Tag: Cadillac Williams

Christian Robinson will not be retained by Auburn Football

Robinson served as linebackers coach for Bryan Harsin’s staff for the 2022 season.

It appears that Auburn’s linebackers coach during 2022, and a favorite among recruits, will not be coaching under Hugh Freeze going forward.

Nathan King of 247Sports reported Thursday morning that Auburn linebackers coach [autotag]Christian Robinson[/autotag] will not be a part of the new staff. Following the hiring of Hugh Freeze, Robinson remained at Auburn to help with recruiting efforts alongside [autotag]Zac Etheridge[/autotag] and [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag].

It was believed that Etheridge and Robinson would be retained on staff, but their roles were not immediately known.

In the three weeks since Hugh Freeze has been the head coach at Auburn, he has hired three defensive coaches: [autotag]Ron Roberts[/autotag] (defensive coordinator), [autotag]Jeremy Garrett[/autotag] (defensive line coach), and [autotag]Wesley McGriff[/autotag] (defensive assistant). Zac Etheridge is also expected to be retained on staff.

Now that Robinson’s fate is known. It appears that Freeze needs to hire a linebackers coach, as well as a receivers coach, to round out his staff.

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Report: Auburn Football nearing deals with respected coordinators

Reports surfaced Sunday that Hugh Freeze is nearing deals with two experienced, successful coordinators.

Auburn fans have been intrigued by [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s recruiting efforts since taking over the head coaching job on Nov. 28.

While recruiting has picked up steam, fans have gotten antsy by the lack of news surrounding coordinator hires. Those worries may have been put to rest Sunday evening.

Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports has reported that Auburn is nearing a deal with Baylor defensive coordinator Ron Roberts for the same role.

Roberts’ defense this season allowed 137 yards per game, which is third-best in the Big 12, and was fourth in the Big 12 in overall yards allowed with 370 yards per contest. Roberts’ top defender at Baylor this season was Al Walcott, who recorded 81 stops, ten of which being for loss.

The move comes as a bit of a surprise, as he was also linked to the open defensive coordinator position at Arkansas as late as Saturday. Roberts has been a coach at the college level since 1997, with stops at Texas State, Louisiana, and Baylor. He also served as head coach for Southeastern Louisiana and Delta State.

Soon after the news of Roberts’ hire was reported, Brandon Marcello of 247Sports broke the news that Auburn is targeting former Tulsa head coach Philip Montgomery for the offensive coordinator position.

He was recently fired as head coach of the Golden Hurricane but is known for his stellar offenses under Art Briles at both Houston and Baylor. During his first and only season as Houston’s offensive coordinator, Montgomery led quarterbacks Case Keenum and Blake Joseph to 1,000-yard passing seasons.

At Baylor, Montgomery coached Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Robert Griffin III. Griffin passed for 4,293 yards and 37 touchdowns during his Heisman-winning season in 2011. Baylor quarterbacks Bryce Petty and Nick Florence also had 4,000-yard passing seasons under Montgomery’s leadership.

The hires of Montgomery and Roberts become the sixth and seventh outside hires of the new Hugh Freeze staff. [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Christian Robinson[/autotag], and [autotag]Zac Etheridge[/autotag] have been retained from Bryan Harsin’s staff for on-the-field roles.

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Auburn Football’s top offensive players according to Pro Football Focus

Here’s a look at the top-10 highest-graded offensive players for the 2022 season according to Pro Football Focus data.

Following Sunday’s official bowl announcements, it is now certain that Auburn Football played its last game of the 2022 season on Nov. 26, when they fell to rival Alabama, 49-27.

It was a wild season, to say the least. The Tigers opened with a 2-0 record before dropping a game to Penn State at Jordan-Hare Stadium in blowout fashion. Auburn bounced back by narrowly escaping Missouri to close the month of September out, but would go on to lose its next five games. The streak resulted in the dismissal of [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag], who was canned following Auburn’s 41-27 loss to Arkansas at home.

The Tigers saw a resurgence following Harsin’s firing, as [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag] led Auburn to a 2-2 record over the final four games of the season as interim head coach, which included an SEC win over Texas A&M.

One of the biggest improvements under Williams was the running game. Two players would reach the 100-yard mark in rushing in each of the final three games, which is the first that’s happened in program history. [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] had the best three-game stretch offensive, rushing for 357 yards over the period.

Now that the season has officially concluded, Auburn Wire takes a look back at the ten most impactful offensive players of the season according to Pro Football Focus data (subscription required). Here is a look at Auburn’s highest-graded offensive players, who appeared in ten or more games during the 2022 season.

Wesley McGriff expected to join Hugh Freeze’s staff

This will be McGriff’s third stint as a defensive assistant at Auburn after serving two different terms under Gus Malzahn.

The Crime Dog has returned.

