It seemed like a foregone conclusion at one point Thursday that Auburn would hire away Florida State defensive coordinator Charles Kelly.

Now it’s back to the drawing board for the Tigers.

According to FootballScoop.com, Kelly has rebuffed Auburn’s offer. The school spent about one week chasing after the Seminoles coach, who oversaw the linebackers when FSU beat Auburn in the 2013 BCS National Championship.

A native of Ozark, Ala., Kelly spent 1993 as an Auburn assistant, his first coaching job at a college school. Kelly also played defensive back for coach Pat Dye in the late 1980s.

Alas, Auburn will have to look elsewhere to fill the void created by the departure of Will Muschamp to South Carolina. Muschamp took with him Travaris Robinson, promoting him to defensive coordinator. So the Tigers are without their top two defensive coaches and arguably their two top recruiters.

Possible remaining candidates include Jack Curtis, Georgia Southern’s defensive coordinator, Lance Thompson, Auburn’s linebackers coach, Ruffin McNeill, former East Carolina head coach, and Paul Rhoads, former Iowa State head coach.

One former Auburn player has a thought: