Listed as “the odd man out” in the Mike Stoops reunion at Oklahoma, former Sooners defensive backs coach Willie Martinez has landed on his feet with a job in the SEC.
Auburn announced today that Martinez would be joining Gene Chizik‘s staff, replacing Phillip Lolley. Lolley stepped down from his position earlier this month to re-take an administrative job within the athletic department.
“I’ve had the pleasure to know coach (Gene) Chizik and other members of this staff for a long time, and I share their energy and passion for the game of football and developing young men,” Martinez said in a statement.
Martinez was connected to multiple defensive coordinator opportunities in his final months at OU, including Kansas and Illinois, but it appeared Martinez’s fate was pretty much sealed when Bob Stoops brought his brother back to Norman.
Martinez has some SEC ties from his days as a defensive coordinator at Georgia from 2005-09. He’ll be be reuniting with Auburn DC Brian VanGorder, who preceeded Martinez as the DC at UGA when Martinez was the secondary coach for the Bulldogs.