Fly War Eagle
Fansided

Auburn Football: Coaching Staff Updates, Rumors and Speculation

By Nicholas Ian Allen

facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next

April 6, 2013; Gainesville FL, USA; Florida Gators defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson during the spring practice for the Orange and Blue Deput at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Backs

Finally, the area where changes are likely to occur is on the defensive side of the football.

Of course, the biggest change has already come with the firing of defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson, and the hiring of Will Muschamp as the new defensive coordinator. It’s extremely rare for a new coordinator to join a coaching staff and retain all the other assistants.

According to AL.com:

"Defensive coordinator Will Muschamp will be given the freedom to build his own staff, but potential moves have not yet been discussed between Gus Malzahn and the former Florida coach, Malzahn said Friday. “We have not talked about it,” Malzahn said. “We’re just trying to give these guys the best plan to win the bowl game. We’ll talk about that at a later date.”"

Charlie Harbison coached the safeties under Johnson and is the acting defensive coordinator for the bowl game, but it would be a surprise to see him or cornerbacks coach Melvin Smith retained by Muschamp and Malzahn for the 2015 season.

Live Feed

Auburn vs. Texas A&M Prediction, Odds, Trends and Key Players for College Football Week 4
Auburn vs. Texas A&M Prediction, Odds, Trends and Key Players for College Football Week 4 /

Betsided

  • 2023 Week 4 AP Poll Top 25: Every SEC team’s highest, lowest spot on ballot South Bound & Down
  • SEC Football: Florida, LSU rise in Week 4 2023 power rankings South Bound & Down
  • SEC Tailgating: Where should you go in each town? South Bound & Down
  • SEC football standings based on yards per play through Week 2 FanSided
  • Auburn Basketball: Projected starting lineup and depth chart for 2023-24 season Busting Brackets

    • Part of the reason is the lack of success the Tigers had defending the pass in the second half of the season – especially when they allowed 416 yards and five touchdowns in a 42-35 win over South Carolina, 277 yards and four TDs (to a true freshman quarterback) in a 41-38 loss to Texas A&M, 339 yards and two scores in a 35-31 win over Ole Miss, and 312 yards and four touchdown passes in the 55-44 loss to Alabama.

    Another is that multiple reports have stated Florida defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson is expected to follow Muschamp to the Plains. Nothing is official yet, and Robinson is said to have not made a final decision on whether or not to come back to Auburn, where he played and served as a graduate assistant, or to stay in Gainesville on new head coach Jim McElwain’s staff.

    Muschamp has experience coaching linebackers and has also had tremendous success in the secondary. If Robinson is hired, he is likely to coach the entire defensive backfield, with assistance from Muschamp, and the Tigers will hire a linebackers coach.

    If Robinson falls through, Mississippi State safeties coach and recruiting coordinator Tony Hughes might be an option since Bulldogs defensive coordinator Geoff Collins left for Florida. Someone like UCF defensive backs coach Kirk Callahan, an up and comer in the profession, could be a target as well. Both of those names are pure speculation, though.

    Next: Linebackers

    Home/Auburn Football