Candidate profile: Scott Symons

Less than three weeks after signing a second extension to remain Missouri's defensive coordinator, Blake Baker has agreed to do the same job for LSU. Now, Missouri is searching for its fourth defensive coordinator in five years.

You can find out full hot board here. In the meantime, we will also bring you a more in-depth look at each candidate by profiling one every day during the search.

Current position: SMU defensive coordinator

Age: 37

Coaching experience: 12 years (10 as a defensive coordinator)

Salary: Unknown

Buyout: Unknown

Symons went to Lindenwood (2004-08) and was a two-year starter there as a linebacker before getting his master's in kinesiology at Harding University in 2009.

He started his coaching career as a quality control at Arkansas State in 2012 alongside Eli Drinkwitz before becoming the defensive coordinator at Drink's alma mater, Arkansas Tech, in 2013.

Leading the Wonder Boys', they allowed 26 points per game en route to a 5-6 record that season.

He gained four more years of coordinating experience at West Georgia from 2014-17, and during his tenure, the Wolves only allowed 17.15 points per game and went 40-13 in that span.

After his stint in West Georgia, he headed to the FBS ranks by joining Mike Norvell's staff at Memphis in 2018 to be the Tigers linebackers coach for the year before joining Hugh Freeze's staff at Liberty in 2019 as his defensive coordinator.

In 2018, the year before Symons was at Liberty, the Flames allowed 36.8 points per game (117th in FBS), 485.4 total yards per game (123rd), 262.9 passing yards per game (113th) and 222.5 rushing yards per game (122nd).

When Symons got there, he immediately turned Liberty into a decent defense. Then, he immediately turned them into one of college football's elite defenses in year two, with them improving in every major defense statistical category by at least 38 spots. In that 2020, season the Liberty went 10-1 and won the Cure Bowl.

In 2021, the team suffered a slight drop off and went 8-5 but it wasn't because of Symons and his defense. The unit once again proved to be one of the nation's better defenses.

Symons then took his talents to his current job in Dallas as SMU's defensive coordinator under Rhett Lashlee, who was also a part of that 2012 Arkansas State staff as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, in 2022.

The year before he joined the Mustangs, they had the 94th-ranked defense, allowing 418.8 yards per game, 28.4 points per game (84th), 278.1 passing yards per game (124th) and 140.7 rushing yards per game (45th) and went in 8-4.

Once Symons got on board, SMU took a step back, going 7-6 and finishing with a worse rank in points per game allowed, total yards per game and rushing yards per game.

So, he had a bit of an adjustment period, but then he bounced back with an elite season in 2023.

Overall, Symons connection to Drinkwitz and his coordinating experience plays in his favor.

He's proven that he won’t compile multiple bad seasons. His defenses only get better after his first year and usually become one of the nation’s elite.

On the other hand, he hasn't coached at the Power 5 level, let alone in the Southeastern Conference. A jump from the American Athletic Conference to college football's premier conference wouldn't be easy, but he's certainly deserving of the chance to make the leap.

Also, despite his salary being unknown, Missouri showed that it was willing to make Baker the highest-paid coordinator in the country before they agreed to make him one of the top five paid coordinators. So, whatever he's making at SMU, Mizzou would have enough for the buyout and a contract that would be much cheaper than the extension Baker signed in December.

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