LSU to make huge deal with defensive coordinator David Aranda

As of Wednesday morning, ESPN has confirmed that the Tigers’ David Aranda will become one of the the highest paid defensive coordinators in all of college football in the very near future. Some even believe that he may top the salaries of every DC in the sport in 2017 with the new contract.

LSU recently released some of the specifics of the three-year deal, which indicate that Aranda will be making $1.8 million in 2017, $1.85 million in 2018 and $1.9 million in 2019. This is a fairly significant jump in pay for the coordinator, who was paid 1.2 million this year. In addition to having the title of “defensive coordinator”, Aranda will also keep the the title of associate head coach which was given to him by now permanent head coach Ed Orgeron.

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This agreement will top 2016’s highest paid coordinator, Texas A&M’s John Chavis’ salary, by roughly a quarter of a million dollars. At this point, only 12 coaches in the FBS are paid over $1 million per year.

LSU’s athletic director Joe Alleva has full confidence in Aranda moving forward, who kept the Wisconsin Badgers football team nationally ranked, and further improved the Tigers’ solid defense after former DC Kevin Steele left in favor of Auburn.

“We believe Coach Aranda is the best defensive coordinator in the country,” the director stated about the extension, which is still waiting for a stamp of approval from the Tigers’ board of supervisors. “We wanted to make sure he came home to an agreement that was fitting of the best.”

In this season, Aranda’s very first with the Tigers, LSU finished seventh nationally in scoring defense (16.4 ppg), and 12th in total defense (323 ypg). The DC employed a 3-4 base scheme, keeping opposing offenses at bay all season.

LSU will likely be making their next high-dollar hire at the offensive coordinator with head coach Orgeron’s top pick Lane Kiffin later on this month or early next year.