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LSU hires Dave Aranda as its defensive coordinator

Dave Aranda (uwbadgers.com)
Dave Aranda (uwbadgers.com)

LSU's search for a defensive coordinator didn’t take long.

Just a couple days after Kevin Steele left for Auburn, LSU announced the hiring of Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave Aranda to fill that same role with the Tigers.

Aranda was considered for the same position a year ago when the Tigers hired Steele.

In three seasons with Wisconsin, Aranda’s defenses ranked in the top five in scoring, total yards, passing yards and rushing yards. This season, the Badgers ranked No. 3 in total defense (268.5 yards per game), No. 4 in rushing defense (95.4 yards per game), No. 7 in passing defense (173.2 yards per game), and led the nation with just 13.1 points allowed per game.

“This is a great hire for us,” LSU coach Les Miles said in a statement. “Dave has an outstanding track record of producing some of the best defenses in college football. We’ve seen him up close and understand how difficult it is to have success against him.

“He’s everything that we were looking for in a defensive coordinator. He’s youthful with tremendous enthusiasm; our players are going to love him. He’s brings great defensive knowledge to our staff both as a technician and as a strategist. We are thrilled that he’s joining us.”

Last season, the LSU defense allowed 24.2 points and 347.2 total yards — 122.9 rushing, 224.2 passing — per game.

For more LSU news, visit TigerBait.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!

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