Former Nick Saban assistant linked to Auburn head coaching vacancy

As Auburn joins the legion of schools seeking new football coaches, some of the familiar names are resurfacing. While maybe the Tigers will lure Lane Kiffin or James Franklin, there is another name surfacing from a very unlikely place. Former Alabama co-defensive coordinator Charles Kelly has been mentioned by On3's Pete Nakos as a candidate for Auburn's coaching vacancy.

A Tide coach for the Tigers?

Kelly has a length resume, but his work with Nick Saban might stand out for Auburn fans. Kelly was associate defensive coordinator and safeties coach with the Tide from 2019 to 2022, which included Saban's undefeated 2020 title team.

Nakos termed Kelly a "coach to know" in Aubun's search. The long-time assistant is in his first season as a head coach at FCS Jacksonville State, where Kelly's squad is 5-3. Kelly's association with Auburn includes playing for the school and then serving as co-defensive coordinator for the Tigers in 2024. Auburn went 5-7, but allowed just 21.3 points per game on the year under Kelly.

Kelly's history

Kelly is an Alabama native and after finishing college, he coached high school football for three years within the state. Kelly began his college coaching career at Auburn in 1993 as a graduate assistant. After that year, Kelly coached at the lower college level until he joined the Georgia Tech staff ahead of the 2006 season.

He coached at Tech for several years and then at Florida State. Kelly was on Jeremy Pruitt's first staff at Tennessee in 2018 and then landed at Alabama for four seasons. Since then, Pruitt was the defensive coordinator on Deion Sanders' first Colorado team in 2023 and then made his way to Auburn for a season ahead of taking the Jacksonville State job.

Kelly's upside

Kelly's experience and has bevy of contacts across the highest levels of football would seem to be a positive. As an Alabama native, an Auburn alum and a coach with experience at three different SEC schools, he would certainly be able to hit the ground running in the recruiting wars.

Kelly's downside

On the down side, Kelly is in his first year as a head coach and a 5-3 mark at Jacksonville State won't give him any beauty points. He's 58 years old and is a defensive coach, while Auburn's recent issues have been largely at the offensive end of the floor. Again, Kelly isn't going to outshine Lane Kiffin or James Franklin in a beauty contest. But he's a name worth remembering as the bigger names on the board could get poached elsewhere or be disinterested.