The LSU football coaching staff has no official vacancies, but the rumor mill continues to churn about a defensive staff shake-up.Co-defensive coordinators Bradley Dale Peveto and Doug Mallory have been under heat after the Tigers ended the season with five losses and a struggling defense, which ranks No. 9 in total defense in the Southeastern Conference.Former Clemson defensive coordinator Vic Koenning is the latest name to join the mix of potential hires, which includes former Tennessee defensive coordinator John Chavis, current Ole Miss defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix and New Orleans Saints defensive line coach and former Ole Miss head coach Ed Orgeron.”It’s my understanding that they don’t have a job open there,” Koenning said Thursday by phone from Orange Beach, Ala. “I’m for the coaches there, and I’m a big fan of coach Miles. I’ve got friends on that staff. I wasn’t aware there were any vacancies.”Koenning said he spoke to several LSU coaches around Thanksgiving but denied any specific offers were discussed.”No one has called me and said, ‘Would you be interested in this or that?'” he said. “That’s kind of crazy to talk about something that doesn’t exist.”Koenning was rumored to be a candidate for Miles’ staff in 2005 before he accepted a position under Tommy Bowden at Clemson.”There was some dialogue then,” Koenning said. “I had already told Tommy Bowden that I would go to Clemson. I try to stick to what I say.”Koenning, a former Kansas State player, is rumored to be a defensive coordinator candidate for Kansas State’s new coach Bill Snyder.Koenning hinted he has a job offer on the table but would not confirm if the Kansas State offer was official.He also said he could empathize with Peveto and Mallory, who have been on the recruiting trail this week. Koenning compared the defensive coordinator position to being on Omaha Beach at D-Day.”You’re going to catch the first bullets,” he said. “You’re the lead person out there.”Clemson’s defense ranked No. 16 nationally and first in scoring defense in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season. Koenning’s 2007 defense ranked No. 9 nationally.Koenning, 48, resigned as defensive coordinator Tuesday after Clemson hired new coach Dabo Swinney. He then moved his family, including his wife Tracey and three school-aged sons, to Orange Beach and enrolled the children in school.”We had one of the top defenses, and I didn’t feel like we were being appreciated,” he said. “I said my piece and moved on. I got away from that situation. I just got down [to Orange Beach] late this afternoon.”Koenning said his wife would prefer to stay in the Gulf Coast region if an opportunity were available.Sports contributor Rachel Whittaker contributed to this report.—-Contact Amy Brittain at [email protected]