For Ted Roof, the past 10 days have been a whirlwind. He's resigned as Auburn's defensive coordinator and accepted an offer to be Central Florida's defensive coordinator. He's been from Auburn to Orlando, back to Auburn and back to Orlando. And he's been on the road recruiting.Ted Roof talks to reporters after practice days before last January's BCS Championship Game.It's not the way Roof expected to be spending his December 11 months after helping Auburn win the national championship."It was really, really tough to leave," Roof said in an exclusive interview with Auburn Undercover. "I really grew to love Auburn. My family loved it there. It is a great place to raise a family. The people there are just so welcoming. It was tough to leave. It was tough to leave those players. It's tough anytime."Roof has heard the speculation that he was forced out by head coach Gene Chizik or, at the least, was encouraged to look for another job after his defense struggled through the 2011 season. And he forcefully says it didn't happen that way."That's not true," Roof said. "I was not forced out. It was a decision we made based on the opportunity. I was not forced out, not fired, not forced to resign. None of that stuff ever happened."Instead, Roof said, he chose to rejoin George O'Leary at Central Florida. Roof was O'Leary's defensive coordinator for four seasons at Georgia Tech."I'm really excited to reunite with George O'Leary," Roof said. "I think that program really has a lot of potential. There is a lot of great opportunities there. I'm excited to do it and start a new chapter in or lives."Roof said he has nothing but good feelings for those he left behind at Auburn."I have a lot of respect for the guys I worked with and I love those players," Roof said. "Chiz was great. He was absolutely fantastic. I have a lot of respect for him and appreciate him."We did OK," Roof said. "We won a national championship and were getting ready to play for our 30th win in three years. There are some things we wish we had done better. I still think what we were able to accomplish a lot in three years."On last Jan. 10, Roof experienced the greatest day of his career. His defense held the high-powered Oregon offense to 28 points below its average and Auburn won the BCS national championship with a 22-19 victory."That's something that won't go away and nobody can take away," Roof said. "I've been told by other coaches that is something that stays with you."Roof said he knew there would be struggles this season for a defense dominated by sophomores and freshmen. And there were. The Tigers finished 7-5, but they gave up 38 points or more in all five losses. Three of the touchdowns in those games were interception returns and not on the defense."It is what it is," Roof said. "Our first three weeks were not good at all and we had a hard time battling back. We did some really good things at times and got some big stops and won some games. Consistently, it was pretty tough. Going into the year I knew there would be some growing pains."Those kids having experienced a lot this year, playing the toughest schedule in the country. They are going to be heck of a lot better next year. I just want Auburn to win and those coaches and kids to have a great time."The time is coming, Roof said, when Auburn will play for the biggest prize in the game again."I think it's on the way," Roof said. "No doubt about that. That is going to happen because of the foundation, the way they recruit. It's going to happen. It's not if, it's when."
http://auburn.247sports.com/Article/Roof-embraces-future-and-past-53232No mention of hammers.
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