chavis to a&m

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/BrentZwerneman/status/638800135661748224

[jbcarol]

ESPN SEC ‏@ESPN_SEC 9m9 minutes ago

What Aggies are saying about new defensive coordinator John Chavis http://es.pn/1LUKrE0

Head coach Kevin Sumlin when asked if he "kind of" took the approach of "If you can't beat him, hire him" with Chavis after the Aggies failed to score 20 points three straight years in losses to LSU.

"I think the immediate difference is probably in 'attacking personality.' You know, first day, he walked in, and he said, 'You do all these workouts and you do all this 7-on-7 in the summer to win a championship. No school in the SEC West should be afraid to say they are doing all this work to win a championship .'"

[jbcarol]

Arizona St. has been shut out in the first quarter in Houston.

Maybe this is not your slightly older brother's A&M defense. Still early.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/BrentZwerneman/status/640587668594692096

[jbcarol]

Glenn Guilbeau ‏@LSUBeatTweet 23h23 hours ago

"Chavis will struggle at TA&M because A&M doesn't keep ball long enough," said multiple LSU media types.
Texas A&M 38, No. 15 Ariz. St. 17.


and it's only the first game

[jbcarol]

Chris Low ‏@ClowESPN 23h23 hours ago

Talked to John Chavis today. He said best thing for him in opener was seeing A&M's def. players have fun after being beat up last 2 years.

[jbcarol]

Brett McMurphy ‏@McMurphyESPN 3h3 hours ago

Texas A&M mailed letter of intent for DC job to John Chavis 3 days before LSU's bowl game @DellengerAdv reports http://theadvocate.com/sports/lsu/13457697-128/lsu-coach-les-miles-offered ...

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports ‏@aldotcomSports 14h14 hours ago

John Chavis was offered $5.4 million to stay at LSU, according to report: http://ow.ly/Sj5nT

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/CoachJohnChavis/status/644671710571139072

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/CBSSportsCFB/status/645308750300073984

[jbcarol]

A&M defensive coordinator John Chavis on the nation's sack leader, sophomore defensive end Myles Garrett (5.5 in three games): "The thing where Myles has really grown is his leadership ability. ... And as good a player as he is, he's a better person. And he's a great player."

[jbcarol]

Brent Zwerneman ‏@BrentZwerneman 21h21 hours ago College Station, TX

DC John Chavis: We didn't play as well as we're capable of playing. They were able to run the ball more efficiently than we thought.

A&M DC John Chavis (paraphrasing): We've got some learning we have to accelerate. That's on me. The kids are playing their butts off.

Chavis said he told his defense, "Your will to win was so important in that football game (vs. Arkansas), and it showed."

[jbcarol]

Brent Zwerneman ‏@BrentZwerneman Sep 30

John Chavis: To keep Texas A&M defense on the rise, Aggies must remedy 'vertical divide': http://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/article/A-M-defense-has-sense-of-urgency-to-improve-6538951.php ... via @HoustonChron

What went wrong, then, for the Aggies? Chavis said there was too much space - he called it "vertical divide" - between the line and linebackers.

"Too many times we were up the field trying to rush the passer when they were running draw plays, and our linebackers were not sealing the gaps as quickly as they should," Chavis said. "And when you've got vertical divide and a back like they've got (in Collins), he can get in the crease and make some plays. And they did."

Arkansas also offered a couple of trap plays it hadn't shown in its three previous games.

"When you see new blocking schemes, you need to be able to adjust quicker," Chavis said.

Mississippi State, which has thrown the ball more than anticipated in its first four games, presents a different kind of rushing challenge...

[jbcarol]

Brent Zwerneman ‏@BrentZwerneman Oct 6 College Station, TX

A&M DC John Chavis in response to a bye week question about his 9 months in Aggieland: Outside of football, my wife loves it here.

[jbcarol]

Brent Zwerneman ‏@BrentZwerneman Oct 13 College Station, TX

A&M DC John Chavis on Alabama: They've just reloaded (talent-wise). It's an offense that has a lot of moving parts.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Vol_Football/status/655001502390480897

[jbcarol]

Brent Zwerneman ‏@BrentZwerneman  Oct 20 College Station, TX
DC John Chavis in response to a question: "Don't take this wrong, but I don't care what anybody thinks ..."

