In today's edition of Auburn Tigers News, two of Auburn football's assistant coaches have parted ways with the program and Charles Kelly has been hired as co-Defensive Coordinator
It has been a wild 24 hours for the Auburn football program, and it is looking like head coach Hugh Freeze's second-year staff will look pretty different from last year's. In an announcement that surprised many Auburn football fans despite the rumors that were swirling over the past few days, associate head coach and running backs coach Cadillac Williams resigned late last night.
Williams wrote in a statement that he is leaving Auburn to "pursue other opportunities" and that he is grateful to Coach Gus Malzahn and Coach Freeze for giving him coaching opportunities on the Plains. Freeze noted that he is grateful for Williams' contributions and wishes him the best going forward.
This morning it was reported that defensive backs coach Zac Etheridge would also be parting ways with the program. He is reportedly headed to Houston, where he coached in 2019 and 2020. He was also a finalist for the Louisiana-Monroe head coaching job earlier this year, according to AL.com.
Charles Kelly hired as co-Defensive Coordinator
In addition to the two resignations, a new hire has been confirmed for the Tigers. Charles Kelly, who spent the 2023 season as the defensive coordinator at Colorado, will be co-Defensive Coordinator for Auburn football.
Prior to his stint in Boulder, Kelly spent four years as the associate defensive coordinator at Alabama. According to Auburn Athletics, Kelly was the 2023 247 Sports National Recruiter of the Year, and he is looking forward to returning to the program where he played football himself:
"I am very grateful to return to a university and a football program that have meant so much to me growing up in this state and playing for Coach Dye," Kelly said. "It's an honor to work with Coach Freeze, whom I have a tremendous amount of respect for, and I'm appreciative of him for this opportunity. I look forward to helping Coach Freeze and this staff bring our program back to the caliber of championship football that Auburn deserves. As the Auburn Creed states, 'I believe in work, hard work.' I do not take this opportunity lightly and am ready to go to work. War Eagle!"
Even with the changes in staffing during the offseason, there is a lot to look forward to in 2024. Freeze's top goal is still to elevate the Auburn football program to an elite level, and changes are necessary to be great.