1.13.24 Football Articles

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247sports.com

Wesley McGriff to remain on Auburn coaching staff

Nathan King

3–4 minutes

'Crime Dog' McGriff will not be leaving Auburn after all

After a series of twists and turns since he returned to Auburn last year, Wesley McGriff will ultimately remain on the Plains for the 2024 season.

"Crime Dog" McGriff will not be leaving Auburn after all and is set to return to his post on Hugh Freeze's on-field assistant staff as a defensive backs coach, Auburn Undercover confirmed Friday afternoon.

Last month, after Auburn hired Colorado defensive coordinator Charles Kelly to its staff, McGriff left for an assistant job coaching under Mike Elko at Texas A&M as DB coach and passing game coordinator. The hire was announced by Texas A&M, but Auburn Undercover was informed McGriff had yet to sign the contract.

McGriff was hired by Freeze last offseason, after the two worked together previously at Ole Miss. McGriff thus began his third career coaching stint at Auburn, having also been on staff in 2016 and 2019-20. He coached the Tigers' cornerbacks, while Zac Etheridge handled safeties and nickels.

Etheridge resigned from the coaching staff Friday, and McGriff will coach defensive backs in 2024 with Kelly.

In late October, McGriff moved off the field due to a "personal issue," according to Freeze at the time. McGriff's title was "chief of accountability and in-house recruiting," and he remained on staff throughout the season.

Last week, defensive coordinator Ron Roberts took a job as an assistant coach at Florida, as the Tigers are now working to replace both coordinators.

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Auburn RB Jarquez Hunter returning for senior season

Jarquez Hunter will return for his senior year

Auburn's running game is getting its best player back in 2024.

Rising senior running back Jarquez Hunter will return for his senior year in favor of the NFL draft, the program announced on social media Friday afternoon.

RUN IT BACK @jarquezhunter ? pic.twitter.com/am1H0zH7n0

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) January 12, 2024

"There's something about this place, this team, this staff that's truly special," Hunter said. "I can't thank Auburn enough for what it has done for me. So with that being said, let's run it back, Auburn family. War damn eagle."

A former 3-star recruit from Mississippi, Hunter bided his time behind Tank Bigsby for two seasons, rushing for 1,263 yards and 10 touchdowns. He then had 909 as Auburn's leading rusher in 2023, with seven touchdowns.

With Hunter's production as the team's top back, Auburn was the SEC's No. 4 team in total rushing and No. 5 in yards per carry.

Even with position coach Cadillac Williams gone after he resigned from the staff Thursday, Auburn is now set to return every scholarship running back in 2024: Hunter, Damari Alston, Jeremiah Cobb and even Brian Battie, who entered the portal earlier this month but withdrew this week.

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

Auburn names Charles Kelly co-Defensive Coordinator

Brian Hauch

~3 minutes

Charles Kelly has been named the co-defensive coordinator for Auburn’s football program.

Hugh Freeze announced on Friday that Kelly would be joining the staff and co-leading the defensive unit in 2024 and beyond.

A former player on the Plains, Kelly was the defensive coordinator for the resurgent Colorado Buffaloes in 2023. Along with head coach Deion Sanders, Kelly helped Colorado become the story of the early college football season before reality struck.

Kelly won several awards during his time in the Centennial State, most notably winning the 247Sports National Recruiter of the Year award in 2023. The long-time coach also was ranked in the top five the year prior.

The 56-year-old started his coaching career directly following his playing career at Auburn, coaching high school football in Alabama until accepting a job at Jacksonville State as the running backs coach in 1993.

The defensive coach made stops at Nicholls State, Georgia Tech, and Florida State before most notably becoming the assistant defensive coordinator at Alabama from 2019-2022.

Kelly now “comes home” to coach his alma-mater in a major transitional period for the Tigers.

He’ll bring four career conference championships and two career national titles to an Auburn locker room that is sure to have plenty of new faces next season.

Auburn’s newest staff member is certainly excited to be joining the team in 2024, stating,

“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. 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!”

We’ll see if Kelly can help navigate a defense set to lose stars D.J James, Marcus Harris, and Jaylin Simpson in 2024.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

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athlonsports.com

 

Alabama Might Reclaim Five-Star Recruit After Kalen DeBoer Hire

Matt Audilet

~2 minutes

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Five-star wide receiver recruit Ryan Williams decommitted from Alabama following the retirement of all-time great head coach Nick Saban earlier this week.

But, based on some recent social media activity from Williams, he could be on his way back to the Crimson Tide.