[jbcarol]

Brent Zwerneman ‏@BrentZwerneman 2h2 hours ago College Station, TX

Chavis: "There are things we can do better. That starts with our run defense. We're not happy with where we are, but we're working on it."

John Chavis: "We've played our best football in the 4th quarter. When it's balls to the wall. We need to do that in the 1st & 2nd quarters."

John Chavis on Will Muschamp: "The biggest things are his intensity and knowledge. You put those together, & you see the end result."

Chavis on facing Malzahn 'O': They use a lot of motion to disrupt eye discipline - "Ultimately they want to run the football right at you."

[jbcarol]

Ross Dellenger ‏@DellengerAdv 6m6 minutes ago

John Chavis will make his return to Tiger Stadium under the lights. #LSU-#TAMU at night - http://bit.ly/1NzMg4w

LSU and Texas A&M meet on Nov. 28 in the regular season finale at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network, the Southeastern Conference announced Monday.

Buildup for the game has been brewing for much of the off-season – since Chavis surprisingly left the Tigers program for the Aggies after last season. Chavis and LSU are mired in a lawsuit over the coach's departure. The school says he owes a $400,000 buyout. A&M and Chavis are fighting LSU on that notion.

The suit, at times messy, is playing out in the 19th Judicial Court in East Baton Rouge Parish after Chavis' separate lawsuit against the school, filed in Texas, was dismissed over the summer. The latest court meeting in the case is set for December.

The court fighting could serve as the biggest storyline for a game that's lost its luster as the two teams spiraled into losing funks. Once in the top-10, A&M (7-3, 3-3) has lost three of its last four SEC games. LSU (7-2, 4-2), once No. 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings, has slipped to 17th and is on a two-game slide.

Both teams have lost at home as touchdown favorites – LSU to Arkansas and A&M to Auburn.

Chavis' return should add some spice...

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/hscheinukphoto/status/670769625919938560

[jbcarol]

Brent Zwerneman ‏@BrentZwerneman 7h7 hours ago Baton Rouge, LA

A&M DL Julien Obioha on John Chavis: You could tell after the game how bad he wanted it. I feel bad. We didn't play well enough for him."

[jbcarol]

Ross Dellenger ‏@DellengerAdv  5h5 hours ago
Transcription of Les Miles and John Chavis' pregame talk.

[jbcarol]

Chris Low ‏@ClowESPN 2h2 hours ago Connecticut, USA

So LSU admits to altering John Chavis' contract. Is anybody really surprised after what Les Miles just went through? http://theadvocate.com/sports/lsu/14317691-123/lsu-admits-to-altering-john-chavis-contract-judge-rules-for-coach-to-turn-over-phone-records ...

LSU, in filings this week, admitted to altering the contract of former LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis after the coach signed the deal, but the school contends the alterations were "nominal" and did not affect its terms.

Meanwhile, a judge on Thursday granted a motion compelling Chavis to release his phone records for a 14-week period starting in November 2014.

Chavis, who left LSU after last season to be the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M, appeared at a hearing Thursday in the 19th Judicial District Court in East Baton Rouge Parish.

In filings made Tuesday morning, LSU admits to altering the 2012 contract of Chavis after the coach signed it – one of Chavis' claims in the on-going lawsuit between the two parties.

"It's exactly what coach has been saying all along, that the contract was altered after he signed it in 2012," said Jill Craft, attorney for Chavis. "You can't alter a contract and try to claim it's valid and you certainly can't sue over it. One of the things they did admit was altered was the buyout provision. In some sense, it's vindication."

Bob Barton, representing LSU, released a statement to The Advocate on Thursday, calling the alterations "innocent, unintentional and immaterial."

"The 'alteration' issue is nothing more than an attempt to divert attention from the real issues," Barton said...

[jbcarol]

Glenn Guilbeau ‏@LSUBeatTweet Dec 18

Was John Chavis recruiting for A&M on LSU nickel? Wouldn't be the 1st to 2B-dip, and he never recruited much anyway:
http://usat.ly/1OALvc3

BATON ROUGE – Former LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis and his attorney will have to turn over some call records and emails from his private cellular phone from November of 2014 through February of 2015 – the time when he was exiting LSU and becoming Texas A&M's new defensive coordinator.

