2.20.24 Football Articles

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al.com

Auburn football announces slew of hires, promotions to recruiting and analyst staff

Updated: Feb. 19, 2024, 3:01 p.m.|Published: Feb. 19, 2024, 2:55 p.m.

3–4 minutes

FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - NOVEMBER 11: Helmet of the Auburn Tigers on the sidelines during the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on November 11, 2023 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Tigers defeated the Razorbacks 48-10. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)Getty Images

Hugh Freeze’s staff in his second year at Auburn is continuing to take shape as the program officially announced the additions and promotions of 11 members of Auburn football’s recruiting and analyst staff Monday afternoon.

The additions of Kenyatta Watson as Auburn’s director of recruiting research and strategy and Maurice Harris as director of football and recruiting relations highlight Monday’s announcement.

In Watson, the Tigers are getting a well-known name out of the Atlanta area as Watson spent more than a decade developing football talent there. Watson most recently spent time at Georgia Tech as the program’s director of scouting and pro liaison.

Meanwhile, in coming to The Plains, Harris reunites with Freeze for the second time after the two spent five seasons together at Ole Miss, where Harris served as tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator, and four seasons together at Liberty, where Harris served as Freeze’s co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. Harris’ hiring at Auburn comes on the heels of him spending the 2023 season as Jackson State’s offensive coordinator.

Monday’s announcement also included the promotion of Auburn grad Aaron Pittard as the program’s assistant director of player personnel after being a player personnel analyst last fall, as well as the addition of TJ Randall as the program’s assistant director of player personnel and scouting. Randall comes to Auburn having previously worked under Freeze at Liberty.

Auburn also announced the addition of Haylee Brown as a hospitality graduate assistant. According to Brown’s LinkedIn, she previously spent two years as a football recruiting assistant at Liberty, where she received her undergraduate degree last spring.

On the analyst side of things, Auburn announced the elevation of Paxton Montgomery, who is set to serve as a special teams and defensive analyst after being a special teams intern last fall, as well as Sammy Cohen, who will hold the role of defensive analyst after being a defensive intern in 2023.

New additions to Auburn’s analyst staff include former Arkansas defensive back Rohan Gaines, former Maryland defensive lineman Brett Kulka and Buddy Brosky as defensive analysts, and Heath DeDeaux as an offensive graduate assistant.

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al.com

Former Auburn linebackers join NFL coaching staffs

Updated: Feb. 19, 2024, 8:25 p.m.|Published: Feb. 19, 2024, 8:15 p.m.

3–4 minutes

Auburn safety Daren Bates (25) and linebacker Josh Bynes celebrate after Bynes’ interception during a non-conference game against West Virginia on Sept. 19, 2009, at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn.(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

By

Mark Inabinett | minabinett@al.com

Two linebackers who have led Auburn in tackles have joined NFL coaching staffs for 2024.

Daren Bates is on the first staff of Carolina coach Dave Canales as the special-teams assistant for the Panthers.

Josh Bynes will start his coaching career as the assistant linebackers coach for the Seattle Seahawks, reports indicated on Monday. Bynes is joining the first staff of Mike Macdonald, who was the linebacker’s position coach in 2019 and defensive coordinator in 2022 with the Baltimore Ravens.

Alabama’s top 10 NFL receivers: Current stars crowd in

Auburn’s top 10 NFL receivers: Darius Slayton moving up

Bryce Young ‘excited to get to work with’ new coaches in Carolina

This will be Bates’ second season as a coach. Last year, he worked with the Los Angeles Rams special teams in the offseason as a Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellow, then joined the Seattle Seahawks as an assistant coach. Seattle’s special-teams assistant in 2023, Tracy Smith is now the special-teams coordinator for Carolina.

Bynes was the leading tackler for the Auburn team that posted an undefeated record and won the BCS national championship for the 2010 season.

Bynes entered the NFL as undrafted rookie in 2011, but he went on to play in 138 regular-season and seven playoff games in 12 NFL seasons despite being released seven times.

Bynes made the final tackle in Baltimore’s 34-31 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII even though he suffered cracked vertebrae in training camp followed by his release before the 2012 season began. He wound up starting the final three regular-season contests with Baltimore star Ray Lewis sidelined by an injury.