After the news of Alabama's hiring of now-former Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer, Williams started "liking" several positive posts about the move.

Take a look here:

Williams is the No. 3 wide receiver and No. 10 overall player in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports' rankings. The Saraland, Alabama native had been committed to the Crimson Tide since October before his decommitment on Wednesday.

"I had no idea, actually," Williams said, via ESPN. "It's the dead period and I just saw all the other players transferring or declaring for the draft. I was wondering [what would happen], but I found out through Twitter [that Saban was retiring]."

Williams identified Texas, Texas A&M and Auburn as schools he's interested in after his decommitment.

"Texas has always been one of my favorites because of [Steve] Sarkisian and his offense and they're a big contender, one of the teams that beat Alabama," he continued. "They're definitely one of the schools at the top of the list for me. Of course, Texas A&M with my receivers coach from Alabama going there, and then Auburn."

Based on his recent social media activity, it appears Alabama could be back on the table as well.

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al.com

Why did Auburn add Charles Kelly to its staff? To recruit.

Updated: Jan. 12, 2024, 12:48 p.m.|Published: Jan. 12, 2024, 12:41 p.m.

4–6 minutes

Hugh Freeze breaks down Auburn's 2024 signing class

The answer comes in only the second paragraph of Auburn’s press release and the first sentence of a quote from head coach Hugh Freeze. Auburn’s post on X, formerly known as Twitter, announcing the hire of Charles Kelly only had two sentences and the first mentioned his recruiting acumen.

Why? Auburn certainly hasn’t made it a mystery why Kelly was hired as Auburn’s new co-defensive coordinator.

The move was initially reported in December but was officially announced Friday. It’s his alma mater, having played at Auburn in the late 1980s under Pat Dye. But before any of his coaching background was discussed, Auburn noted Kelly’s award as the 2023 247Sports national recruiter of the year. That’s why he was brought back to Auburn: to recruit.

“Charles is an outstanding football mind who is an excellent recruiter and understands the landscape of Auburn and the Southeastern Conference,” Freeze said. “We are excited to have Charles on our staff as we continue building a strong foundation for the future success of Auburn football.”

Kelly’s coaching background of course does matter. He was a graduate assistant at Auburn in 1993. This is his first time back since. He’s held various positions at Jacksonville State and high schools in Alabama. His first FBS defensive coordinator job came at Georgia Tech in 2012. He has had stints as the defensive coordinator at Florida State, Alabama and Colorado on his way to Auburn.

And everywhere he’s been, Kelly has recruited.

According to 247Sports, Kelly has been the primary or secondary recruiter to land nine different five-star recruits. That included names like Will Anderson, Josh Sweat and Levonta Taylor. Other big names Kelly recruited include Isaiah Bond, Terrion Arnold, Travis Rudolph, Javion Cohen and Brian Branch.

Recruiting remains among Freeze’s highest priorities as he continues to build the roster. A top-10 2024 class alone isn’t enough. The momentum and success must be maintained.

Freeze has openly stated his goal of a top-five-rated class in 2025.

But Freeze, an elite recruiter in his own right, is stepping back from the heavy recruiting focus he had in his first year as Auburn’s head coach. Freeze is expected to take on a much larger role in the offense in 2024. That would mean calling plays.

Freeze initially passed off that responsibility to former offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery so he could focus on recruiting as his top priority. Freeze landed a strong class, but the offense clearly suffered.

If Freeze does plan to in fact take on that much more hands-on role, he doesn’t want to leave a void in recruiting.

Enter Kelly. Void filled.

Neither Montgomery nor former defense coordinator Ron Roberts were particularly strong recruiters. Roberts left for a defensive assistant job at Florida.

So, the timing was right to bring Kelly back to his alma mater. Auburn needed someone with defensive coordinator experience. But a requirement assuredly was hiring a coordinator who could recruit.

Auburn made that much very clear. The lead was not buried. The co-defensive coordinator job suggests not having the entire responsibility of the defense. He will likely take on responsibility as a defensive backs coach after the departure of Zac Etheridge, as announced Friday morning.

Auburn has not yet named the co-coordinator with Kelly.

Kelly is here to coach the defense of course, but his job is to recruit.

“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.”

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

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247sports.com

 

Freeze searches for invaluable stability after more coaching turnover

Nathan King

4–5 minutes

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Stability isn’t exactly a word that can be used to describe the recent state of Auburn football and its coaching staff.

It comes with the territory of two coaching changes in the past four seasons, but the revolving door in the coaching offices of Auburn’s football facility has been moving at warp speed.

