The program’s pair of new hires on defense are hardly new to Auburn. But their positions will be noticeably different from 2024, and are two of the most intriguing personnel groups on the roster.
Auburn has officially filled both its defensive openings, as T.J. Rushing was promoted from an off-the-field role to take over as safeties coach, after Charles Kelly left to become the head coach at Jacksonville State. With Josh Aldridge becoming the defensive coordinator at East Carolina, the vacancy at outside linebackers coach was filled by Roc Bellantoni, who now enters his second stint at Auburn after being part of Bryan Harsin’s staff.
Neither hires were particularly surprising when looking at each coach’s connection to the program. It felt like only a matter of time before Rushing, who was a special assistant to the head coach last season and aided in the secondary, was an on-field assistant again, whether at Auburn or elsewhere. He’s now at his fourth FBS program as an assistant coach, after stops at Arizona State, Memphis and Texas A&M. Bellantoni, meanwhile, became one of the more well-regarded defensive assistants on the market after the staff turned over at FAU, where he was a successful defensive coordinator the past two seasons. And he obviously knows the lay of the land at Auburn and as a recruiter in the southeast…