LSU Football: Tigers Give DC John Chavis Lucrative Contract Extension

LSU is backing up the Brinks truck for defensive coordinator John Chavis—and he deserves it.

According to USA Today, head coach Les Miles confirmed on Tuesday night at an event for fans that Chavis' contract will be extended by three years. That extension will pay the veteran defensive coach an average of $1.1 million per season.

He deserves every penny.

Chavis came to Baton Rouge in 2009, one year after the Tigers struggled through one of its worst defensive years in recent memory. In 2008, they finished ninth in the SEC and gave up 325.5 yards per game. They gave up 30 or more points five times, and two teams—Florida and Georgia—topped the 50-point plateau on the Tigers.

In Chavis' first year in Baton Rouge in 2009, the Tigers actually had a higher yards-per-game average than the previous year (327.6), but only one team topped the 30-point mark. The Tigers have finished in the top three in the SEC in total defense over the last two seasons, and finished second nationally in 2011.

Bottom line: Chavis is one of the best in the business.

It was only a matter of time before some other program started throwing bags of cash at him, and LSU is wise to lock him up and pay him what he deserves.

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