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.

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