LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis has been named the 2011 winner of the Broyles Award, which goes to the top assistant coach in college football.
Chavis, in his third season at LSU, has the Tigers ranked No. 2 nationally in scoring and total defense. LSU's first-team defense enters the Allstate BCS National Championship Game having not allowed a second-half touchdown in its last seven games.
Alabama assistant head coach and linebackers coach Sal Sunseri and former Arkansas offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Garrick McGee were also finalists for the Broyles Award. McGee this week accepted the head-coaching job at UAB.
Chavis will get a chance to collect his second national championship ring on Jan. 9 in New Orleans. He was the defensive coordinator at Tennessee in 1998 when the Vols won their national title and spent 14 seasons at Tennessee as Phillip Fulmer's defensive coordinator.
When LSU coach Les Miles went looking for somebody to bring the edge back to his defense following the 2008 season, he quickly settled on Chavis, who wasn't retained at Tennessee when Fulmer was fired.
To put into perspective how much the Tigers have improved defensively under Chavis, they were ranked 56th nationally in scoring defense in 2008, giving up 24 points per game. In Chavis' first season at LSU in 2009, the Tigers improved to 11th nationally in scoring defense and gave up just six rushing touchdowns all year.
It's all been building to this season, though, where the Tigers have ranked among the national leaders all season in just about every major defensive category.
LSU's defense has now gone nine straight games without allowing more than 11 points in any game.