With the promotion of Vontrell King-Williams to defensive tackles coach, Auburn appears to have finalized its on-field staff for the 2024 season. Auburn has five new faces on the coaching staff after several departures from the 2023 season due to firings, resignations or acceptance of a new job.

Below is Auburn’s set coaching staff as of Feb. 14.

• Head coach: Hugh Freeze
• Offensive coordinator/running backs coach: Derrick Nix
• Defensive coordinator/linebackers coach: D.J. Durkin
• Co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach: Charles Kelly
• Quarterbacks coach: Kent Austin
• Wide receivers coach: Marcus Davis
• Tight ends coach: Ben Aigamaua
• Offensive line coach: Jake Thornton
• Defensive tackles coach: Vontrell King-Williams.
• Edge rushers coach: Josh Aldridge
• Cornerbacks coach: Wesley McGriff

The total amount Auburn will pay its assistant coaches is down from 2023. Auburn will pay its assistant coaches $6.425 million in 2024 after paying $6.91 million in 2023. That’s a $485,000 decrease.

The decline in cost, in part, comes from the departure of Auburn’s four most expensive assistant coaches in 2023: defensive coordinator Ron Roberts, offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery, running backs coach Cadillac Williams and safeties coach Zac Etheridge.

Auburn paid both Roberts and Montgomery at least $1 million last season and $900,000 to Williams. Auburn now only has one assistant coach making more than $1 million and no other coach’s salary reaches the $900,000 owed to Williams.

Several of Auburn’s retained assistant coaches had raises added this winter as addendums to their previous contracts. Those totals are reflected below.

Below is the 2024 salary for each coach.

• Hugh Freeze: $6.5 million
• D.J. Durkin: $1.2 million
• Charles Kelly: $875,000
• Derrick Nix: $800,000
• Wesley McGriff: $650,000
• Jake Thornton: $600,000
• Josh Aldridge: $500,000
  • Aldridge had a raise structure added to his contract which will give him a $50,000 raise on Feb. 1, 2025, should he remain employed by Auburn.
  • Aldridge received a one-year contract extension
• Vontrell King-Williams: $500,000
• Marcus Davis: $450,000
  • Davis received a $25,000 raise effective Feb. 1, 2024. He had a raise structure added to his contract to receive another $50,000 raise should he remain employed on Feb. 1, 2025.
  • Davis received a one-year contract extension
• Ben Aigamaua: $450,000
  • Aigamaua received a $25,000 raise effective Feb. 1, 2024. He had a raise structure added to his contract to receive another $50,000 raise should he remain employed on Feb. 1, 2025.
  • Aigauma received a one-year contract extension
• Kent Austin: $400,000

All of Auburn’s assistant coaches have identical performance bonus structures, which are as follows.

• A bonus equal to 25% of their current salary should Auburn win the national championship
• A bonus equal to 20% of their current salary should Auburn finish as the national runner-up
• A bonus equal to 16% of their current salary should Auburn make a national semifinal game
• A bonus equal to 12% of their current salary should Auburn make the 12-team College Football Playoff
• A bonus equal to 8% of their current salary should Auburn make the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, ReliaQuest Bowl or Citrus Bowl
• A bonus equal to 6% of their current salary should Auburn make the Music City Bowl, Texas Bowl or the Mayo/Las Vegas Bowl
• A bonus equal to 4% of their current salary should Auburn make the Birmingham Bowl, Liberty Bowl or Independence Bowl
• A $30,000 bonus should Auburn win the SEC Championship Game
• A $15,000 bonus should Auburn play in, but lose the SEC Championship Game

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at [email protected]