Brian Baker, a veteran coach with nearly four decades of coaching experience at the collegiate and professional levels, including 21 seasons in the National Football League, is in his first season as Georgia Tech’s senior defensive analyst for defensive line.
Baker’s vast resume includes nine previous seasons at Georgia Tech, where he coached linebackers from 1987-95 and also served as the Yellow Jackets’ defensive coordinator in his final season on The Flats (’95). During his nine-year stint at Tech, he helped lead the Jackets to the 1990 national title and notably coached two-time All-American, first-round NFL Draft pick and current Georgia Tech defensive line coach Marco Coleman.
In addition to his nine seasons at Tech, Baker’s collegiate coaching experience includes stops at Maryland (1984 – student assistant; 1985 – graduate assistant), Army (1986 – running backs), Mississippi State (2016-18 – defensive line), Alabama (2019 – associate head coach/defensive line) and Charlotte (2022 – defensive line).
Baker’s NFL coaching experience includes stints as defensive line coach and outside linebackers coach for nine different franchises, most recently as the defensive line coach for the Indianapolis Colts in 2020 and 2021. He has coached eight Pro Bowlers in his 21 seasons in the NFL.
Baker played linebacker at Maryland and won the ACC championship as a senior in ’83. He graduated from Maryland in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. He and his wife, Nevada, have four daughters – Norell, Nicole, Jade and Jasmine.
| THE BRIAN BAKER FILE | ||
| PERSONAL | ||
| Hometown | Baltimore, Md. | |
| Alma Mater | Maryland, 1985 (B.S. marketing) | |
| Family | wife: Nevada; daughters: Norell, Nicole, Jade and Jasmine | |
| PLAYING EXPERIENCE | ||
| 1980-83 | Maryland (LB) | |
| COACHING EXPERIENCE | ||
| 1984 | Maryland | Student assistant |
| 1985 | Maryland | Graduate assistant |
| 1986 | Army | Running backs |
| 1987-94 | Georgia Tech | Linebackers |
| 1995 | Georgia Tech | Defensive coordinator/linebackers |
| 1996 | San Diego Chargers | Defensive line |
| 1997-2000 | Detroit Lions | Defensive line |
| 2001 | Minnesota Vikings | Defensive line |
| 2002-03 | Minnesota Vikings | Linebackers |
| 2004-05 | Minnesota Vikings | Defensive line |
| 2006-08 | St. Louis Rams | Defensive line |
| 2009-10 | Carolina Panthers | Defensive line |
| 2011-12 | Dallas Cowboys | Defensive line |
| 2013 | Cleveland Browns | Outside linebackers |
| 2014 | Washington Redskins | Outside linebackers |
| 2015 | Covenant Christian (Texas) Academy | Assistant coach |
| 2016-18 | Mississippi State | Defensive line |
| 2019 | Alabama | Associate head coach/defensive line |
| 2020-21 | Indianapolis Colts | Defensive line |
| 2022 | Charlotte | Defensive line |
| 2023- | Georgia Tech | Senior defensive analyst for defensive line |
FULL BIOGRAPHY
Brian Baker, a veteran coach with nearly four decades of coaching experience at the collegiate and professional levels, including 21 seasons in the National Football League, is in his first season as Georgia Tech’s senior defensive analyst for defensive line.
Baker’s vast resume includes nine previous seasons at Georgia Tech, where he coached linebackers from 1987-95 and also served as the Yellow Jackets’ defensive coordinator in his final season on The Flats (’95). During his nine-year stint at Tech, he helped lead the Jackets to the 1990 national title and notably coached two-time All-American, first-round NFL Draft pick and current Georgia Tech defensive line coach Marco Coleman.
In addition to his nine seasons at Tech, Baker’s collegiate coaching experience includes stops at Maryland (1984 – student assistant; 1985 – graduate assistant), Army (1986 – running backs), Mississippi State (2016-18 – defensive line), Alabama (2019 – associate head coach/defensive line) and Charlotte (2022 – defensive line).
Baker coached a pair of all-America defensive linemen at Mississippi State – Jeffrey Simmons (now with the NFL’s Tennessee Titans) and Montez Sweat (now with the Washington Commanders), bringing the number of all-Americans that he has coached in his career to three. Simmons and Sweat were back-to-back first-team all-Southeastern Conference selections in 2017 and 2018, marking the first time in Mississippi State history that the Bulldogs had multiple first-team all-SEC defensive linemen in consecutive seasons.
Baker’s NFL coaching experience includes stints with the San Diego Chargers (1996 – defensive line), Detroit Lions (1997-2000 – defensive line), Minnesota Vikings (2001 and 2004-05 – defensive line; 2002-03 – linebackers), St. Louis Rams (2006-08 – defensive line), Carolina Panthers (2009-10 – defensive line), Dallas Cowboys ()2011-12 – defensive line), Cleveland Browns (2013 – outside linebackers), Washington Redskins (2014 – outside linebackers) and Indianapolis Colts (2020-21 – defensive line). He coached eight Pro Bowlers in his 21 seasons in the NFL.
Baker played linebacker at Maryland under head coach Bobby Ross from 1980-83 and won the ACC championship as a senior in ’83. He then went on to coach under Ross at Maryland, Georgia Tech, San Diego and Detroit. In all, he has won four conference titles and one national championship as a player and coach.
Baker graduated from Maryland in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. He and his wife, Nevada, have four daughters – Norell, Nicole, Jade and Jasmine.