2.29.24 Foorball articles?freeze presser..

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What Auburn’s former DBs are saying about Wesley McGriff’s return

Published: Feb. 29, 2024, 11:43 a.m.

3–4 minutes

Auburn's DJ James at the podium at 2024 NFL Combine

Auburn got cornerbacks coach Wesley McGriff — often referred to by his players as “Crime Dawg” — back on staff in January after a whirlwind two weeks that saw him leave Auburn for Texas A&M and then return to Auburn.

McGriff was reported to be leaving Auburn on Dec. 31, then announced as a hire at Texas A&M on Jan. 3, and on Jan. 12, was reportedly coming back to Auburn.

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AL.com confirmed McGriff signed a new two-year contract with Auburn that included a $50,000 raise in 2024.

At the NFL Combine this week in Indianapolis, AL.com asked McGriff’s former players about what it means to have him back.

“Everybody was very excited, man,” former Auburn cornerback D.J. James said Thursday. “Everybody loves Crime Dawg, Coach Crime McGriff. Great coach, great guy. Great spirit to be around. Everybody is excited to have him back, very motivated as well.”

“Everybody was sad when Coach Crime Dawg left,” former Auburn cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett said Thursday. “But it’s great news for them, especially for the freshman that had just came in, just to get Crime Dawg back and having someone they worked with in the past.”

McGriff is one piece of continuity on an Auburn defensive staff that has seen significant change after the first year of head coach Hugh Freeze’s tenure.

Auburn brought in a new defensive coordinator in D.J. Durkin and a new partner in the secondary for McGriff in Charles Kelly as the co-defensive coordinator and in charge of the safeties. Auburn also promoted Vontrell King-Williams to an on-field assistant coach role after the departure of Jeremy Garrett to the NFL.

“I know they’re pushing them really hard, those guys ready to attack,” James said. “The new staff that came in, the Auburn players are very excited for it. Excited for a new start as well.”

In total, Auburn has five new assistant coaches after the 2023 season, adding Durkin, King-Williams, Kelly, offensive coordinator Derrick Nix and quarterbacks coach Kent Austin.

Freeze has stated several times that he feels he doesn’t always get his hires correct in year one of a coaching staff, so this new crop of assistants must work.

And Freeze’s former players still believe in the direction the program is headed.

“I feel like Coach Freeze is a really down-to-earth guy,” Pritchett said. “He is a man of Christ. He’s recruiting his tail off to get some of the best guys in there to help them win games. I think he’s got it going in the right direction.”

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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al.com

How Auburn alum Joe Hortiz is settling into new job as Chargers GM

Published: Feb. 29, 2024, 6:37 a.m.

5–6 minutes

New Chargers general manager and Auburn alum Joe Hortiz speaks to reporters at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis on Feb. 27, 2024.Matt Cohen | mcohen@al.com

Asked to think back to his time at Auburn, new Los Angeles Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz didn’t seem focused on getting to where he sat Tuesday. An Auburn alum with a degree in accounting and an Auburn football graduate assistant from 1995-1997, Hortiz wasn’t thinking about being underneath the lights of the NFL Combine with dozens of reporters shouting questions over each other trying to reach him perched on his podium. Back then, on the field at Jordan-Hare Stadium, he wasn’t thinking about the pressure he has now in command of an NFL franchise.

He said he just wanted to make sure he got a good cup of coffee.

“Man, I think about that young me,” Hortiz told AL.com Tuesday at the NFL Combine. “I wanted to be the best student assistant I could be at Auburn, I really did, man. Make sure the coffee was ready. They gave me something to make copies, do it. And then I got hired in Baltimore, I wanted to be the best personnel assistant I could be. That’s how I’ve approached it. Right now, I just want to help the Chargers win. Honestly, I don’t think about the role.”

Hortiz was hired as the Chargers general manager in January. He had been in several roles with the Baltimore Ravens from 1998 until he was hired by the Chargers. Most notably, he was the Ravens director of player personnel from 2019 until his departure.

“Buckle up,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said of Hortiz starting with the Chargers, but going on to exude confidence that the long-time member of the Ravens office is ready for this step.

And now, in the biggest responsibility of his career thus far, he’s stepping into a situation he described as being as good as a GM could ask for. He has his quarterback in Justin Herbert, and he has a head coach he already knows well in Jim Harbaugh.

“That’s a unique opportunity for a first-time GM, especially for a first-time GM at a new organization,” Hortiz said. “You don’t get those chances very often.”

His situation is in contrast to several other first-year general managers this week in Indianapolis who are at the NFL Combine in fervent search of a new quarterback. There’s Adam Peters with the Washington Commanders and Tom Telesco with the Las Vegas Raiders both in their first year with a new team and both could potentially draft one of the quarterbacks in attendance this week.

Hortiz has Herbert, an entrenched and respected starter. He does have a new head coach in Jim Harbaugh, but after spending more than two decades with John Harbaugh in Baltimore, he’s gotten to know both brothers well. It’s two familiar faces arriving together in a new location.

“Being with John for so long, I’ve certainly gotten to know Jim very well just as brothers,” Hortiz said. “Jim coming into Baltimore when he was at Stanford and Michigan. Me going to visit him there. I think John believes that we’re going to be a great pair knowing us both. He’s told me that. He’s happy the two of us are together. I was looking forward to getting started with Jim and it’s been awesome.”

Instead, just a few weeks into his new job, Hortiz has quickly spent time learning and evaluating his roster and staff as he approaches not just the 2024 NFL Draft but also free agency. He has decisions to make including at running back with starter Austin Ekeler expected to hit free agency and possible changes coming on the offensive line.

His focuses at the draft are likely to include what he called a deep offensive line class, wide receivers and several defensive holes. Hortiz said he’s been impressed with a wide receiver class that is polished coming out of college.

It’s all to chase his divisional opponent: the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

As Hortiz learns how to navigate his new job, he’s taking the approach exactly the same as how he evaluates his roster and maybe even how he approached his time at Auburn — a true day-by-day style that emphasizes no matter what he has, it could always be improved.

“The roster should never be where you want it,” Hortiz said.

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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We've been thinking and praying for you '50.  Glad you're back, friend.