The Auburn coaching carousel was wound up tight.

And before Hugh Freeze’s first season with the Tigers could conclude, someone let go of the key and the carousel started spinning.

It was back in October that Auburn saw its first staff “change” as Wesley McGriff, the Tigers’ secondary coach, stepped away from his on-the-field role and instead slipped into the shadows in an off-the-field role that centered around in-house recruiting.

After that domino fell, there was a long pause before the next toppled over as it was reported that Colorado’s defensive coordinator Charles Kelly would be joining Freeze’s staff on The Plains two hours before the Music City Bowl kicked off on Dec. 30.

Since then, the carousel has kept spinning and the dominoes have continued to fall.

Here’s a timeline of Auburn’s coaching changes.

Oct. 18 — Auburn secondary coach Wesley McGriff steps back

Late in the evening of Oct. 18, 247Sports’ Brandon Marcello reported McGriff would be “temporarily stepping away from on-field duties for a ‘personal matter.’”

Five days later, Freeze told reporters McGriff was still with the Tigers’ program, but had taken on a role overseeing “in-house recruiting.”

Dec. 30 — Auburn to hire Colorado defensive coordinator Charles Kelly

Auburn’s players and coaches were warming up on the field of Nashville’s Nissan Stadium as they prepped for their Music City Bowl matchup with the Maryland Terrapins when 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz reported that Auburn was expected to add Colorado defensive coordinator Charles Kelly to its staff.

It was never reported what role Kelly might have with Auburn’s defense.

Kelly, a former Auburn player, previously held coaching stints at Alabama, Tennessee and Florida State, among others.

Dec. 31 — Texas A&M expected to hire Wesley McGriff

Less than 24 hours after Auburn’s season officially ended with a loss to Maryland in the Music City Bowl, it was reported that Auburn secondary coach Wesley McGriff was on the move.

After taking a step back in October, Billy Liucci of TexasAgs.com was the first to report that McGriff was expected to be added to Mike Elko’s assembling staff at Texas A&M.

Jan. 3 — Texas A&M officially announces hiring of McGriff

Texas A&M officially announced the hiring of McGriff on Jan. 3, introducing the former Auburn secondary coach as the Aggies’ pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach.

Jan. 5 — Auburn fires offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery

Auburn was less than a week removed from its 31-13 loss to Maryland when Freeze announced the firing of first-year offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery.

“I informed Philip today he would not be retained as our offensive coordinator,” Freeze said in a press release. “Philip is a good coach and a good man. Decisions like this are never easy, however, I decided this is best for our program moving forward. I’m appreciative of his efforts this past year and wish him nothing but the best.”

Freeze hired Montgomery to call the plays for the Tigers’ offense in early December 2022.

Jan. 8 — Auburn defensive coordinator Ron Roberts leaves for Florida, per reports

Three days after firing its offensive coordinator, Auburn learned it would also be looking for a defensive coordinator after it was reported that Ron Roberts would be leaving his role with the Tigers to take on a similar one at Florida.

Matt Zenitz of 247Sports was the first to report Roberts’ move.

Jan. 11 — Auburn running backs coach Cadillac Williams steps down

After spending his playing career and the past five seasons at Auburn, Cadillac Williams resigned from his position as the Tigers’ running backs coach and associate head coach late in the evening on Jan. 11.

Williams cited the pursuit of other opportunities as reason for his resignation.

Jan. 12 — Auburn defensive backs coach Zac Etheridge resigns

Less than 12 hours after the resignation of Cadillac Williams, Auburn defensive backs coach Zac Etheridge was the next to follow suit.

Etheridge took to X, the social platform formerly known as Twitter, to confirm his departure.

Matt Zenitz of 247Sports reported that Etheridge is expected to join Willie Fritz’s staff at Houston.

This is a developing story and will be updated should additional staff changes and hires be announced.