Veteran SEC assistant and Super Bowl champion surprisingly hits coaching market

A move that college football teams around the country will undoubtly be keeping tabs on.

Sep 23, 2023; College Station, Texas, USA; A detailed view of an Auburn Tigers helmet on the sideline of the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The NCAA Transfer Portal and upcoming slate of postseason games aren't the only avenues college football fans should be paying attention to in the final month of the year. In recent weeks, the coaching carousel has exploded.

This season has been particularly chaotic as a record number of FBS head coaches, 15 of them, to be exact, were fired. A few others have made the leap to new jobs.

That means the market is firing on all cylinders, not just with head coach movement, but also with all of the assistants that have now been thrown into a free fall.

Auburn Not Retaining Veteran SEC Assistant T.J. Rushing

The Auburn Tigers fired former head coach Hugh Freeze on November 2. The Tigers moved on from Freeze before the conclusion of his third season, embarking on a search where they ended up poaching up-and-comer Alex Golesh from South Florida.

Golesh is in the process of filling out his coaching staff. One veteran assistant that Auburn won't be retaining is safeties coach T.J. Rushing, per On3's Justin Hokanson. Rushing was in his second year with the Tigers. He was promoted to safeties coach in January of 2025.

Rushing has been coaching at the college level since 2013, spending the last six seasons in the SEC with Auburn and Texas A&M. During his stint with the Aggies, he was regarded as the primary recruiter for multiple five-star recruits and top-100 prospects, including Terry Bussey, Denver Harris, and Bravion Rogers.

Texas A&M produced three top-20 defenses while Rushing was leading the secondary. The program ranked No. 1 in the FBS in passing defense in 2022, allowing 156.2 passing yards per game. Rushing moved on from the Aggies after former head coach Jimbo Fisher was let go.

Rushing also gained experience at Arizona State, Northern Arizona, and Memphis. He briefly joined Florida State as defensive backs coach in late December of 2019, but left for Texas A&M after less than a month on the job.

Before pursuing coaching, Rushing put together a standout playing career at Stanford. He was an all-conference selection in his final two seasons with the Cardinal and tied the program record with three kickoff return touchdowns.

Rushing was selected in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. He primarily contributed on special teams and as a backup on defense.

Rushing was with the Colts when the franchise defeated the Chicago Bears 29-12 in Super Bowl XLI. He returned a kickoff for a touchdown in 2007. Rushing had a brief stint with the Detroit Lions and the Canadian Football League's Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The 42-year-old should be a prime candidate to land another Power Four program role given his reputation as a recruiter. He reportedly made $500,000 in 2025, the first season of a two-year deal with the Tigers.

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