New assistants break down spring position groups

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Auburn Football Notebook: New assistants break down spring position groups

ByNathan King

7-9 minutes

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Auburn Quarterbacks Do Passing Drills in Spring Practice

 

Auburn's four new assistant coaches — Ike Hilliard (wide receivers), Christian Robinson (linebackers), Roc Bellantoni (outside linebackers) and Jimmy Brumbaugh (defensive line) met with reporters Monday to discuss how their position groups are fairing in spring practice, how they landed the job at Auburn under Bryan Harsin, and more.

Bellantoni said senior edge rusher Derick Hall can be the top dog not only on the defensive front, but "the leader of this entire football team."

Hall, who was third in the SEC in sacks last season (9.0) and was Auburn's leader in tackles for loss (12.5), heads up a thin edge rusher spot this spring. He's been alongside Bellantoni, who was a defensive analyst last season, often in practice when instructing drills and exercises, as the Tigers have just three scholarship players at the position.

"Everyone likes and respects him, so he should be able to get out of his comfort zone and be more of a leader for the entire team," Bellantoni said.

Hall and former Northwestern transfer Eku Leota were highly productive last season, combining for 22.5 TFLs. Bellantoni would also love to see similar production out of Dylan Brooks, a redshirt freshman who was the team's highest-rated recruit in last year's class. 

The Alabama native and fringe five-star didn't see the field in 2021, but he's almost like a different player now, Bellantoni said. The way he described Brooks was similar to how Harsin said second-year wide receiver Tar'Varish Dawson entered this spring with an entirely new focus and attitude.

"Dylan is a guy that we really need to bring along," Bellantoni said. "He's made huge strides. Night and day doesn't even begin to describe where he was at the end of the season to where he is now. So just continue to bring him along."

Robinson, who coached under Todd Grantham at Florida last season, quickly grew attached to Auburn. One of his first days on campus was the basketball team's win over Kentucky, after which he and his wife rolled Toomer's.

"It's a town and a university that takes great pride in what they do," Robinson said. "Very hard working, and being able to represent them is something I don't take lightly."

A Georgia linebacker from 2009-12, Robinson went 3-1 against Auburn and played inside Jordan-Hare Stadium twice.

"I grew up playing in this stadium," Robinson said. "And every time I have a recruit and we go over things and walk to the stadium, I do get goosebumps. I remember and know what that Saturday feels like. ... In terms of recruiting and building relationships, there's not a better place to do that than in the hot bed of recruiting in the Southeastern Conference."

Robinson's linebacker room lost leading tacklers Zakoby McClain and Chandler Wooten from last season. But the fact that every other scholarship player is back, he said, has helped the group's consistency on a practice-to-practice basis this spring.

"I think we have a lot of continuity," Robinson said. "I walked in the room, and they do a great job of understanding how you go through an install, how you go through a practice. Having (defensive coordinator) Jeff Schmedding here, too, makes it easy — because it's not like there was a loss of any kind. It's a continuation, and I can amplify what's been going on from my point of view."

Senior linebacker and former five-star recruit Owen Pappoe is not practicing this spring and he recovers from lower-body surgery. But he's still the most veteran player in the room, and Robinson has leaned on his presence and counsel over the first week-plus of action.

"I see him out there grabbing people: 'Hey, where are your eyes? Where are you looking? You can do better than that,'" Robinson said. "When your best players are your best leaders, that's how you get a special team."

After contributing as an analyst at Oregon last season — following his time as Tennessee's defensive line coach, where he was fired — Brumbaugh sought out his alma mater this offseason to replace Nick Eason as D-line coach.

"There were some other things that I could have had, but I wanted to be back at home," Brumbaugh said. "God takes you through different things in your life and you never understand why. But at the end, you look back and say, wow, I had to go through that to get where I am."

Brumbaugh had nearly 300 tackles during an All-SEC career at Auburn in the late '90s. His new job under Harsin is his seventh stop as a Power Five assistant.

Auburn had one of the SEC's more consistent defensive line's last season, but the Tigers proceeded to lose eight players in the transfer portal along the defensive front. To ensure each rung of the depth chart knows how to contribute, Brumbaugh is going with a simplistic approach at the start of spring ball.

"When I go to a place, I pretend guys don't know anything," Brumbaugh said. "I go back to teaching them the basics."

All-SEC interior lineman Colby Wooden is the top contributor of the group, and as Harsin also mentioned last week, he and fellow starting defensive tackle Marcus Harris are the two players being the most vocal and demonstrating the most leadership.

"I've got a lot of guys in my room," Brumbaugh said, "but Colby (Wooden) and Marcus Harris have been doing a good job (at leading)."

An assistant in the NFL for the past 11 years, Hilliard, an All-SEC receiver at Florida in the '90s, is on his first-ever college job at Auburn.

But he might have had a previous opportunity. Now-former Duke head coach David Cutcliffe interviewed Hilliard for a job on his 2011 staff. After flying home from Durham, North Carolina, Hilliard got a call as soon as he landed from former Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano, who offered him a job as an assistant receivers coach.

"He gave me the job, and it just so happens, by relationships, that I had been in the pros until now," Hilliard said.

As such, Hilliard is recruiting players for the first time in his career. When asked how it's going, he beamed a big smile.

"It's going great," Hilliard said. 

Hilliard's NFL background as a player and coach, plus a high level of success as a player in the SEC, will resonate even with younger players, he hopes.

"I would hope there are still people who know who I am," Hilliard said. "That may ease the relationship part of it. But I know I have to work my butt off and get active with reaching out and communicating. But I'm looking forward to it all."

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