Trojans’ secondary coach Doug Belk ‘silently’ stacking recruiting victories for USC

Doug Belk might got get as many headlines as D’Anton Lynn or Eric Henderson, but he is earning his place at USC.

Lincoln Riley added Doug Belk to the USC football staff during his 2023 defensive coaching staff purge. Belk was asked to improve and transform a USC secondary which did not evolve or get the level of player development it needed from Alex Grinch and Donte Williams.

It shouldn’t be ignored that Taylor Mays got a lot out of the USC secondary in the Holiday Bowl, but that was in an interim capacity. Riley needed a heavy hitter to come in and change the back line of the USC defense. We haven’t yet seen Belk coach USC on a college football game day — his big debut is against LSU in a few weeks — but while coordinator D’Anton Lynn and defensive line coach Eric Henderson might have grabbed more headlines, Belk has silently gone about his business and showed what he can do in recruiting and player acquisition.

USC just received a commitment from Kendarius Reddick, the 5-foot-11, 170-pound four-star safety from Thomasville, Ga. Doug Belk did a solid job  was able to flip Reddick from UCF, another instance of USC going into the Deep South and getting a highly-rated player.  Reddick is a great addition to current 2025 commits Shamar Arnoux and Trestin Castro.

Belk has been on a nice run since his hire late in 2023.  He hung on to the commitments of Marcelles Williams, Isaiah Rubin and Braylon Conley in the 2024 class. If he can hang on to current commits: Brandon Lockhart, Madden Riordan and Joshua Holland while closing on RJ Sermons in 2026, the Trojans secondary can be elite.

He is speaking softly but is beginning to make his mark for the Trojans, improving the quality of the USC secondary.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Check out more NFL draft coverage with the USA TODAY Sports NFL Draft Hub.

Zac Etheridge departs Auburn, expected to be hired at Houston

Etheridge resigns after spending three seasons on his alma mater’s staff.

The Auburn coaching staff continues to see shake-up as the offseason heats up.

Late Thursday, Auburn associate head coach and running backs coach Cadillac Williams announced his resignation from the staff to “explore other opportunities.” Early Friday, another alum followed suit.

[autotag]Zac Etheridge[/autotag], a former Auburn defensive back who spent three seasons on Auburn’s staff, also announced his resignation via X (formerly Twitter). Matt Zenitz of 247Sports has reported that Etheridge’s next move will be joining the staff at the University of Houston.

Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] released a statement Friday to show gratitude for Etheridge’s service to Auburn’s staff.

“Auburn football would like to thank Zac for his contributions to the program the last three years. He played a vital role in establishing the foundation of the future. Zac is a relentless recruiter and tireless worker who has a bright future in this profession. I look forward to watching his career develop and wish him nothing but the best.”

Etheridge joined Auburn’s staff in 2021 as part of [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag]’s first staff. He was retained by Freeze and continued his role as defensive backs coach for the 2023 season. It was announced on Dec. 30 that Charles Kelly was hired to serve as co-defensive coordinator with an expected role working with defensive backs. Since then, both defensive backs coaches from the 2023 staff, [autotag]Wesley McGriff[/autotag] and Zac Etheridge, have both departed.

In addition to his on-field role, Etheridge was known as an elite recruiter. Etheridge played a role in Auburn landing four-star talent such as [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag] and [autotag]Robert Woodyard[/autotag]. He was also the primary recruiter for current commits [autotag]Antonio Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Kendarius Reddick[/autotag], and [autotag]JaKaleb Faulk[/autotag].

Etheridge’s departure is the fifth move of the offseason for Auburn’s coaching staff. Offensive coordinator [autotag]Philip Montgomery[/autotag], defensive coordinator [autotag]Ron Roberts[/autotag], defensive backs coach Wesley McGriff, and running backs coach Cadillac Williams have also departed the staff.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Auburn flips 2025 DL Antonio Coleman from Alabama

Auburn’s 2024 recruiting haul is ranked No. 7 nationally, and their 2025 class is shaping to be even better. 

Auburn’s 2024 recruiting haul is ranked No. 7 nationally, and their 2025 class is shaping to be even better.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the Auburn Tigers have kicked off the holiday weekend by flipping four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Antonio Coleman[/autotag] from rival Alabama.

Coleman is a member of Saraland High School’s football program, which is home to several Auburn targets such as 2024 five-star wide receiver and Alabama commitment [autotag]Ryan Williams[/autotag] and 2025 quarterback [autotag]KJ Lacey[/autotag], who is currently committed to playing for Texas. Landing Coleman is a step in the right direction when it comes to flipping those other two prospects.

Over 12 Power Five programs have extended scholarship offers to Coleman, including USC, Florida, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, and Texas A&M. Auburn first extended an offer to Coleman on June 1 according to 247Sports, and he took an unofficial visit to campus during the weekend of the Iron Bowl.

Coleman, who has played for multiple state championships with Saraland, tells Auburn Undercover that he enjoyed playing at Jordan-Hare Stadium during the Spartans’ AHSAA 6A state championship game in 2022.

“I played at Jordan-Hare Stadium for a state championship,” Coleman said in an interview last spring with Auburn Undercover. “I loved the field and playing there. I would definitely love to learn more about the school.”

