LSU Gold

Bradley Dale Peveto Season 2024

LSU
Bradley Dale Peveto
Title
Special Teams Coordinator/Linebackers Coach

Bradley Dale Peveto, who was a member of the LSU coaching staff during its run to the 2007 national title, is in his second stint with the Tigers after rejoining the staff in 2014. Overall, Peveto is in his seventh season with the Tigers in 2016 where he oversees LSU special teams, while also coaching outside linebackers on defense.

Peveto re-joined the LSU staff for the 2014 season after serving as the special teams coordinator and safeties coach for Kentucky in 2013. Prior to that, Peveto was the head coach at Northwestern State University for four years.

Peveto was a member of Miles’ first staff at LSU as he joined the Tigers originally in the spring of 2005 as special teams coordinator and linebackers coach. He remained in that position until the 2008 season when he was promoted to co-defensive coordinator. LSU went a combined 42-11 during Peveto’s first stretch with the Tigers, a span that saw LSU claim a national title and win at least 11 games in a season three times. With Peveto on staff, LSU has posted a 59-19 overall mark and won five bowl games.

In 2015, LSU featured two of the most dynamic return men in the SEC as Tre’Davious White ranked among the league leaders by averaging 11.4 yards on punt returns and true freshman Derrius Guice was equally as dangerous in kickoff returns with a 23.6 average. White also returned a punt for a touchdown for the second straight year, while Guice had a 75-yard kickoff return that setup a LSU touchdown. First-year starter Trent Domingue connected on 13-of-17 field goals for the Tigers, while punter Jamie Keehn averaged 40.7 yards a punt to finish his career among the school’s all-time punting leaders.

On defense, Peveto oversaw a group of linebackers that were among the best in the SEC led by Butkus Award finalist Deion Jones and Kendell Beckwith. Jones led the Tigers with 100 tackles and was a second round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Falcons. Beckwith is a preseason All-America in 2016 and will be the anchor for a Tiger defense that return nine starters this year.

In his first year back with the Tigers in 2014, LSU’s special teams accounted for one touchdown in both the kickoff and punt return game, while punter Jamie Keehn ranked No. 2 in the league in punting with a 44.9 average. LSU was first in the SEC in kickoff returns (26.7 average) and No. 3 in net punting (41.4 average). In Peveto’s five years as LSU’s special teams coordinator, the Tigers have scored 10 special teams touchdowns and blocked six kicks.

Peveto left LSU following the 2008 season to become the head coach at Northwestern State, where he posted a 14-30 mark in four seasons from 2009-12 with the Demons.

In his first stint on the Tiger staff, Peveto’s development of linebackers was critical to the LSU defense rating among the top five in the nation in for three straight years from 2005-07. During that three-year stretch, the LSU defense held opponents to average of 266.7 total yards and 15.7 points per game.

In 2007, linebacker Ali Highsmith earned first-team All-America honors from CBSsports.com, while also being named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press.

As LSU’s special teams coordinator from 2005-07, Peveto had both his punter (Patrick Fisher) and placekicker (Colt David) earn first-team All-SEC honors in 2007. It marked the first time in school history that LSU had the All-SEC punter and kicker on its roster in the same season. Fisher averaged a league-best 44.5 yards per punt in 2007, while David kicked a school-record 26 field goals and led the SEC in scoring with a league record 147 total points.

Peveto joined the Tigers after two years at Middle Tennessee State, where he served as secondary in coach in 2003 before a promotion to defensive coordinator/linebacker coach in 2004. A native of Orangefield, Texas, Peveto led a Blue Raider defense that ranked second in the Sun Belt Conference in rushing defense.

Prior to his arrival at Middle Tennessee, Peveto spent four years (1999-2002) at Houston as the Cougars’ co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach. During his stay in Houston, he had four players earn five all-conference awards while three were placed on the league’s all-freshman squad.

Peveto served as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Northwestern State (La.) University for three years from 1996 to 1998, helping the Demons capture capture back-to-back Southland Conference Championships and NCAA I-AA playoff berths.

Peveto’s “Purple Swarm” defense at Northwestern State was ranked nationally in several statistical categories during each of his three seasons and four of his players earned All-America honors. In addition, four Demon players were selected in the NFL draft. The 1998 Northwestern State team went 11-3, reached the I-AA semifinals, and ranked third nationally.

