Houston is expected to hire away Auburn defensive coach

Houston is expecting to hire a defensive coach away from Auburn.

Author:
Lance Dawe
Publish date:
Jan 12, 2024 9:19 AM EST

In this story:

The Auburn Tigers are now down a defensive coach and a solid recruiter after a report that Houston is expected to hire him.

Zac Etheridge, who had been the Tigers' secondary coach since 2021, is expected to be hired by Houston, per a report from Matt Zenitz. Etheridge was regarded as one of the better recruiters on Auburn's staff. He was one of two coaches Hugh Freeze retained following Freeze's hiring in November of 2022.

This news comes shortly after an announcement from Cadilac Williams saying he was resigning from his post as running backs coach,

The Tigers just recently hired Colorado defensive coordinator and former Alabama defensive backs coach Charles Kelly to the football staff.

Kelly spent one season as DC for the Buffaloes underneath Deion Sanders. Prior to his stop at Colorado, Kelly was an assistant defensive coordinator for Alabama from 2019-2022. He was one of the Tide's best recruiters. He also previously spent time at Tennessee coaching special teams and safeties in 2018, and Florida State as defensive coordinator from 2014-2017.

During his time at FSU, Bama and Colorado, Kelly earned commitments from nine five-star players, most recently five-star cornerback Cormani McClain.

Florida State consistently had one of the best defenses in the country during Kelly's time with the Seminoles, finishing inside the top 20 of total defense in three of his four seasons. The same could not be said for his defense this season at Colorado, which finished No. 130 nationally - arguably due in part to the Buffs' lack of talent and depth on that side of the ball.