Thursday night and Friday morning’s news felt different, of course, as two beloved Auburn figures — Cadillac Williams and Zac Etheridge — resigned from their positions on the staff. No details were given as to why. Etheridge is reportedly set to take a job on Willie Fritz’s Houston staff, while Williams wiped all mention of Auburn from his social media.

The previous two weeks, Auburn fired offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery — in a move that had been long expected due to the messy marriage between he and Hugh Freeze — and defensive coordinator Ron Roberts departed for a job on Florida’s staff.

It will be the fifth straight season for Auburn with new coordinators on both sides of the ball — and the seventh straight with a new offensive coordinator.

In all, since 2019, Auburn has turned over 31 assistant coaching spots.

In the wake of Nick Saban’s retirement this week, many have pointed out how he was able to consistently produce at Alabama in spite of consistent staff changes. But that was at one of the most successful powerhouses in the history of the sport.

Most other programs can’t afford that kind of turnover, though. Moving forward, continuity on his assistant staffs is something Freeze knows can help him succeed on the Plains.

“Continuity is invaluable,” Freeze said before Auburn played in the Music City Bowl last month. “Driving the same culture, the same voice from the staff rooms to the position rooms, and hopefully from the position rooms to the locker rooms is when you get to be a special team. It starts with the staff believing the same things and saying the same things and not wavering from those.”

But later in the same answer, a day before Auburn’s loss in Nashville, Freeze also gave a somewhat harrowing indication of what was to come for his coaching staff. He didn’t necessarily provide a ringing endorsement for at least a portion of the coaches he hired this time last year.

"I don't know that I ever feel like I took over a program and I got every single hire in the whole building right the first time," Freeze said. "Because you're just so crazy with recruiting. So I think there's always the evaluation from our chair of can we improve ourselves some way."

Whether Auburn can make those crucial improvements in 2024 depends largely on the Tigers’ personnel, sure. Auburn still has questions about whether it will add a transfer quarterback or stick with Payton Thorne and crew. It still loses tons of experience and production on the defensive line and in the secondary. No assistant coach in the country can change those trends with the snap of a finger.

But Freeze’s impending hires — for which there are now four vacancies on staff, with offensive coordinator, quarterbacks, running backs, defensive coordinator and likely defensive backs needing coached — could be crucial for a 2024 season that needs to show steady improvement for the Tigers on and off the field, as Freeze searches for building blocks toward returning Auburn to championship contention.

*** Subscribe to Auburn Undercover for the latest news and intel, podcasts, recruiting coverage and more ***

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wtvm.com

Auburn’s secondary coach Zac Etheridge resigns

WBRC Digital Staff

~2 minutes

AUBURN, Ala. (WBRC) - Zac Etheridge, who has been a secondary coach with Auburn football since 2021, announced on social media Friday he was resigning from his position.

Etheridge said it’s been a dream coaching at his alma mater.

“I love Auburn with all my heart and have no doubt that the program will flourish under coach Freeze’s leadership,” he said in a statement on X. “Above all, I want to say thank you to my players. It’s truly been an honor and a blessing to develop Auburn men on and off the field while building lifelong relationships.”

Etheridge was one of only two coaches retained by Hugh Freeze when he took over the program. His resignation comes a day after Cadillac Williams announced he was leaving the program.

Head coach Hugh Freeze released the following statement:

Reports say Etheridge could be heading back to Houston where he coached before he accepted the position at Auburn.

Etheridge played at Auburn as a safety from 2007 through 2010, including starting all 14 games in the Tigers’ National Championship season in 2010.

Prior to returning to Auburn in 2021, Etheridge spent two years as the defensive backs coach at Houston.

His resignation is another chapter in coaching turnover down on the Plains.

On January 3, Texas A&M announced they had hired Auburn secondary coach Wesley McGriff. Offensive Coordinator Philip Montgomery was released by Freeze last week. Just days later, 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz reported that defensive coordinator Ron Roberts would be leaving for Florida.

Get news alerts in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store or subscribe to our email newsletter here.

Copyright 2024 WBRC. All rights reserved.

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al.com

What Cadillac Williams’ stunning departure means for Auburn

Updated: Jan. 11, 2024, 10:05 p.m.|Published: Jan. 11, 2024, 9:50 p.m.

5–6 minutes

GO CRAZY CADILLAC! Carnell Williams celebrates 1st win as Auburn interim head coach

Legacies are complicated. By nature, they’re meant to be.

But in the eyes of Auburn fans, Carnell “Cadillac” Williams isn’t.

