An Alabama fan got two BCS championship tickets for Christmas. Auburn got a cornerbacks coach.
New Auburn coach Gus Malzahn has added a fourth defensive coach to his staff. In a release Tuesday Malzahn announced the addition of cornerbacks coach Melvin Smith. Smith comes to Auburn after seven seasons at the same position with Mississippi State.
“Melvin is an outstanding secondary coach and is one of the top recruiters in the Southeastern Conference,” Malzahn said in a statement. “He has a reputation for his ability to develop players and his 31-year coaching resume speaks for itself. We’re excited to have Melvin join our staff.”
Smith is quite familiar with the SEC West, having previously held assistant coaching jobs at Texas A&M, Alabama and Ole Miss.
“I’m really looking forward to this opportunity to work for Coach Malzahn and Auburn,” Smith said. “I’ve admired Gus’ work from afar and have always loved his offenses. When we discussed this job, Gus told me that he was looking for men of character and integrity who were excellent coaches. When I saw who he hired to his staff and having worked previously with Ellis (Johnson), Charlie (Harbison) and J.B. (Grimes), I knew that’s exactly that was the type of men he was hiring. This is a tremendous opportunity for me and my family.”