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There’s no doubt establishing a consistent pass rush is priority No. 1 for Auburn’s defense next season, but ironing out problems at the back end comes in a close second, a secondary replacing multiple starters which gave up an SEC-high 22 touchdown passes last fall.
It’s part of the reason Ellis Johnson didn’t last as defensive coordinator, and Will Muschamp — whose Florida teams ranked in the SEC’s top four in pass defense three out of four seasons — was welcomed with open arms as a replacement.
The addition of Muschamp and his right-hand man, cornerbacks coach Travaris Robinson, will be under the spotlight during spring practice when both coaches try and determine where each defensive back fits during what’s expected to be an overhaul defensively from Johnson’s 4-2-5 look.
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“(Will’s) going to install his defense from the ground up and spring is going to be where he’s laying the foundation,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn recently told reporters. “He’s been there done this before. Like I’ve said numerous times, I believe he’s the best in the business at doing it and we’re looking forward to spring and him implementing his defense.”
It wasn’t all bad for the Tigers when the ball was in the air last season — there’s talent returning.
Cornerback Jonathan Jones tied for the team lead with six interceptions and earned second-team All-SEC honors while Johnathan Ford was a tackling machine at free safety, accumulating a team-best 93 stops. Nick Ruffin and Joshua Holsey are likely best-suited at corner, but Muschamp won’t know until he sees what both guys can do up close.
With the Gators, Muschamp often played tight man coverage and trusted his corners. It’s been a position of weakness for the Tigers however over the last several seasons.
“It is our job as coaches to identify with the players what they can do,” Muschamp said last month. “If they cannot play man coverage, you need to figure out how to play zone and stop them. That’s the bottom line. If you can be a man team we would like to be a man team, we’d like to be a middle field coverage team, we like to be able to mix things up.”
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Big plays in the passing game were a concern during the 2014 campaign. Auburn gave up an SEC-worst 25 plays spanning 30 or more yards including nine completions surpassing 50. A couple of the nightmare outings included Dylan Thompson’s 402-yard, five-touchdown effort at Jordan-Hare and Amari Cooper’s 224-yard explosion in the Iron Bowl.
Jonathon Mincy, Jermaine Whitehead and Robenson Therezie (148 total tackles combined last fall) have exhausted their eligibility, leaving Muschamp with many new faces at the back end to choose from this month including Stephen Roberts, T.J. Davis, freshman early enrollee Tim Irvin and Georgia transfer Tray Matthews.
Player shuffling at various spots in the secondary won’t end during spring ball. Muschamp would like to have an initial two-deep ready to go before the first fall practice in August, but that may be a stretch. Ultimately, the existence of a pass rush will pay dividends for this group of young defensive backs.
