LSU has a new defensive coordinator.

Head coach Les Miles’ two-week search ended Tuesday when he lured Alabama linebackers coach Kevin Steele away from Nick Saban’s staff to take the spot.

The 56-year-old Steele, a former head coach at Baylor who’s coached at a number of top schools and in the NFL, replaces popular John Chavis, who left the staff to go to Texas A&M on New Year’s Eve, the day after the Tigers’ 31-28 loss to Notre Dame in the Music City Bowl.

“This is a great hire for us,” Miles said in a school news release. “Kevin has had a very successful coaching career … alongside some of the top coaches in the game.

“He won a national title with Tom Osborne at Nebraska, coached with Bobby Bowden at Florida State, and coached in the NFL with one of the great defensive coaches in Dom Capers.”

Steele’s NFL experience was four years as the linebackers coach with the Carolina Panthers from 1995-98. He left to take the head job at Baylor, where he went 8-24 from 1999-2002.

“He has a great defensive mind and he’s an outstanding recruiter,” Miles said. “He knows our players and our system and his knowledge of the SEC and the SEC Western Division makes him a great fit. We are very excited the Kevin will be joining our staff.”

Coincidentally, Steele is a longtime close friend of Chavis. They are both natives of Dillon, South Carolina, and played one year together at Tennessee.

Steele has been a college assistant at Tennessee, New Mexico State, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Florida State and Clemson as well as Alabama.

The LSU position will be his third as a defensive coordinator.

He was the coordinator on Saban’s first Alabama staff in 2007 and was the Tide’s associate head coach the following season.

He left Alabama for Clemson’s defensive coordinator job in 2009. After early success — his first two years Clemson’s defense ranked No. 12 and No. 19 nationally — his 2011 defense fell to No. 71 and he was let go after the following season when his defense finished No. 64, capped by a 70-33 loss to West Virginia in the Orange Bowl.

Steele rejoined Saban at Alabama for the 2013 season as director of player personnel and took over as linebackers coach again for this past season.

There were many names rumored in the search since Chavis left, but Miles was confirmed to have talked only to Penn State defensive coordinator Mike Shoop and Oklahoma defensive coordinator Mike Stoops.

LSU defensive line coach Brick Haley was also a candidate.

(MGNonline)