Ellis Johnson?

[Townhallsavoy]

Is in Auburn according to Phillip Marshall. 

[AWK]

Are you fucking kidding me?

Southern Miss

Johnson was hired on December 20, 2011, as the Golden Eagles head coach.[11][12] At his introductory news conference he noted USM’s 18 straight winning seasons and said: "I am convinced you can always be successful."[13] He signed a four-year contract on August 20, 2012 (twelve days before the start of the 2012 season) that payed him a minimum of $740,000 annually, and was to run through December 23, 2015. In the event that Southern Miss decided to terminate the contract, Johnson would be paid $700,000 for each year left on his contract.[14]

Prior to Johnson's tenure, the Southern Miss football team had recorded eighteen straight winning seasons and been to ten consecutive postseason bowl appearances. In 2011, under Coach Larry Fedora, the Golden Eagles won a school record 12 games and finished in the Top 20 of both major polls after a victory in the 2011 Hawaii Bowl. Fedora departed for North Carolina after the 2011 season, yet the Golden Eagles were expected to experience continued success due to the fact that they would return 13 starters from the previous season. But the 2012 season quickly came unraveled due to a rash of injuries, and as a result, Johnson found himself dealing with an increasingly angry Golden Eagle fan base.[15]

The October 20, 2012, Marshall game resulted in the most points scored against USM at home since 1987, Brett Favre's freshman year.[16] Following USM's loss to Marshall, Paul Myerberg of USA Today wrote, "Southern Mississippi is having an awful year. Just a terrible, horrible, awful, disheartening, disappointing, aggravatingly horrendous year".[17] Dave Bartoo, owner/operator of the website cfbmatrix.com (College Football Matrix), a site that analyzes college football statistics based upon a given mathematical formula, recently told Bo Bounds of 105.9 The Zone in Jackson that Johnson had done “probably the worst coaching job I’ve seen in the matrix this century in (Football Bowl Subdivision) football.”[13]

The Golden Eagles finished the 2012 season as the only winless team in the Football Bowl Subdivision, going 0–12 and losing their final game to Memphis--the worst record in school history. On November 27, 2012, after just one year at the helm of the Southern Miss football program, Johnson was fired by athletic director Jeff Hammond.[18]

[AWK]

http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2012/12/5/3731734/ellis-johnson-auburn-football-defensive-coordinator

Ellis Johnson interviewing for Auburn coaching staff, according to report

Former South Carolina defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson is reported to be in Auburn interviewing for new coach Gus Malzahn's staff.

A day after Auburn named Gus Malzahn as its head coach, the search turns to filling the rest of the staff. One name that came up on Wednesday is former South Carolina defensive coordinator and Southern Miss head coach Ellis Johnson.

Johnson was fired after one season with the Golden Eagles after the team plummeted to an 0-12 record in 2012. He was hired away last season from South Carolina after having some success as Steve Spurrier's DC, so his SEC experience is likely a selling point to join Malzahn's new staff.

After Auburn fired Gene Chizik a couple of weeks ago, SB Nation's Bud Elliot assessed Auburn's situation and suggested that Johnson could be an ideal hire for Auburn:

    "There's no doubt that Johnson can put together an excellent defense in the SEC, and he can run the 4-2-5 scheme."

Malzahn was the offensive coordinator under Chizik for three seasons, including the 2010-11 national championship season, before taking the head coaching job at Arkansas State last year.

[djsimp]

I thought Ellis Johnson was a damn good DC at SC.

[War Eagle!!!]

Well...dude was hired just 12 days before the season starts.

I have no clue what went on down there...but that is a tough deal no matter who you are...

[Godfather]

I would like to throw my money in for Coach Rock as DC.

[AWK]

Well...dude was hired just 12 days before the season starts at Iowa State.

I have no clue what went on down up there...but that is a tough deal no matter who you are...

I thought Ellis JohnsonGene Chizik was a damn good DC at SCAuburn/Texas.

Lulz.

[AUTailgatingRules]

I would like to throw my money in for Coach Rock as DC.

Never been a DC, but I would be willing to let him learn on the job.  Could he hire Takeo as his LB coach?

[Snaggletiger]

I would like to throw my money in for Coach Rock as DC.

I would like to throw my $$$ where you'd like to throw your $$$.  This makes me tingly.

Hire Ellis Johnson and make him and Rock Co-DC's and let Rock have the line again. 

[AU_Tiger_2000]

Never been a DC, but I would be willing to let him learn on the job.  Could he hire Takeo as his LB coach?

"Guys the first thing you need to in order to play LB like me is a 21" neck, 30" biceps, and 10 pound nuts.  No, Holland, a mullet cannot be included in the neck size measurements."

[AUChizad]

I thought Ellis Johnson was a damn good DC at SC.

Agree. Coordinators & HCs do not equate. Don't know why people don't realize this.

The same thing working against Malzahn works in favor of Ellis.

Also hearing rumors of Tracy Rocker interviewing. If he's interviewing for DL coach (maybe he only left because of Chizik?), I'm on board. As a DC, no thank you. Need someone actually experienced in the position they're being hired for, thanks.

[noxin]

Also hearing rumors of Tracy Rocker interviewing.

Auburn men don't interview.  They simply accept or decline

[Shug Dye]

Agree. Coordinators & HCs do not equate. Don't know why people don't realize this.

The same thing working against Malzahn works in favor of Ellis.

Also hearing rumors of Tracy Rocker interviewing. If he's interviewing for DL coach (maybe he only left because of Chizik?), I'm on board. As a DC, no thank you. Need someone actually experienced in the position they're being hired for, thanks.

Sometimes...you hit a few nails on the head. Agree with all of the above.

[Godfather]

As a DC, no thank you. Need someone actually experienced in the position they're being hired for, thanks.

You guys do realize that you have to start somewhere?  You don't magically become a Defensive Coordinator.  I would have no problems with Rock being our DC.  His line was the best part of the 2010 defense.

[Saniflush]

You guys do realize that you have to start somewhere?  You don't magically become a Defensive Coordinator.  I would have no problems with Rock being our DC.  His line was the best part of the 2010 defense.

Defense is about fundamentals and intensity.  He has both of these things.

Make it so. 

[AUTailgatingRules]

You guys do realize that you have to start somewhere?  You don't magically become a Defensive Coordinator.  I would have no problems with Rock being our DC.  His line was the best part of the 2010 defense.

Plus he's mean as hell. 

[Snaggletiger]

Rock left because JJ is a prick with ears.  Could have kept him.

[Yoda]

According to J Hoke, Rocker has been contacted.  Unsure if for D coordinator or d line coach

[AUChizad]

I would like to throw my $$$ where you'd like to throw your $$$.  This makes me tingly.

Hire Ellis Johnson and make him and Rock Co-DC's and let Rock have the line again.

This conversation swung exactly where between hitting "Reply" and "Post".

Could agree to some kind of "Co-DC" title for Rock, but I want someone who has been-there-done that in terms of defensive schemes. We can't afford to fuck that up, especially with Malzahn as the HC, for a plethora of reasons, not the least of which being the fact that he's not really proven at his position himself.

[dallaswareagle]

Defense is about fundamentals and intensity.  He has both of these things.

Make it so.

If (I hope) we get better on the defense side and we really improve on the offensive side, we are really going to see what a cluster fuck bomb gene was.