[autotag]Wesley McGriff[/autotag], who served as co-defensive coordinator at Auburn alongside Kevin Steele in 2016, and returned as a defensive backs coach from 2019-20, is reportedly set to return to Auburn for the third time.

Jason Caldwell of Auburn Undercover reports that McGriff is expected to join Hugh Freeze’s staff as a defensive assistant. McGriff’s hire becomes the fourth outside hire that Freeze has made since being introduced as head coach on Nov. 29, joining [autotag]Jake Thornton[/autotag] (offensive line), [autotag]Jeremy Garrett[/autotag] (defensive line), and [autotag]Ben Aigamaua[/autotag] (tight ends). [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Zac Etheridge[/autotag], and [autotag]Christian Robinson[/autotag] have been retained from Bryan Harsin’s staff.

The Tigers improved tremendously during McGriff’s first stint at Auburn in 2016. Auburn finished top-three in the SEC in scoring defense, rushing defense, and third-down conversions. Auburn’s strong defense played a role in Auburn’s berth in the Sugar Bowl that season. Auburn allowed 19.5 points per game in 2019 with McGriff as an assistant.

McGriff returns to Auburn after spending the 2021 season at Florida, and the 2022 season at Louisville.

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Jake Thornton set to join Hugh Freeze’s staff as offensive line coach

Thornton most recently served in the same role at Ole Miss for two seasons.

It appears that not EVERY coach at Ole Miss is safe from Auburn.

According to a report by Matt Zenitz of On3, Ole Miss offensive line coach [autotag]Jake Thornton[/autotag] is set to take on the same role at Auburn under Hugh Freeze. He joins [autotag]Ben Aigamaua[/autotag] (tight ends coach), and [autotag]Jeremy Garrett[/autotag] (defensive line coach) as new hires to the staff. [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Zac Etheridge[/autotag], and [autotag]Christian Robinson[/autotag] are the only coaches retained from Bryan Harsin’s staff.

Auburn’s biggest need on offense is an improvement to the offensive line, and Thornton has the capability to get that done. His offensive line at Ole Miss this season played a role in the Rebels’ gaining 491 yards per game, which is third-best in the SEC. Ole Miss gained an SEC-best 262 yards per game on the ground.

He will need time to develop Auburn’s linemen into the quality of Ole Miss’, as several of Auburn’s front will be graduating including [autotag]Killian Zierer[/autotag] and [autotag]Brandon Council[/autotag].

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Auburn remains in hunt for state’s top prospects

Zac Ethridge has kept Alabama’s top 2023 prospects interested in Auburn. Now, Hugh Freeze has the chance to earn their signature.

Two of Alabama’s top 2023 prospects have been frequent visitors to the Plains, despite the turmoil of Auburn’s head coaching situation.

[autotag]James Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Qua Russaw[/autotag], who rank No. 1 and No. 5 respectively in 247Sports’ Alabama recruiting rankings, and teammates at Carver High School in Montgomery, have each taken in four football games at Jordan-Hare Stadium this season, and have remained interested in the Tigers.

Most of that has been due to the efforts of [autotag]Zac Ethridge[/autotag]. Ethridge has remained close with Smith and Russaw, and hopes to rebuild Auburn’s program with those two defensive line stars helping set the foundation.

Ethridge, along with new head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag], associate head coach [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag], linebackers coach [autotag]Christian Robinson[/autotag], and new defensive line coach [autotag]Jeremy Garrett[/autotag] visited Madhouse Training in Montgomery on Friday, which is home where Russaw and Smith train with founder Tracy Varner.

Varner tells 247Sports that the visit went well, and likes the enjoyed meeting with Freeze for the first time.

“It was actually mine and Hugh’s first time ever talking. I was saying I don’t know how we missed each other when you were at Ole Miss, somehow we did,” Varner said. “Good dude, You know he knows ball. He has that old Southern charm, he can talk to anybody and he does that well. It was good. He was like we’re really going to go after these guys.”

Varner credits Ethridge for keeping Smith and Russaw in contention to sign with Auburn, and believes that Freeze has the chance to land them.

“Zac (Ethridge) did a great job with Qua and James and was one of the few coaches they talked to,” Varner said. “They don’t talk to a lot of coaches and Zac put y’all in good position to see what y’all can do in the next couple weeks.”

Freeze did not meet with Smith and Russaw during his visit to Montgomery, but the plan is for the duo to spend an entire day with Freeze within the next two weeks. Freeze also plans to spend time at each of their homes as well.

The early signing period begins Wednesday, Dec. 21.

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REPORT: Hugh Freeze to hire Ben Aigamaua as Auburn’s tight end coach

Ben Aigamaua is expected to follow Hugh Freeze from Liberty to Auburn.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] is starting to fill his coaching staff.

[autotag]Ben Aigamaua[/autotag] is set to follow Freeze from Liberty and become Auburn’s tight end coach, according to Nathan King of Auburn Undercover.

