A familiar name will fill the void left by Dave Aranda in Bo Pelini.
As first reported by Sports Illustrated, Pelini will be the new defensive coordinator for the Tigers. Pelini was the defensive coordinator during the Tigers national championship season in 2007.
“I know it is a great fit for me.” Pelini said in a statement released by Youngstown State, “The chance to work with Coach (Ed) Orgeron, the ability to take charge of the Tigers defense. All of that in a place that both my family and I immensely enjoyed when we were there before is very exciting for us.”
Replacing former defensive coordinator Dave Aranda was the biggest point of emphasis for the Tigers in the midst of all the changes to the coaching staff in the last few weeks, which included passing game coordinator Joe Brady leaving to return to the NFL as the Panthers offensive coordinator.
“We are privileged to have one of the top defensive coordinators in all of football in Bo Pelini join our staff,” Orgeron said in a statement released by LSU. “Bo has had some of the best defenses in football during his career and we are looking forward to him bringing his tremendous amount of knowledge and expertise back to LSU to continue to win championships.”
Pelini returns to LSU after serving as the head coach at Youngstown State for the past five seasons where he guided the Penguins to a 33-28 overall mark and an appearance in the FCS National Championship Game in 2016. Pelini has a head coaching record of 100-55, which includes seven years as head coach at Nebraska.