LSU officially tabs Chavis

• By RANDY ROSETTA
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Jan 6, 2009 - Page: 1C - UPDATED: 7:18 a.m.

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When LSU football coach Les Miles realized changes were imminent for a Tigers defense that faltered badly in 2008, he did his fair share of homework on who might be available and might fit well with a coaching staff destined to be reshuffled.

What Miles didn’t need was a long or detailed look at one of the names that quickly rose to the top of his list.

The name? John Chavis. And on Monday Chavis was officially introduced as LSU’s new defensive coordinator.

The 52-year-old Chavis, who spent the last 20 seasons at Tennessee and the last 14 as the Volunteers’ defensive coordinator, takes over a Tigers defense that was engineered by Doug Mallory and Bradley Dale Peveto this season.

Mallory confirmed Monday he has accepted the defensive coordinator job at New Mexico and said he would speak more about the move after it is announced by his new employer.

Peveto was tabbed as the new head coach at Northwestern State before Christmas.

Both men teamed up for the defensive game plan for LSU’s 38-3 romp past Georgia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on Dec. 31.

Now the defensive keys will be handed to Chavis, signaling a major transition heading into Miles’ fifth season.

“I need someone who understands and knows what to expect, what we’re comfortable with in the type of defense we run here,” Miles said. “I want great defense.

“I think he’s a guy who listens and takes suggestions, but I also think he’s a guy who knows exactly what he wants to do and is about doing it in the best way that it can be done. He’ll certainly have his initials on it. It will be one that will be reached by the group of defensive coaches.”

But the man in charge will be “Chief,” a tribute to Chavis’ Cherokee Indian heritage.

The Dillon, S.C., native is well established as one of the top defensive minds in the country after a stint at Tennessee that included 15 seasons with nine wins or more, 18 bowl appearances, five berths in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game and the 1998 national crown.

Four of Chavis’ linebacker pupils earned All-American honors: Leonard Little (1997), Al Wilson (1998), Raynoch Thompson (1999) and Kevin Burnett (2004). Each of those four of selected in the NFL Draft, as was Jerod Mayo, taken 10th in the 2008 draft.