Auburn analyst Joe Bernardi to be named Troy OL coach, per reports

Auburn’s support staff is set to lose a key piece.

Joe Bernardi, who has served as an offensive analyst for the Tigers since January 2022, is expected to be name the offensive line coach at Troy under head coach Jon Sumrall, a source confirmed to AL.com. Bernardi’s move was first reported by On3 and 247Sports. Bernardi will replace Cole Popovich, who spent one season at Troy before recently returning to the NFL as an assistant offensive line coach for the Houston Texans.

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Bernardi arrived at Auburn last January and spent much of his tenure as an analyst working with the Tigers’ offensive line. However, his role changed after Auburn’s coaching staff shakeup on Halloween — which included the firing of head coach Bryan Harsin, offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau, tight ends coach Brad Bedell and strength and conditioning coach Jeff Pitman. Once Cadillac Williams was named interim head coach, Bernardi was elevated to interim tight ends coach for the final month of the season.

Bernardi was also among the staffers retained by new head coach Hugh Freeze upon his arrival at the end of November. Bernardi was integral to the Tigers’ recruiting efforts after Freeze was hired, as the program emphasized adding pieces to a retooled offensive line. Auburn added three high school signees in the 2023 class, a top-rated junior college transfer and three four-star players from the transfer portal as part of an overhaul of its offensive line personnel this offseason.

Prior to his time at Auburn, Bernardi had on-field coaching experience at San Jose State and Fresno State. He was offensive line coach at SJSU from 2017-19, and he spent 2016 coaching tight ends for Fresno State.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.