Kevin Steele Hired As LSU Defensive Coordinator
LSU has hired Alabama inside linebackers coach Kevin Steele as its next defensive coordinator, the school announced Tuesday evening.
The 56-year-old Steele, who spent the past two seasons at Alabama, was Nick Saban’s first defensive coordinator with the Crimson Tide in 2007. He left the school to become Clemson’s defensive coordinator in 2009 but was fired after three seasons in January 2012. Steele was the head coach at Baylor from 1999-2002.
LSU will hold a press conference to unveil Steele on Wednesday.
"This is a great hire for us," LSU coach Les Miles said in a press release Tuesday. "Kevin has had a very successful coaching career, one that has seen him coach alongside some of the top coaches in the game. He won a national title with Tom Osborne at Nebraska, coached with Bobby Bowden at Florida State, and coached in the NFL with one of the great defensive coaches in Dom Capers.
"He has a great defensive mind and he’s an outstanding recruiter. He knows our players and our system and his knowledge of the SEC and the SEC Western Division makes him a great fit. We are very excited the Kevin will be joining our staff."
Steele replaces John Chavis, who made a lateral move to become Texas A&M’s defensive coordinator on Dec. 31, one day after the Tigers’ 31-28 loss to Notre Dame in the Music City Bowl.
On Monday, current Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart was reported to have been contacted by LSU about the same position, though talks were characterized as “not recent,” according to NOLA.com.
Steele made $702,750 last season, placing him 23rd in the nation among college football assistants. Chavis was fourth on the list with a $1.3 million salary at LSU prior to his departure.
Steele began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Tennessee in 1980, following two seasons as a player at the school. He later held assistant coaching jobs at New Mexico State (1983), Oklahoma State (1984-86), Tennessee (1987-88), Nebraska (1989-1994) and the NFL’s Carolina Panthers (1995-1998).
After spending the 2013 season as Alabama's director of player personnel, Steele shifted back to an on-field role as the team's inside linebackers coach in 2014.
Junior Reggie Ragland, who became a first-team All-SEC middle linebacker in his first year as a starter this season, took to Twitter to react to Steele's departure.
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