Prior to Northwestern State, Peveto spent two seasons on Danny Ford’s staff at Arkansas, while the Razorbacks won the SEC Western Division title with an 8-5 overall mark and played in the Carquest Bowl in 1995. While at Arkansas, Peveto served as special teams coordinator and linebackers coach.

Peveto coached the outside linebackers and special teams at Southern Miss in 1992 and 1993. He also coached the defensive line, linebackers and secondary at Stephen F. Austin from 1988 to 1991, serving as the special teams coordinator all four years, as the Lumberjacks led the nation in punt returns in 1989. SFA also won the Southland Conference and advanced to the 1989 I-AA championship game. His secondary was nationally ranked in passing efficiency defense in 1990 and 1991.

A 1987 graduate of SMU, Peveto began his coaching career as a secondary coach at Trinity Valley Community College.

Peveto was a four-year letterman for the Mustangs, played in four bowl games (Cotton, Sun, Aloha and Mirage), and was a team captain as a senior in 1986. During his playing career, SMU won two Southwest Conference championships (1982 and 1984) and had a combined record of 43-14-1.

Peveto comes from a family with a rich football coaching tradition. His late father, Ed, coached high school football in the southeast Texas area and was inducted into the Greater Houston Coaches Hall of Honor in 1993 and into the Golden Triangle Coaches Hall of Fame in 1997. His two brothers were also high school coaches in Texas.

Peveto is married to the former Melissa Weser, and the couple has a daughter, Payton Marie and a son Jacob Edward.

The Peveto File
Year at LSU: Seventh
Birthdate: Dec. 28, 1962, in Beaumont, Texas
Wife: Melissa
Children: Payton Marie, Jake
High School: Orangefield (Texas)
College: SMU, ’87

Playing Experience
1982-86 SMU (defensive back)

Coaching Experience
1987 Trinity Valley Community College (secondary)
1988-91 Stephen F. Austin (defensive line, linebacker, secondary, special teams coordinator)
1992-93 Southern Miss (outside linebackers, special teams coordinator)
1994-95 Arkansas (linebackers, special teams coordinator)
1996-98 Northwestern (La.) State (defensive coordinator, linebackers)
1999-2002 Houston (secondary/co-defensive coordinator)
2003-04 Middle Tennessee (defensive coordinator, secondary, linebackers)
2005-08 LSU (special teams coordinator, linebackers, 2005-07; co-defensive coordinator/linebackers, 2008)
2009-12 Northwestern State (head coach)
2013 Kentucky (special teams coordinator/safeties)
2014-16 LSU (special teams coordinator/defensive assistant; special teams coordinator/linebackers, 2015)

Bowl/Playoff Experience
As a player
Season, Bowl, Team, Opponent, Results
1982, Cotton, SMU, Pittsburgh, W, 7-3
1983, Sun, SMU, Alabama, L, 28-7
1984, Aloha, SMU, Notre Dame, W, 27-20

As a coach
1988, FCS Playoffs First Round, Stephen F. Austin, Jackson State, W, 24-0
1988, FCS Playoffs Quarterfinals, Stephen F. Austin, Georgia Southern, L, 27-6
1989, FCS Playoffs First Round, Stephen F. Austin, Grambling, W, 59-56
1989, FCS Playoffs Quarterfinals, Stephen F. Austin, SW Missouri, W, 55-25
1989, FCS Playoffs Semifinals, Stephen F. Austin, Furman, W, 21-19
1989, FCS Playoffs Championship, Stephen F. Austin, Ga. Southern, L, 37-34
1995, Carquest, Arkansas, North Carolina, L, 20-10
1997, FCS Playoffs First Round, Northwestern State, E. Washington, L, 40-10
1998, FCS Playoffs First Round, Northwestern State, Illinois State, W, 48-28
1998, FCS Playoffs Quarterfinals, Northwestern State, Appalachian State W, 31-10
1998, FCS Playoffs Semifinals, Northwestern State, Massachusetts, L, 41-31
2005, Peach, LSU, Miami, W, 40-3
2006, Sugar, LSU, Notre Dame, W, 41-14
2007, BCS Championship Game, LSU, Ohio State, W, 38-24
2014, Music City, LSU, Notre Dame, L, 31-28
2015, Texas, LSU, Texas Tech, W, 56-27