Judge Timothy Kelley made the ruling in the 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge on Thursday morning with Chavis present. Afterwards, Kelley urged lawyers from both sides to settle the 10-month old case that he said has been dragging along as no depositions have been taken yet.

"LSU looks forward to obtaining those records and moving this matter toward resolution," said attorney Bob Barton of the Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips law firm in Baton Rouge that is representing LSU in a statement released to Gannett Louisiana and other news outlets Thursday afternoon.

"The court vindicated LSU's position on its motion to compel and ordered Mr. Chavis to produce records that he has previously withheld," Barton said.

Judge Kelley, a 1983 graduate of the LSU Law School, said he ruled that Chavis must give up the phone records because they may reveal Chavis recruiting high school prospects for Texas A&M "on LSU's nickel."

The 59-year-old Chavis, like many coordinators, does not recruit nearly as much as younger position coaches in college football.

Chavis and his attorney, Jill Craft of Baton Rouge, say Chavis does not owe the buyout and are also suing LSU for $200,000 in academic bonuses and vacation periods not received and $445,000 in penalty wages stemming from the unpaid vacation and bonuses. Chavis is also suing for defamation.

"People from LSU made statements that coach Chavis lost the bowl game and committed NCAA violations recruiting for Texas A&M while still being paid by LSU," Craft said Thursday, but chose not to identify the LSU people.

[batonrougehawg]

Maybe this came out before and I had missed it at the time, so SIAP. But with all the legal action taking place between lsu and Chavis, lsu had to file documents related to their d-coordinator search from last year when they got Kevin Steele. Apparently they had contacted Robb Smith in addition to about twenty other candidates. Some other candidates they considered were Muschamp, Chizik, Shoop, Mike Stoops and others.

http://theadvocate.com/sports/lsu/14320107-128/records-les-miles-met-with-mike-stoops-talked-with-will-muschamp-considered-gene-chizik-for-lsus-def

[jbcarol]

Former LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis has turned over his phone records for a 14-week period of 2014 and 2015, and depositions are expected to begin soon in the ongoing legal battle between the coach and his ex-employer.

Chavis' attorney, Jill Craft, delivered the coach's phone records to the 19th Judicial District Court on April 12, and State District Judge Timothy E. Kelley sent redacted portions of the phone records to LSU's attorneys April 19. The phone records are under seal and are not available for public consumption.

Meanwhile, attorneys from both sides are scheduling depositions. LSU administrators and coaching staff members and Chavis are likely to be deposed.

In a December court hearing, Kelley compelled Chavis to turn over to the court phone records from November 2014 to Feb. 13, 2015 — a key stretch of time in LSU's lawsuit against the now-Texas A&M defensive coordinator.

LSU contends Chavis owes the school a $400,000 buyout for leaving before Jan. 31, 2015. Chavis and A&M claim the coach did not officially begin work until Feb. 13, 2015.

Chavis, though, is seen in photographs actively recruiting for Texas A&M during the month of January, even posing for photos with prospects while wearing Texas A&M gear. The timing of Chavis' departure is essential to the case. Chavis would owe no buyout if he left after Jan. 31, 2015, according to the coach's contract.

This fight between the school and Chavis is in its 14th month, a saga that began with both parties each filing a suit in February of last year —

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Carvell_AJC/status/740876446214819840

[jbcarol]

Michael Carvell ‏@Carvell_AJC 6m6 minutes ago

What to expect in year 2 of John Chavis at Texas A&M
https://www.seccountry.com/texas-am/what-to-expect-in-year-2-of-john-chavis-at-texas-am

At every stop, his defenses have seen improvements that have been both large and fast-moving. Keeping with the trend, the defensive backs he recruits to his teams follow the same description. Chavis has put dozens of players in the league during his time as a coordinator, and already has proven that ability first-hand at Texas A&M with cornerback and 2016 third-round draft selection Brandon Williams.

Chavis not only can sharpen the already-elite talents of physical freaks such as Myles Garrett, but take athletes like Williams who never played defense before and convert them into NFL draft talents in a single year.

Chavis' coaching career began as a graduate assistant at Tennessee in 1979 following three years playing for the Volunteers. His first job away from Tennessee came in 1980, where he coached the defensive line at Alabama A&M. He took the defensive coordinator job at Alabama State for the 1984-1985 season, but returned to Alabama A&M after one year. When he left the Bulldogs for good in 1988, they boasted the No. 1 (total) defense in the country among Division II teams.

