Auburn Hires Brian VanGorder As New Defensive Coordinator

Leonard Williams is one of the top recruits in the country. The defensive end from Daytona Beach Mainland (Fla.) is an impressive 6’5 and 255 pounds. He holds offers from most of the top schools in the country. And while a few of those schools might have filled up, Williams still has plenty of options. After Williams’ impressive week at the Under Armour All-America event, SB Nation caught up with him recently to find out what’s new with his recruitment.

SBN: Do you have a top group of schools you’re currently considering?

Penn State is building its first post-Joe Paterno coaching staff under new head coach Bill O’Brien, and will be turning to a defensive coordinator with a national championship ring on his hand in that effort. The Big Ten Network’s Tom Dienhart reports that Penn State will hire Ted Roof, who served as Auburn’s defensive coordinator in 2011.

Roof was already set to depart Auburn for Central Florida, where he would have served as defensive coordinator under George O’Leary, but Penn State obviously provides a slightly higher profile than UCF can. Furthermore, though Roof’s tenure as Central Florida’s defensive coordinator has spanned about a month and covered no actual football games, he’s had short stints in his coaching career in the past.

So, yep, he’ll face UGA once a season now. At one point, his Georgia defenses ranked in the top 10 in the nation three years in a row during his 2001-2004 run. Auburn thus replaces one Broyles Award winner with another, with former OC Gus Malzahn heading to Arkansas State.

After ranking No. 5 in the NFL in points allowed in 2010, the Falcons slipped, but still ranked in the upper half in yards allowed. The team has developed excellent linebacker play and sound fundamentals, but has a hard time reaching the quarterback. Cornerbacks tend to play well, but safeties and corners haven’t always communicated well.

Hyams is a Knoxville sports radio personality, while Pete Roussell runs a coaching news website.

Stoops had been the apparent top candidate for about a week. FSU fans were concerned Auburn could offer him a pile of money too big to turn down, which the Noles wouldn’t have been able to match.

Stoops could provide a big and much-needed boost to the Auburn defense, which ranked 78th in total defense in 2011. The Seminoles under Stoops ranked sixth overall.

Despite a down year for Roof’s Auburn defense in 2010, UCF tapped him to improve their defense after parting ways with defensive coordinator John Skladany and his assistant coaches.

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Auburn defensive coordinator Ted Roof is hired to lead the UCF defense, according to a report on Wednesday. UCF head coach George O’Leary has been looking to replace a significant portion of his defensive staff, including the coordinator, after a disappointing 2011 campaign.

Roof’s reported agreement with UCF comes from Auburn Undercover, by way of the Orlando Sentinel.