LSU was "prepared and ready" for another school to pursue defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, who is "happy to be part of the next step in this process," he said in a school-issued release Thursday.
LSU sent the release one day after Aranda and the school agreed to a new four-year contract that will pay an average of $2.5 million annually, according to an LSU source.
The sides agreed to the deal after Texas A&M redoubled its efforts to hire Aranda away from LSU with two years remaining a contract that paid him $1.8 million in 2017.
The contract for Aranda runs through the 2021 season, which matches the contract length for coach Ed Orgeron's deal that pays $3.