Ad Disclosure
Hugh Freeze makes decision on Auburn defensive coordinator, trio of position coaches, per report
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Hugh Freeze continues to evaluate the current Auburn staff while deciding who will stay on in 2023 and who will go.
Offensive line coach Will Friend — the team’s acting offensive coordinator after the firing of Eric Kiesau in October — along with defensive coordinator Jeff Schmedding, wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard, and defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh have all reportedly been told by Freeze they have been relieved of their duties, per 247Sports’ Christian Clemente.
Friend was hired by Bryan Harsin from Tennessee in Jan. 2021. Schmedding, initially the linebackers coach in 2021, was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2022 by Harsin after serving in the same role with him at Boise State in 2019 and 2020. Hilliard, a former SEC All-American at Florida, joined the program ahead of the 2022 season after several stops in the NFL as a player and later coach. Brumbaugh also came on board in 2022 after a year as a defensive analyst at Oregon, while serving as Tennessee’s co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach before that.
Meanwhile, per Clemente, 2 other position coaches are “expected to be retained” by Freeze: defensive backs coach Zac Etheridge and linebackers coach Christian Robinson.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
