staff from 2024-25 as the Orange’s defensive coordinator. Before that, Robinson was a defensive line coach at Texas A&M from 2018-23. In his final year with the Aggies, he stepped in as the team’s interim head coach for their bowl game following former head coach Jimbo Fisher’s firing.
Robinson also previously coached at Baylor, Temple and Penn State. He has no immediate connection to Kiffin, who LSU poached from Ole Miss in a controversial end-of-season coaching change.
This past season, with Robinson calling plays for Syracuse’s defense, the Orange allowed 34.92 points per game — which ranked dead last in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
SU struggled to rush the passer, ranking in Pro Football Focus’ bottom-30 teams in pass rushing grade, and notably conceded 70 points against then-No. 9 Notre Dame in a historical loss. This came after the Orange surrendered nearly 30 points per game in the 2024 season, where their defense cost them repeatedly despite a 10-3 campaign in Brown’s debut.
Syracuse was set to eliminate Robinson’s responsibilities as a playcaller. The same week, he joined Kiffin’s staff and returned to the SEC.
Along with Robinson’s demotion, Brown fired four other assistant coaches at the end of the season, including special teams coordinator Ricky Brumfield.
“The results this season were not reflective of the high standards I have for this program,” Brown said in a statement Tuesday. “After carefully evaluating our entire organization, I made the difficult decision to seek new leadership for some units of our football team.”
