Auburn edge and outside linebacker coach Roc Bellantoni will not be retained
New Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze will not retain edge/outside linebacker coach Roc Bellantoni, Keith Niebuhr of Auburn Live has learned.
Bellantoni has been let go effective immediately.
Bellantoni was brought in by former head coach Bryan Harsin as a defensive analyst. After a year in that role, and the NFL move by former edge coach Bert Watts, Bellantoni was promoted to the job. He was also named the Special Teams Coordinator in place of Watts.
Bellantoni as a coach before Auburn
Bellantoni served as acting head coach at Eastern Illinois University in 2007. That included coaching in a playoff game. He had stints at Drake, Villanova, and Buena Vista University.
He then made the jumped into FBS football with the University of Buffalo. From there he became the defensive line coach and defensive coordinator from Florida Atlantic University.
He was also the interim defensive coordinator at Washington State during the 2019 season. He helped lead the Cougars to a bowl game.
Recruiting under Bellantoni
Bellantoni was a surprise to Harsin’s staff as a recruiter. He has several connections in the talent-rich state of Florida from his time at Florida Atlantic. He had Auburn in the game with several big recruits and helped land popular freshman receiver Camden Brown from St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) High in Fort Lauderdale.
Bellantoni was important in helping land Western Kentucky grad transfer edge Marcus Bragg from the transfer portal. Bragg added a sack and several pressures after taking over for injured edge Eku Leota.
Auburn currently has two edges committed in its 2023 class in 4-star Wilky Denaud and 3-star Ashley Williams.
Edge/Outside linebacker and Special Team Coordinator jobs now open
Auburn, now under the direction of Freeze, is in the market for a new edge coach. A special teams coordinator could be a different position coach other than the edge coach under the new regime.
The edge position, like the offensive line, is a huge position of need for 2023 and the transfer portal. The Tigers are in the hunt for several different recruits and will look to the portal for more.