When Williams leaves this place, he leaves behind a name forever engraved on the sidewalks outside Toomer’s Drugs. He carried an All-American playing career that will never be forgotten and led a four-game run as this program’s head coach still enshrined on the walls of Auburn’s athletics facility.

In a late Thursday night statement, Auburn announced Williams will resign from his position as the associate head coach and running backs coach. He parts ways with his alma mater.

Auburn now has vacancies at its offensive coordinator, quarterbacks and running back position coaches. It has been rumored current Ole Miss wide receivers coach Derrick Nix, who previously coached the running backs in Oxford under Hugh Freeze, is a leading candidate for the coordinator job. Freeze reportedly plans to take over play-calling duties going into next season and analyst Kent Austin is expected to be promoted to the quarterbacks coach, according to a previous 247Sports report.

Freeze reportedly attempted to bring in Nix last offseason as an offensive coordinator. It didn’t work out. At that time, Auburn couldn’t fathom getting rid of Williams with what he had just done in the four games to close the 2022 season.

There are many around these parts who still believe Williams should have gotten Auburn’s head coaching job permanently.

Williams was named Auburn’s interim head coach after the Halloween 2022 firing of previous head coach Bryan Harsin. He set a milestone as Auburn’s first Black head coach. With just a few days to prepare, Auburn lost Williams’ first game as the head coach against Mississippi State.

The next week, Auburn hosted Texas A&M in a Jordan-Hare Stadium night game.

On that mid-November night, Auburn fans produced one of the most memorable atmospheres in this town’s history as a program ignited with a newfound energy under Williams took the field. The type of energy around a late-season game like that doesn’t happen very often for a team that wouldn’t go to a bowl game.

Auburn won 13-10. Williams nearly cried at the podium after the game. After all he’d given to Auburn, he had now won a game as its head coach.

Fittingly, Auburn under its second-all-time leading rusher hardly did anything but run the ball, utilizing quarterback Robby Ashford’s legs along with running backs Jarquez Hunter and Tank Bigsby. It was Cadillac Williams football on a Cadillac Williams team.

Williams only went 2-2 in his four games as the interim head coach, but the unity fans said he brought to a fractured fanbase after Harsin’s firing led many to believe he was the best candidate for the full-time job.

Williams is the type of speaker who could rally a group of reporters sitting at a press conference, let alone the football team in the locker room. He came back to Auburn under then-head coach Gus Malzahn to be the running backs coach beginning in 2019. He maintained the role into Harsin’s tenure before becoming the interim head coach.

He recruited Auburn’s running back room which was the lone bright spot on the 2023 offense.

He wasn’t, however, selected as the full-time head coach. Freeze was. Freeze kept Williams as the associate head coach. Retaining him would keep unity among the fanbase.

It lasted that way for one year. The fallout of his departure will be felt in ripples to come.

What Williams meant to this program will remain in the record books along with his playing career. The memories of fans who were there that November night against Texas A&M and were there to see the passion he brought back to his school.

The circumstances of a move announced in the late-night hours will continue to unravel. What will be next for him remains unclear, should that mean considering a running backs coach job elsewhere in college or professional ranks or trying his hand at a full-time head coaching job. It won’t be at Auburn.

His legacy will continue to be written elsewhere.

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

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start the video at 9:43 to hear roberts take

 

 

[SaltyTiger 7,816]

6 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

RUN IT BACK @jarquezhunter

Good cold morning from the Plains. Great to hear the above and that McGriff staying.

Now, change the avatar back to the proper one immediately!!!

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59 minutes ago, SaltyTiger said:

Good cold morning from the Plains. Great to hear the above and that McGriff staying.

Now, change the avatar back to the proper one immediately!!!

i did. i am stoned aubie again but then i really am stoned aubie. i missed ya saltster but it was low and to the right......grins. have a wonderful day!

[SaltyTiger 7,816]

1 hour ago, aubiefifty said:

i did. i am stoned aubie again but then i really am stoned aubie. i missed ya saltster but it was low and to the right......grins. have a wonderful day!

Been a bit under the weather past few days. Also when we hit a slight bump in the road a slight few loud and frequent posters around here are a bit discouraging.

Now, change the damn picture back to how far Alex City and B’ham are!

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3 minutes ago, SaltyTiger said:

Been a bit under the weather past few days. Also when we hit a slight bump in the road a slight few loud and frequent posters around here are a bit discouraging.

Now, change the damn picture back to how far Alex City and B’ham are!

sorry you are under the weather. i have friends that have had the crud for over a month and they say it is the sickest they have ever been.