LSU has hired Dave Aranda as its new defensive coordinator, coach Les Miles announced Friday night. Aranda had held the same position at Wisconsin.

Aranda’s first game at LSU will be against Wisconsin at Green Bay’s Lambeau Field.

Aranda replaces Kevin Steele, who accepted the same position at Auburn.

Wisconsin ranked second in the nation in scoring defense this season behind Alabama, allowing only 13.7 points per game. Aranda has guided Top 10 defenses at Wisconsin for the past three years.

In three years as Wisconsin defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach, Aranda’s Badger defense ranked among the top 5 in the nation in the four major defensive categories – scoring, total yards, passing yards and rushing yards.

This season, Wisconsin ranks No. 3 in the nation in total defense (268.5 yards per game), No. 4 in rushing defense (95.4 yards per game) and No. 7 in passing defense (173.2 yards per game).

“This is a great hire for us,” Miles said. “Dave has an outstanding track record of producing some of the best defenses in college football. We’ve seen him up close and understand how difficult it is to have success against him.

“He’s everything that we were looking for in a defensive coordinator. He’s youthful with tremendous enthusiasm; our players are going to love him. He’s brings great defensive knowledge to our staff both as a technician and as a strategist. We are thrilled that he’s joining us.”

In 2014, Aranda’s defense limited LSU to 126 rushing yards as LSU beat the Badgers 28-24 in Houston.

Aranda will take over an LSU defense that could return as many as nine starters from a unit that allowed 24.2 points and 347.2 total yards (122.9 rushing, 224.2 passing) a contest.

“Dave will bring different packages and an attacking style to the field,” Miles said. “Watching his defense play, they are tough to move the ball on and they are sticky in every situation. His defenses do a great job of getting off the field.

“He’s going to be a great fit for our personnel. He’s a players’ coach and we are really excited that he’s going to be a LSU Tiger.”

“He’s done some exceptional things,” Badgers cornerback Sojourn Shelton said. “The players here, they want to play for him. He gets the players to believe in themselves. And even in some down times when players go through things, he’s always there for you. That’s the type of coach that he is. He’s definitely done a great job. If he was to leave, I think we all can understand and respect him for that.”

Aranda spent the 2012 season at Utah State. As the defensive coordinator at USU, he oversaw an Aggies defense that ranked eighth in the country in scoring defense, allowing just 15.4 points per game.

Prior to Utah State, Aranda spent four years at Hawaii, the last two as the Warriors’ defensive coordinator after coaching the defensive line.

During the 2011 season at Hawaii, Aranda’s defense led the Western Athletic Conference and was tied for 15th in the FBS in sacks with 35.

In 2010, Aranda’s Hawaii defense led the nation in turnovers caused (38), while ranking second in the nation in interceptions (23) and ninth in fumbles recovered (15), as well as tying the school record for most defensive touchdowns with five.

Prior to Hawaii, Aranda coached at Delta State University in 2007, where he served as co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach.

Before Delta State, Aranda spent two years as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at his alma mater, California Lutheran.

From 2002-03, Aranda was the linebackers coach at the University of Houston. Prior to that, he was a graduate assistant at Texas Tech.

After he graduated from Redlands High School in California in 1994, numerous surgeries followed and ended his playing career. In 1995, he started his coaching resume at Redlands as an assistant coach. Aranda graduated from California Lutheran in 1999 with a degree in philosophy. In 2002, he earned his master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies at Texas Tech.

Aranda and his wife, Dione, have two daughters, Jaelyn and Jordyn, and a son, Ronin.