Staff looks to build chemistry

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Auburn's new-look football staff looks to build chemistry

ByMark Murphy

4-6 minutes

Pritchett Expected to Play Key Role for 2022 Auburn Football Team

AUBURN, Alabama–With three newcomers on the Auburn football staff as position coaches, plus members of last season’s staff in new roles as a coordinators, how the group been meshed together as the Tigers install the offense, defense and special teams in preparation for the 2022 season has been a positive, according to Bryan Harsin.

Eric Kiesau, who coached wide receivers in 2021 for the Tigers, is now the offensive coordinator. The Tigers brought in Ike Hilliard to work with the wide receivers this season.

Jeff Schmedding, who was the position coach for the linebackers last season, has been promoted to defensive coordinator. New staff member Christian Robinson is working with the linebackers.

Roc Bellantoni is the new special teams coordinator. A defensive analyst on the AU staff last season, his promotion includes being the position coach at the edge position on the defensive front.

Former Auburn All-SEC performer Jimmy Brumbaugh is the team’s new defensive line coach. Harsin said he is off to a good start.

“I sat in on Coach Brumbaugh’s meeting (Friday) and I told the players this, too, that was one of the best meetings I have ever been a part of with how he is teaching guys and how the information was handled,” Harsin noted.

“I left that meeting and was very impressed with what he was teaching and the way he was teaching it.

“Coach Robinson, being around him, when I interviewed him here is a good young coach whose dad is a high school coach,” AU’s head coach said. “He has been around the game his whole life. You can tell when you talk to him.

“Awesome to be around, great energy,” Harsin added. “The players love him, recruits love him. He gets it and he is a guy who is going to do his work and have himself prepared.

Christian Robinson is a new member of the Auburn football coaching staff for the 2022 season. (Photo: Todd Van Emst)

“Roc has been doing this a long time. He has a lot of experience and it shows up in the meetings. He is in front of the whole entire team on special teams. He has got a great way of coaching players and getting the most out of them.

“A little thing (in the scrimmage), but I told our players this, when we have guys go out there and play on the scout team, usually they forget. They show up, we are screaming for guys trying to find them. It didn’t happen (in the scrimmage). It is a little thing, but I think that goes back to organization–a coach just making it important and those guys actually doing it. It is a small thing, but it makes a big difference.

“On the offensive side, Coach Kiesau has done a good job of just keeping that room organized,”?Harsin pointed out. “We have some analysts and GA’s that are new here, but they pay attention.

“With Ike Hilliard he brings a lot of experience and the one thing about Ike, he is learning the things that we do,” Harsin said. “He is still in that phase right now. He didn’t know everything about what we have done and these guys on the offensive side have been together so he doesn’t know all of that yet, but he figures it out. If there is something he doesn’t know he is such a low ego, high output guy it’s like, ‘hey, let’s make an adjustment. If we need to change this, make an adjustment.’

“Then, when you get talking ball with him, and the different offenses he has been around and different coaches, that guy knows ball. He knows how to teach it. He knows where to find a cut-up. He knows where to find a look. He knows exactly the details of the concept. He might call it one thing and we call it another–same concept in the coaching points.”

After being restricted last season by pandemic protocols that limited the amount of personal interaction with the players and coaching staff, this year Harsin said the chemistry between the coaches and players has taken a step forward, which is what he hoped to see.

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“The staff has been really, really good–easy to work with,” Harsin said. “These guys get along. I think they are really good teachers. I think it is important to them as far as relationships with the players that seems to be going really well.”