Looks like Dave Aranda is new LSU DC

Aranda is a great hire, but I'm pretty sure O knows a little about defense, I don't care if he's been a DC or not.

 

Hell, I would have taken Coach O over Steele for our DC any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

 

Plug in SEC caliber defenders and I think he should do a fine job. Should have hired him a year ago.

 

UW fan here, and as heart broken as I am to lose Aranda, he has been such a wonderful presence here in Madison that I at least want to speak to his accomplishments and character attributes . . .

1) Yes his dominance - and statistically, UW has been dominant - has come against Big Ten talent, but its not like the defenses he was coordinating were stacked with blue chip recruits. When his defenses come up against equal talent, they almost always succeed - and that shouldn't matter if its a 3 star player vs. 3 star players or 5 stay players vs. five stay players.

2) He is a tremendous recruiter. He is young, energetic, and relatable. Most importantly, he utilizes an exciting, NFL-bltiz heavy defense. I don't know how many of you watched the UW game against USC, but his brand of defense is genuinely exciting and cutting edge. I HATE to say this, but I am expecting significantly more de-committs as a result of this than I was for the Anderson departure.

3) He is truly a class act. Aranda's players loved him - and I am sure they are struggling this evening (which is a separate issue - its hard to justify promising players a certain coach or style or role model when they are free to leave, while the players are not) - but to a person, they knew this was coming and wished him the best. There is a wonderful article quoting Aranda's players (google his name and search for it, i'm sorry I can't provide the link, I had it but when i tried to find it the recent news swamped my search results) that is worth the read. Each and every player quoted was thankful for the time they did have under him and wished nothing but the best . . .

4) What makes him so unique, and so great, and in my opinion still underrated, is that above all he is an incredible teacher and role model. He will teach schemes and defensive philosophies, but he will also call a player to the sideline or watch film individually to show them how to tackle, or teach footwork or stance or how to use their hands. LSU's defense is going to be better with him, but every single defensive player is also going to be better at their position as well.

5) The only thing I would worry about as an LSU fan is the same thing I worried about as a Badger fan - he is absolutely a rising star, and the fact of the matter is he will not be a DC in college football for long, no matter the program or the salary. That is all the more so now that he is at LSU and will have the spotlight on him every week.

Its no secret that UW has had its share of coaching turmoil in the recent years, and most of the coaches that left are not particularly well liked in Madison (PS we all knew Bert Bilemna's fat ass was destined for mediocrity at Arkansas). Aranda is different, and worthy of a good letter of rec, even if its just from a fan. I'm very sad to seem him leave, and LSU made a hell of a hire.

 

Thanks for the info @Paul Covaleski , stick around through the off season and have some fun. I think we have a game with you guys in about 9 months.

 

This is good to hear, great actually. Thanks B

 

@shane0911 - don't judge Aranda by his first game. Rumor up here is that Aaron Rodgers "might just be watching film" right before kick off and "need some live action" before the season starts. If you happen to see a quarterback in red rip a 40 yard bullet off his back foot while rolling to his left, have full confidence that we are blatantly cheating.

 

Not a traditional 3-4. It's a hybrid 3-4 one gap. Sometimes has just 2 or 3 LB's playing down with 1 or 2 playing up as speed rushers. Causes lots of confusion for OL's in recognition, because they don't know who to block or where the rush will be coming from. More aggressive and not as much post-snap read and react. Aranda should be a great great hire. Definite upgrade over the Curley Hallman look and sound a-like. Got to get busy now recruiting more LB's and DL's .............

 

Michael Divinity first, then Moses...............