After hiring two coaches away from South Carolina to build his very first Auburn Tigers support staff, Bryan Harsin doesn’t appear to be finished picking through the remains of the Gamecocks’ scattered coaching scrap heap.
As of today, Head Coach Bryan Harsin has an eighth assistant coach on his staff: Tracy Rocker, who will be joining fellow former Gamecocks Mike Bobo and Will Friend on the Plains as D-Line coach.
Rocker–who has a multitude of D-Line coaching experience in the SEC–is no stranger to Auburn football. An Auburn graduate himself, he finished his Auburn football career in 1988 as a two-time All-American and coached on the staff of the 2010 National Championship team.
But if the name Tracy Rocker isn’t ringing a bell for you, Nick Fairley should. Fairley received the Lombardi Award and SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2010 under Rocker’s tutelage, and the pair makes up two thirds of Auburn’s only SEC Defensive Player of the Year award winners.
Auburn has had only three SEC Defensive Player of the Year winners in program history. Tracy Rocker was the first in 1988 and coached the second, Nick Fairley, in 2010.https://t.co/mBnoadbPWc
— Josh Vitale (@JoshVitale) January 13, 2021
Although he arrives on the Plains with many accolades, it should be noted that Rocker, Bobo, and Friend all come from a 2-8 South Carolina team. Could this spell trouble for the Tigers?
Fly War Eagle doesn’t think so. Tracy Rocker and Mike Bobo spent just one season in Columbia while Friend spent only a few weeks. Rocker’s football resume is strong, and so is his Auburn resume.
While playing Auburn football from 1965-68, Rocker was the first SEC player to win the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Award, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004. This level of excellence and dedication will shine through in his mentorship of the Tigers’ D-Line.
We’re excited to see Tracy Rocker return home to the Plains to see what he’ll bring to a defensive line with a solid amount of returners.