The two have worked together for more than a decade. He played for Freeze at Lambuth, was at Ole Miss during Freeze’s entire tenure in a variety of roles, and coached tight ends at Liberty for the past four seasons.

His tight ends combined to catch 27 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns in the 2022 season.

Aigamaua is not the only coach Freeze is expected to bring from Liberty, Jeremy Garrett will be Auburn’s new defensive line coach.

[autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag] is the only Auburn assistant coach officially retained by Freeze. He has been promoted to associate head coach in addition to coaching running backs. Secondary coach Zac Etheridge and linebackers Christian Robinson are expected to be retained but no announcement has been made.

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Four members of Hugh Freeze’s Liberty staff are expected to join him in Auburn

Hugh Freeze is in the beginning stages of constructing his first staff at Auburn.

Newly named Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] has a busy few weeks ahead.

Not only does he have to build relationships with key recruits ahead of early signing day on Dec. 21, but he needs to build a strong staff to begin the rebuilding process for Auburn football.

He started by releasing several members of Bryan Harsin’s staff, including wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard, offensive line coach Will Friend and defensive coordinator Jeff Schmedding. He has announced [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag] will remain on staff as associate head coach and running backs coach. Freeze is also expected to retain cornerbacks coach [autotag]Zac Ethridge[/autotag] and linebackers coach [autotag]Christian Robinson[/autotag], although their new role is unknown at this time.

As for the staff he plans to hire, four from his staff at Liberty are reportedly making their way to The Plains, including one on-field staffer.

Freeze has hired [autotag]Jeremy Garrett[/autotag] as defensive line coach. Garrett spent one season with Freeze at Liberty. Prior to his time with the Flames, Garrett served as an assistant defensive line coach for the Cleveland Browns. He coached former SEC stars Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney when the pair combined to record 25 sacks during the 2021 season. He also spent time at Vanderbilt, serving under head coach Derek Mason.

Three more former Liberty off-the-field staffers are expected to follow Freeze to Auburn.

According to Matt Zenitz of On3, Associate AD for football operations/chief of staff Matt Bevins, general manager A.K. Mogulla and director of recruiting analytics and operations Kennedy Harvey will also be hired by Freeze.

Freeze, who was hired Monday after a 28-day search, will continue to build his staff over the coming weeks.

“I have a list of every position and a lot of great candidates,” Freeze said during his introductory press conference on Tuesday. “There are some here, there are some (from) where I just came from, and they’re all around the country. I’m constantly getting texts.”

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Auburn suffers first decommit of Hugh Freeze era

This four-star prospect has re-opened his commitment in part due to changes made to Hugh Freeze’s staff.

Auburn football suffered a hit to its’ 2023 recruiting class on Thursday.

Four-star wide receiver [autotag]Adam Hopkins[/autotag] announced via Twitter that he has decommitted from Auburn and reopened his recruitment.

His decommitment is reportedly due to [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s decision to not retain wide receivers coach [autotag]Ike Hilliard[/autotag], who played a key role in Hopkins’ recruitment. It was announced Wednesday that Freeze would keep only [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Zac Ethridge[/autotag] and [autotag]Christian Robinson[/autotag] on staff.

Hopkins committed to Auburn on Sept. 15, one week after taking his official visit to campus. Since his commitment, Hopkins visited Arkansas and Kansas State, in addition to being in town for Auburn’s win over Missouri.

Despite decommitting, Hopkins still has a high chance to sign with Auburn. According to On3, Auburn still has a 98% chance to land Hopkins’ signature.

Hopkins is a four-star wide receiver from Thomasville, Georgia. He is the nation’s No. 41 wide receiver for the 2023 cycle and the top receiver from the state of Georgia.

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Hugh Freeze fires all but three assistant coaches as he begins to build staff

Cadillac Williams, Zac Etheridge and Christian Robinson are all still with the program.

The [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] era of Auburn is officially underway, and it will come with many changes.

Matt Zenitz of On3 reported on Wednesday that Freeze has fired every Auburn assistant coach, save three: former interim head coach [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag], secondary coach [autotag]Zac Etheridge[/autotag] and linebackers coach [autotag]Christian Robinson[/autotag]. Williams had already been announced as a returning member in previous days.

Williams is the only one of the three who was hired by Gus Malzahn in 2019. Both Etheridge and Robinson joined the staff in 2022 under Bryan Harsin.  Etheridge previously was at Houston and Robinson at Florida in the same roles they are currently serving on staff.

It is unknown who Freeze will pick to fill in his staff at Auburn. Freeze used Matt Luke and Dan Werner as co-offensive coordinators during his tenure at Ole Miss and Dave Wommack as his defensive coordinator. Luke last served on Georgia’s staff from 2020-21. Werner last served as South Carolina’s quarterbacks coach from 2018-19, and Wommack last served as Ole Miss’ defensive coordinator in 2016.

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