Bates started his Auburn career as a safety and was a member of the Tigers’ 2010 national-championship team. He intercepted a pass in Auburn’s 56-17 victory over South Carolina in the SEC Championship Game that season. After moving to linebacker, Bates led the Tigers in tackles in 2011 and 2012.

Bates also entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie, but he played in 125 regular-season and seven playoff games in nine seasons. Bates got on the field for 130 defensive snaps and 2,778 special-teams plays in his regular-season appearances.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.

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al.com

Spring football in Auburn: Notes and quotes on the safety room ahead of spring camp

Updated: Feb. 20, 2024, 12:45 p.m.|Published: Feb. 20, 2024, 12:31 p.m.

4–6 minutes

Auburn safety Terrance Love (16) breaks up a pass intended for Samford wide receiver R.J. Starkey (8) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)AP

The second spring camp of the Hugh Freeze era at Auburn is just around the corner as it’s set to get underway Feb. 27.

The Tigers will then proceed to hold 13 spring practices in preparation of Auburn’s spring game — also known as A-Day — which is set to be played on April 6 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Before spring practices get underway, AL.com will take a position-by-position look at the Tigers’ roster, starting with Auburn’s room of safeties.

Who did the Tigers lose from the safety room?

Auburn will be without five safeties from the 2023 season when the Tigers take the field in 2024.

The biggest losses come in Jaylin Simpson and Zion Puckett — two guys who are bound for the NFL Draft. Together, Simpson and Puckett combined for 72 total tackles, six interceptions and five pass breakups in 2023.

Meanwhile, the Tigers saw three other safeties hit the portal as Marquise Gilbert, Austin Ausberry and Donovan Kaufman all made the decision to transfer with Kaufman being the biggest loss of the three.

Kaufman appeared in 12 games, tallied 37 total tackles and an interception before deciding to take his talents to NC State.

Who are the Tigers returning in the safety room?

Auburn is set to return four safeties who were a part of the Tigers’ 2023 season in junior Caleb Wooden, sophomore Terrance Love, redshirt freshman Sylvester Smith and redshirt freshman CJ Johnson.

Wooden returns as the most experienced after appearing in 12 games last season, which saw him tally 15 total tackles and an interception as a reserve. Wooden also has a big fan in Simpson, who gushed about the rising junior during an interview at the Senior Bowl in January.

“You know, I text(ed) Caleb the other day because I had a dream – a weird dream,” Simpson said. “I dreamed about him that he caught like two interceptions in one game. And I had to tell him.”

Simpson went on to say he’s confident in what the Tigers are returning to the position, despite many of them still being “rookies.”

In 2023, Love appeared in 10 games and logged six tackles, Smith appeared in five games and logged three tackles. Meanwhile, Johnson didn’t see action last fall.

“I think they’ll get the job done,” Simpson said. “All them guys, man. They’re going to be just fine.”

Who did the Tigers add to the safety room?

In addition to the four returners, Auburn also added four bodies to the safety room with senior Texas transfer Jerrin Thompson, junior JUCO transfer Laquan Robinson and freshmen Kensley Louidor-Faustin and Kaleb Harris joining the group.

In adding Thompson, the Tigers are getting a seasoned player who tallied 38 tackles, three interceptions and seven pass breakups with the Longhorns in 2023. Off the field, the Tigers are adding a guy who can help take on the leadership role that guys like Simpson and Puckett once held.

“Leadership comes from guys doing what they’re supposed to do and having the other guys trusting them,” Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski said at the start of fall camp last season. “(Jerrin Thompson) and those other guys are being selfless and pulling guys along with them through the grind.”

Meanwhile, in signing Robinson, the Tigers added the No. 1 safety out of the JUCO ranks this cycle.

During his time at Holmes Community College in 2023, Robinson appeared in nine games, tallied 49 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, a fumble recovery and an interception.

In the signings of Louidor-Faustin and Harris, Auburn added a 4-star and 3-star safety, respectively.

And Freeze is excited to have all of the in the fold.

“I’m also excited about our DBs, with Faustin and (cornerback) Amon Lane, and (cornerback) Jalyn Crawford and Laquon Robinson... and Kaleb Harris, who’s really physical. And we need that,” Freeze said during his national signing day press conference on Dec. 20.

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