Former LSU linebacker Kwon Alexander found his new home.
A former LSU defensive star found his new NFL home.
[autotag]Kwon Alexander[/autotag] signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, joining [autotag]Patrick Peterson[/autotag], another former LSU defender who signed earlier this year.
Alexander spent last season with the New York Jets and is about to begin his ninth year as a pro.
He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2015 and spent his first four years there. After bouncing around the last few years, the Steelers will be the fifth uniform Alexander’s worn in the league.
He’s totaled 590 tackles in 95 career games, with 86 of those being starts.
Alexander played three years at LSU from 2012-14. He was a key member of LSU’s stout 2014 defense, the last unit defensive coordinator [autotag]John Chavis[/autotag] coached at LSU.
We have signed LB Kwon Alexander to a one-year contract. @BordasLaw
In his LSU career, he racked up 167 tackles with 15 for a loss while also forcing three fumbles and breaking up five passes.
Alexander’s deal with the Steelers is a one-year contract.
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Former Tennessee defensive coordinator Larry Lacewell dies.
Former Tennessee defensive coordinator Larry Lacewell has died.
He was 85.
Lacewell served as the Vols’ defensive coordinator from 1990-91. He served as head coach at Arkansas State from 1979-89, compiling a 69–58–4 record.
Lacewell served as director of college and pro scouting for the Dallas Cowboys from 1992-2004, winning three Super Bowl championships. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Alabama under head coach Bear Bryant in 1959.
The University of Tennessee offered condolences following Lacewell’s passing.
John Chavis to serve as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach on Birmingham’s coaching staff.
Former Tennessee player and assistant coach John Chavis will coach in the USFL.
Chavis will serve as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the Birmingham Stallions in 2022.
Skip Holtz will serve as Birmingham’s head coach and quarterbacks coach.
The Stallions’ remaining coaching staff consists of Corey Chamblin (defensive backs), Jonathan Himebauch (offensive line), Bill Johnson (defensive line), Mike Jones (wide receivers) and Larry Kirksey (running backs).
The USFL season will kick off April 16. Regular season games will be played at Protective Stadium and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama.
Birmingham will open its 2022 season against the New Jersey Generals April 16. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. EDT.
John Chavis discusses career, next coaching opportunity that presents a chance to win.
John Chavis, former University of Tennessee football player and coach, sat down with Dan Harralson and Ken Lay of Vols Wire to reflect on his career and his plan to return to coaching.
KNOXVILLE — As the 2020 college football season kicked off amid the coronavirus pandemic, longtime Southeastern Conference assistant coach John Chavis was not preparing for a collegiate opponent.
It was a rarity for Chavis who has spent the last 42 years coaching at the collegiate level. Chavis spent the last two seasons at Arkansas when Chad Morris was fired as head coach by the Razorbacks.
Following leaving Arkansas, Chavis did, however, remain coaching in football on a much smaller scale.
Chavis, who was an assistant at Tennessee between 1989-2008, returned to Knoxville after leaving Fayetteville.
He went a few miles out of Knox County to Clinton. There he consulted new Clinton High School head coach Darrell Keith about reversing the once proud Dragons of their recent fortunes.
Chavis coached Keith when the two were together at Alabama A&M.
“I coached Darrell Keith when he was in college at Alabama A&M and I wanted to help him,” Chavis told Vols Wire. “I wanted to help them at Clinton because they’re all good people.”
After helping Keith in Clinton during the team’s preseason workouts, Chavis turned his attention to the middle school game in Knox County. There he helped former Tennessee quarterback Jeff Francis, who coaches a middle school team that feeds into West High School.
Chavis said he has fielded offers before returning to East Tennessee, but chose to stay in Knoxville and teach younger players the game that he loves.
The former Vol said he had a blast.
“It was great,” he said. “I didn’t publicize what I’d done, a couple of the other coaches did, but this wasn’t about me.
“This was about what I could do to help these kids as they begin playing football. I never called a play, but I taught these kids technique and these kids were like sponges.”
Coaching the middle school game, in some ways, gave Chavis a chance to return to his football roots.
After a playing career at Tennessee between 1975-78 as a nose tackle under head coaches Bill Battle and Johnny Majors, Chavis became a coach.
He first served as a graduate assistant under Majors at UT in 1979.
The former Vol then became defensive line coach at Alabama A&M and remained there between 1980-83.
From there, it was on to Alabama State, where he served as defensive coordinator for two seasons before returning to Alabama A&M where he coordinated the defense from 1986-88.
“I’ve been on the big stage and I’ve been on the smaller stage,” Chavis said. “When I was on the smaller stage, that was some of the most fun I’ve had in college football.
“My kids used to come to the office with me in the summer and I had a female swimmer who taught my kids how to swim. The pool was close to my office, and I had a male basketball player who taught my kids about basketball. My kids were with me and that was so much fun.”
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Chavis then returned to his alma mater in 1989 where he coached defensive line and linebackers until 1994.
He then became defensive coordinator for the Vols in 1995 and left UT after head coach Phillip Fulmer’s tenure came to an end.
Chavis then coached at LSU, Texas A&M and Arkansas as defensive coordinator until 2019.
Moving forward, Chavis said he is looking at opportunities to return to college football or dive into coaching in the NFL.
“I know there’s going to be some opportunities,” he said. “I don’t necessarily have to be a coordinator, when I go back into coaching, I want to be where I have a chance to win.”
