It’s official: LSU has hired Youngstown State head coach Bo Pelini as its next defensive coordinator, the school officially announced on Monday.
Pelini will reportedly sign a three-year deal, paying him $2.3 million, making him the second-highest paid assistant in college football behind Auburn DC Kevin Steele. He replaces Dave Aranda, who accepted the Baylor head coaching job on Jan. 16 after an impressive four-year stint in Baton Rouge.
“The opportunity to return to LSU is truly unique,” Pelini said in his announcement. “Culturally, with my prior experience at LSU, I know it is a great fit for me. The chance to work with Coach Orgeron, the ability to take charge of the Tigers defense, is something that I’m extremely excited about. All of that in a place that both my family and I immensely enjoyed when we were there before is very exciting for us. We are very honored and looking forward to this next chapter.”
Pelini served as LSU’s defensive coordinator under Les Miles from 2005-2007, before moving on to become the head coach at Nebraska (2008-2014) and Younstown State (2015-2019).
During his time at Nebraska, Pelini recorded an overall record of 66–27 over seven seasons, while also compiling a modest 33-28 record at Youngstown State.
In his tenure with the Tigers, Pelini’s defenses ranked third nationally all three years he was in Baton Rouge, two of which ranked atop the Southeastern Conference.
In his final year at LSU, Pelini was a member of the BCS National Championship team, who took down Ohio State 38-24 in New Orleans. He most notably coached eventual first-round draft pick Glenn Dorsey, the most decorated defensive player in program history. 
“We are privileged to have one of the top defensive coordinators in all of football in Bo Pelini join our staff,” Orgeron said in an official release. “Bo has had some of the best defenses in football during his career and we are looking forward to him bringing his tremendous amount of knowledge and expertise back to LSU to continue to win championships.”