Report: John Chavis to Texas A&M Getting Close

LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis is on the verge of accepting a job to join the Texas A&M coaching staff, according to Brent Zwerneman of The Houston Chronicle.

The Aggies have been "heavily pursuing" Chavis for some time now, according to Sean Lester of The Dallas Morning News.

Chavis' fate seemed to be sealed in his postgame press conference after LSU's loss in the Music City Bowl to Notre Dame on Tuesday.  When asked if the rumors were true that he might leave LSU for Aggieland, he did not refute them at all, per Scott Rabalais. This leads many people to believe that the Aggies might indeed finally have a replacement for Mark Snyder, who was fired on November 28.

This would be a monumental hire for Kevin Sumlin, as defense has been the Aggies' main problem since joining the SEC three years ago. This year's defensive unit ranked 92nd nationally in yards per play, as well as 80th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 28.1 points per game.

Chavis to Texas A&M is potentially a puzzling move considering LSU is one of the premier programs in the country, but according to Ross Dellenger of The Advocate, Chavis is reportedly upset about a certain clause in his contract that said if Les Miles leaves the LSU program, Chavis would only be paid for six months after that.

LSU has been one of the best defensive teams in the country with Chavis at the helm. The Tigers led the SEC in total defense in 2014 and continually send defensive players to the NFL.

The deal that LSU offered Chavis is a three-year contract worth $4 million, and Texas A&M is expected to offer a slight raise according to Dellenger.

Luring Chavis away from LSU would be a huge move for the Aggies, as he is a respected defensive mind who has proven he can coach defense at a high level, especially in the SEC. Offense has never been a problem for Sumlin's team, and if Chavis can come in and put even a respectable group on the field, Texas A&M could easily make the jump from a competitive team to a perennial powerhouse.