Staff continuity is vital for a successful program. The first two years of the Hugh Freeze era at Auburn had the opposite.

After bringing in a new-look coaching staff when Freeze was hired prior to the 2023 season, he overhauled that staff after Year 1, bringing an almost entirely new staff into the 2024 season.

Auburn’s results regressed in Freeze’s second year on the plains, finishing 5-7 and failing to make a bowl game. The staff isn’t solely responsible for that, but the lack of continuity didn’t help.

Going into Freeze’s third season at Auburn, the program looks set to retain the majority of its staff, only losing two on-field coaches and replacing them with familiar faces.

T.J. Rushing (safeties) and Roc Bellantoni (outside linebackers) are the two new defensive assistants, but Bellantoni held the same role with the Tigers in 2022 and Rushing spent the 2024 season as a special assistant to the head coach at Auburn.

“We’re excited to move T.J. back into an on-field role as well as welcome Roc back to the Plains,” Freeze said in a release. “T.J. has a Super Bowl champion pedigree and is an outstanding coach who relates very well with our players. Roc has a wealth of knowledge and experienced a lot of success in three decades of coaching at various levels during his career.”

Rushing also spent two seasons working with Auburn defensive coordinator DJ Durkin at Texas A&M, where Rushing was the Aggies’ defensive backs coach in Durkin’s defense.

He’s spent the last three years working directly with either Durkin or Freeze, shortening the adjustment period as a new assistant coach at Auburn.

“I witnessed firsthand this past season how special Auburn is and what we are building here,” Rushing said in a release. “I’m very familiar with Coach Durkin’s defense, previously working with him at another school, and know our defensive personnel here very well.”

Texas A&M finished second in the country in pass defense during Rushing and Durkin’s first season together in 2022. Over Rushing’s four-year stint in College Station, the Aggies’ pass defense had an average rank of 23.5.

It’s an almost impossible to replace a coach like Charles Kelly. Rushing doesn’t have the deep resume and years of experience that Kelly has, but he’s a proven assistant in the Southeastern Conference who already understands Durkin’s defense.

Continuity is especially important in coaching the safeties, arguably Auburn’s most promising position group. The room features young players like Kaleb Harris and Sylvester Smith who broke out in 2024 and brings in a pair of blue-chip freshmen in Anquon Fegans and Eric Winters.

Looking past the safeties, Auburn’s defense overall is ripe with young talent. Being able to bring in coaches who have familiarity with the program can go a long way. Maintaining the coaches who were already there goes even further.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m