Larry Marmie. (AP Photo/James A. Finley)
As a defensive line and linebackers coach at Tennessee from 1992-94, he served under coordinator Larry Marmie. Marmie since went on to coach in the NFL with Arizona, St. Louis, Seattle and Tampa Bay.
Chavis mentioned that he will lean on someone like Marmie for any NFL advice when it comes to pursuing a coaching opportunity at the professional level.
Before Marmie took over as Tennessee’s defensive coordinator, Larry Lacewell served in the same capacity for the Vols. Chavis said Lacewell is one of the smartest football minds that he has been around. He was director of college and pro scouting for the Dallas Cowboys from 1992-2004.
Chavis stressed that he would like to end his career with a coaching job that presents the best chance of being able to compete at a championship level.
Chavis coached in the Knoxville Area Middle-School Age Conference with the league’s newest team — West High School.
The Rebels, coached by head coach and former Vols’ quarterback Jeff Francis, recently saw their 2020 season end with a loss to Bearden in the Knoxville Middle-School-Aged Conference Playoffs Thursday night.
Chavis was a Tennessee assistant coach between 1989-2008 and defensive coordinator from 1995-2008.
As Chavis’ season came to an end last week, the school that he played and coached for made a staff change Sunday night.
Chavis takes a high school gig in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Former LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis has returned to coaching, recently taking a gig at West High School in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Chavis played nose tackle for the University of Tennessee Volunteers football program from 1976-1978. Following his playing career, he became a graduate assistant at Tennessee in 1979.
He earned his first collegiate coaching position at Alabama A&M where he was the defensive line coach from 1980-1983. Then, Chavis went on to Alabama State and was the Hornets’ defensive coordinator from 1984-1985 and then returned to Alabama A&M from 1986-1988 as their defensive coordinator.
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Chavis coached the defensive line and linebackers at Tennessee from 1989-1994 and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 1995.
Following the 2008 season, he accepted a position at LSU as the Tigers’ defensive coordinator. Chavis helped coach a number of great defenses during his time at LSU from 2009-2014.
During the time Chavis was leading the defense, the Tigers produced numerous NFL draft picks from the defensive side of the ball. Former players at LSU under Chavis include Tyrann Mathieu, Morris Claiborne, Patrick Peterson and Sam Montgomery.
Though the Tigers never won a national championship with Chavis leading the defense, the program continued to develop next-level talent at every position.
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In 2014, the Tigers put together 19 total sacks as a defensive unit in Chavis’ final year in Baton Rouge. The other five seasons combined, LSU had a total of 184 sacks under Chavis while he was the defensive coordinator.
The Tigers produced elite defenses every season that Chavis was leading the way. After the 2014 season, he moved on to become the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M from 2015-2017, and later held the same position at Arkansas from 2018-2019.
John Chavis returns to Knoxville for coaching position.
KNOXVILLE — Former Tennessee defensive coordinator John Chavis is back in Knoxville as a coach.
You will not find him prowling the sidelines at Neyland Stadium where he once played and later coached, however he will not be far from the Cumberland Avenue strip.
Chavis is coaching in the Knoxville Area Middle-school Aged Conference with the league’s newest team — West High School.
The team’s home field is on Sutherland Avenue, less than five miles from UT’s campus.
Former UT quarterback Jeff Francis is the Rebels’ head coach. West joined for the upcoming 2020 season.
Other teams in the league include Alcoa, Bearden, Carter, Karns, Farragut, Gibbs, Halls and Hardin Valley Academy. The league began in 2019. Bearden is the defending champion and Alcoa was runner-up last year after going undefeated during the regular season.
Chavis played nose tackle at UT for coaches Bill Battle and Johnny Majors between 1976-78.
The former Vol began his coaching career in 1979 as a graduate assistant at Tennessee. He later became the defensive line coach at Alabama A&M (1980-83), defensive coordinator at Alabama State (1984-85) and returned to Alabama A&M as defensive coordinator in 1986.
He returned to Knoxville in 1989 to coach the defensive line and linebackers. Chavis was promoted to defensive coordinator in 1995 for the Vols.
In 2009, Chavis went to LSU where he was defensive coordinator (2009-14).
KNOXVILLE – Although he has not coached for Tennessee since 2008, John Chavis’ name will always remain synonymous with the success UT experienced in the 1990s and early 2000s.
The former Tennessee defensive lineman and defensive coordinator paid a visit to UT this week, spending time with assistant Derrick Ansley.
It was an honor to spend time & pick the brain of Coach John Chavis. One of College Football’s most respected coordinators & VOL LEGEND. We are grateful for him sharing some of his wisdom with our staff. #VFL#LearnAndGrow#Pick6pic.twitter.com/Ag1U6siKYG
After finishing his playing career in 1979 for the Vols, he began coaching as a graduate assistant at UT.
He returned to coach the Vols’ defensive line and linebackers in 1989 after serving as an assistant at Alabama A&M (1980-83, 1986-88) and Alabama State (1984-85).
Chavis was named Tennessee’s defensive coordinator in 1995, a position he held through the 2008 season.
After consistently fielding some of the best defenses in the SEC throughout his time in Knoxville, Chavis was hired by Les Miles at LSU, where he called plays on defense until 2014. From 2015-17, Chavis served as defensive coordinator at Texas A&M, and then under Chad Morris at Arkansas during the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
