Many people are expecting a lot of improvement from the Auburn defense with Will Muschamp as the coordinator. (AP photo)
We'll take a break from the Everett Golson watch to talk about something this morning.
Will Muschamp has received plenty of attention since his dismissal at Florida.
Auburn coach Gus Malzahn poured more his way on a SEC conference call this week. He talked about the process in hiring his new defensive coordinator, his credentials and what it takes to succeed as a defensive coordinator in the SEC.
Muschamp, as has been extensively reported, will be the highest paid assistant in college football at $1.6 million this season.
“It was very competitive. A lot of people obviously wanted him,” Malzahn said. “I think he’s the best in the business at what he does. As soon as I decided to make a change, he’s a guy that I wanted. We recruited him extremely hard. We’re blessed to have him as our defensive coordinator.”
Malzahn fired former defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson after Auburn allowed 26.7 points in 2014. The Tigers allowed at least 31 points in seven of their final eight games, including 55 to Alabama.
More from Malzahn:
- "It helps me having a guy who's been a head coach in our league, because our league is very unique. He brings a lot of experience, and he brings a lot of trust. We really worked hard on our players and coaches developing trust over the spring. His expectations are extremely high. The bar is set high. He holds them accountable, and he brings his A game every day to every meeting, every practice, and our defensive guys really responded, taking on his personality."
- "Our league is unique. Any time you've had success and experience in our league, it does nothing but help. Guys come in from the outside, sometimes it takes them a year to get used to everything, how the talent is, the speed is, but more important, every week, the grind. It takes getting used to."
Obviously, a lot of eyes will remain on Muschamp this season as Auburn tries to correct its issues on defense and rebound from finishing 8-5 and 4-4 in the SEC in 2014.
