In the wake of LSU’s firing of Les Miles, former LSU and current Texas A&M defensive coordinator John Chavis claimed the program was “trying to fire” the head coach for some time, according to ESPN’s Chris Low.

“It’s always sad to see a man and a coach the caliber of Les get pushed out,” Chavis said. “He’s a Hall of Famer and a legend in the state of Louisiana. I was blessed that he gave me an opportunity to coach at a place like LSU, but I can’t say I’m surprised that he’s gone. They were trying to fire him when I was there, and I told him so.”

Chavis was an assistant under Miles from 2009-14, which would mean LSU had intended to fire Miles for at least two years, although Chavis didn’t specify.

Miles was fired four games into his 12th season with the program. He led the Tigers to a 114-34 (62-28 SEC) record during his tenure, which included a national championship in 2007, as well as two SEC Championships and BCS Championship Game appearances (2007, 2011).