A week after getting the green light to continue as Auburn‘s coach, Bryan Harsin has promoted two veteran assistants into coordinator roles.
Eric Kiesau is Auburn’s new offensive coordinator after serving as the football program’s wide receivers coach for most of the 2021 season. Kiesau, who spent four seasons under Harsin at Boise State, initially came to Auburn as a senior offensive analyst but moved into the receivers role after Harsin fired Cornelius Williams in late September. The 49-year-old brings offensive coordinator experience from Boise State, Fresno State, Kansas, Washington and Colorado.
Kiesau will be Harsin’s third offensive coordinator at Auburn. Mike Bobo was fired after the regular season, and Austin Davis stepped down for personal reasons in January, following only six weeks on the job.
Auburn also promoted defensive analyst Roc Bellantoni to special teams coordinator and edge linebackers coach. Bellantoni has special teams coordinator experience from Utah State and Buffalo, and also has been a defensive coordinator at Washington State, Florida Atlantic and other college stops.
“Coach Kiesau and Coach Bellantoni are excellent football coaches and teachers of the game with 44 years of Division I experience between them, including 22 combined years in coordinator roles,” Harsin said in a statement. “Both have been part of the relationship-building process over this past year here at Auburn, with the team and staff. They understand fully and are bought in on our goal and process.”
On Feb. 11, Auburn announced it had completed a university inquiry into Harsin’s program and determined that Harsin will continue as Tigers coach into his second season.
Auburn also announced Friday that secondary coach Zac Etheridge has been promoted to associate head coach. Etheridge, a captain for Auburn’s national title team in 2010, had been courted for a defensive backs role at Georgia but elected to remain with his alma mater.