Coleman is the No. 9 prospect from Alabama for the 2025 cycle, and is the No. 8 defensive lineman overall according to 247Sports. His commitment bumps Auburn up to No. 3 overall in 247Sports 2025 rankings. The 2025 haul currently holds four-star DL [autotag]Malik Autry[/autotag], four-star EDGE [autotag]Jakaleb Faulk[/autotag], and four-star athlete [autotag]Kendarius Reddick[/autotag].

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Priority in-state linebacker Eric Winters projected to Auburn

He is one of the top players from Alabama in the 2025 recruiting cycle.

Auburn’s 2025 recruiting class is off to a great start after landing four-star athlete [autotag]Kendarius Reddick[/autotag] and they could be adding another top target soon.

Listed as a safety, Auburn is recruiting four-star prospect [autotag]Eric Winters[/autotag] to play linebacker and On3’s Cole Pinkston believes the Tigers are the favorite for the the Enterprise, Alabama product. In fact, he’s so confident that he logged a prediction for Auburn to land him on Friday.

His prediction gives Auburn a 93.4% chance to get Winters according to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine. Auburn extended Winters an offer on Feb. 16 and he has taken multiple visits to the Plains since. He has visited Auburn a total of five times, three more than he has visited any other campus.

Winters is the No. 106 overall player and No. 9 safety in the On3 industry ranking. He is also the No. 9 player from Alabama in the 2025 recruiting cycle.

In addition to Reddick, Auburn’s 2025 recruiting class is full of impressive defensive prospects including edge-rusher [autotag]Jakelb Faulk[/autotag] and defensive linemen [autotag]Jourdin Crawford[/autotag] and [autotag]Malik Autry[/autotag].

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15

Auburn lands from Georgia’s top athlete for the 2025 class

The Tigers scooped up a valuable addition to its 2025 class on Thursday when Kendarius Reddick announced his commitment to Auburn.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the Auburn Tigers have added another valuable piece to its already impressive 2025 haul.

[autotag]Kendarius Reddick[/autotag], a four-star athlete from Thomasville, Georgia, announced Thursday that he has committed to Auburn. He chose the Tigers over Alabama, Georgia Tech, and Georgia Southern.

Reddick visited Auburn twice since receiving an offer on April 5. He received an offer on his first visit, and he took in a game earlier this fall as well. Defensive backs coach Zac Etheridge has been his primary recruiter and has done a great job of swaying Reddick to join the 2025 class.

“It was a great experience to come up here,” Reddick said in an interview with Auburn Undercover. “Listen to Coach (Etheridge), talk about the experience, the growth of the team, and what they’re trying to build. I really like the environment around here. I think I’d fit good in this environment so I’ll be looking into it.”

Reddick’s commitment is the second commitment that Auburn has received for the cycle this week. Monday, four-star DL [autotag]Jourdin Crawford[/autotag] announced his pledge to Auburn.

Reddick’s commitment sends him to the top of the class. He is the No. 1 athlete from the state of Georgia and the No. 41 overall recruit according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. He jumps [autotag]Jakaleb Faulk[/autotag] as the top commitment for the 2025 class.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Iowa Hawkeyes offer 2025 Georgia athlete Kendarius Reddick

Kendarius Reddick, a class of 2025 athlete from Georgia, picked up an offer from the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Iowa extended its sixth offer in the 2025 class to Georgia athlete Kendarius Reddick. The 6-foot, 165 pound athlete is out of Thomas County Central High School in Thomasville, Ga.

It’s still so early in the recruiting cycle for the 2025 class that Reddick doesn’t  register anywhere in any of the major recruiting services’ rankings. Still, his offer sheet paints a picture that the high school sophomore-to-be’s recruitment is ready to take flight.

After earning an offer from the Hawkeyes, that runs Reddick’s total offers to six. Reddick also has offers from Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and Western Kentucky. After an unofficial visit to Florida State on March 22, he’s also drawing interest from the Seminoles.

Georgia Tech was the first to offer Reddick on March 4, 2021. It makes sense that the Yellow Jackets would be first in line as Georgia Tech has had the earliest and closest eye on Reddick. Arkansas and Tennessee followed with a pair of offers this spring on March 6, Virginia Tech offered on March 30, Western Kentucky offered on April 27. Iowa and Kentucky both offered Reddick on May 14.

Reddick played some offense, defense and special teams for Thomas County Central High School. As a freshman, Reddick tallied 37 total tackles, had three passes defensed and one interception according to MaxPreps. He returned that lone interception 38 yards for a touchdown as illustrated by his Hudl highlights below.

One thing the Hawkeye coaching staff will love is Reddick’s willingness and explosiveness in the return game. The 6-foot athlete worked in the punt return game at Thomas County Central High School where he returned several for scores.

His ability to break off coverage and read where an intended pass is going is impressive for someone that’s just completed their freshman season and showcases his instinctiveness in the defensive backfield.

Reddick joins linebacker Kamar Archie, edge rusher Iose Epenesa, wide receiver Isaiah Mozee, edge rusher Gabe Kaminski and safety DJ Pickett.

Here’s a look at Reddick’s freshman season highlights at Thomas County Central High School.