How Blake Baker's coaching path put him in position to fix Mizzou's defense

Missouri defensive coordinator Blake Baker oversees drills on Aug. 1 2022, as the Tigers opened preseason camp in Columbia.COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri defensive coordinator Blake Baker didn’t always follow the traditional arc along his coaching career. When he took his first college job he did something few agents would recommend: He took a major pay cut.

For Baker, the sacrifice was worth the opportunity.

After he graduated from Tulane University, he took a job selling beer and wine for a Texas beverage company, but he missed football too much to give up on the sport. Like his new boss, Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz, Baker got his start at the high school level, coaching the wide receivers at…