He returned to the SEC in 1989 to coach the Tennessee defensive line and linebackers. After a 1995 promotion to coordinator, an already-stout defensive unit improved even more. Chavis' defense held teams to less than 100 rushing yards per game season after season, finishing toward the top of the SEC in total defense every time. In 1998, the Volunteers won the national championship over Florida State to cap an undefeated 13-0 season.

After Tennessee came LSU, where Chavis coached from 2009 until joining A&M for 2015.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Carvell_AJC/status/751457684235378688

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/ClowESPN/status/760284733473484800

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/BrentZwerneman/status/780424478857633793

[DeltaBoy]

Good hire for TAMU He punked us Saturday night.

[ALLVOL]

Good hire for TAMU He punked us Saturday night.

He is without a doubt one of the very best. I hated to see him leave UT.

[jbcarol]

For two decades, John Chavis has been the mastermind behind some of the SEC's best defenses.

Affectionately known as "Chief," the Dillon, S.C., native spent most of his career at Tennessee (1989 to 2008), which included a run as coordinator from 1995 to 2008.

After six years at LSU, Chavis was lured to College Station, Texas, by Aggies coach Kevin Sumlin in 2015.

"I think, as much as anything, Chief is a guy that has got a personality about himself," South Carolina coach Will Muschamp said. "Sometimes, the old saying that your players form the personality of the coach, and I think there's a lot to that.

"When his defenses at Tennessee and his defenses at LSU ... now you're starting to see more of that personality at Texas A&M. It's a mentality a little bit more. Obviously, I think he does a really good job scheme-wise, but I think there's a little bit of a mentality in how they play."

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Michael_Carvell/status/790645714409889792

Chavis' lead attorney, Jill Craft, said after Monday's hearing that she'll ask the state 1st Circuit Court of Appeal to review and reverse Kelley's ruling.

    Craft argued during the hearing — the first in the contentious case since LSU head coach Les Miles was fired Sept. 25 — that Chavis' three-year deal, which stipulated he would owe LSU a $400,000 buyout if he left the school before Jan. 31, 2015, is void because of the alterations the university later made to the contract in 2013.

[jbcarol]

Brent Zwerneman ‏@BrentZwerneman 8h8 hours ago

Kevin Sumlin sheds light on Texas A&M's defensive ills -- what to do about them is another matter: http://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/aggies/article/Kevin-Sumlin-sheds-light-on-Aggies-defensive-woes-10799551.php

A&M's defense has been on the field for 974 plays this season, one of the highest numbers in college football, compared to 817 for Alabama's defense.

Aggies have played 12 games. The Crimson Tide has played 13 games. That canyon between the Southeastern Conference programs in defensive efficiency is one more reason why one is favored to win the national title, and the other is bound for the Texas Bowl...

Sumlin figured two years ago he'd cured the Aggies' defensive ills when he hired John Chavis from LSU. He figured wrong...

"It's not just one thing, it's a combination of a lot of things that manifested themselves at the end of the year," said Sumlin, whose 8-4 Aggies face 8-4 Kansas State in the Texas Bowl on Dec. 28 in NRG Stadium. "We played more snaps than any other team in the SEC on defense."

The Aggies, once No. 4 in the College Football Playoff ranking in early November, will look back on this season as a huge missed opportunity for postseason prominence, primarily because of a defense that allowed an average of 38 points over A&M's last four SEC games, all losses.

Sumlin said he needed to look over the game tape following the Aggies' 54-39 loss to LSU at Kyle Field in the regular-season finale on Thanksgiving night, to better determine why his defense crumbled. He reemerged with some reasons this month.

"We've had some discussions ... we talked schematics and we talked about personnel," Sumlin said of December visits with Chavis. "Some of the things that were problems schematically have been addressed, and some of the things from a personnel standpoint ... we were somewhat limited in that (LSU) game by the number of plays our guys were on the field."

It was a season-long problem, a head-scratching drawback considering the veteran defenders the Aggies paraded in the preseason. Last summer on the speaking circuit, Sumlin said the Aggies might field a top 15 or top 25 defense.

Entering the bowl game they're 91st in total defense, 40 spots behind last year's 51st in Chavis's first season at A&M.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Michael_Carvell/status/850456532215111680