The answer comes in only the second paragraph of Auburn’s press release and the first sentence of a quote from head coach Hugh Freeze. Auburn’s post on X, formerly known as Twitter, announcing the hire of Charles Kelly only had two sentences and the first mentioned his recruiting acumen.

Why? Auburn certainly hasn’t made it a mystery why Kelly was hired as Auburn’s new co-defensive coordinator.

The move was initially reported in December but was officially announced Friday. It’s his alma mater, having played at Auburn in the late 1980s under Pat Dye. But before any of his coaching background was discussed, Auburn noted Kelly’s award as the 2023 247Sports national recruiter of the year. That’s why he was brought back to Auburn: to recruit.

“Charles is an outstanding football mind who is an excellent recruiter and understands the landscape of Auburn and the Southeastern Conference,” Freeze said. “We are excited to have Charles on our staff as we continue building a strong foundation for the future success of Auburn football.”

Kelly’s coaching background of course does matter. He was a graduate assistant at Auburn in 1993. This is his first time back since. He’s held various positions at Jacksonville State and high schools in Alabama. His first FBS defensive coordinator job came at Georgia Tech in 2012. He has had stints as the defensive coordinator at Florida State, Alabama and Colorado on his way to Auburn.

And everywhere he’s been, Kelly has recruited.

According to 247Sports, Kelly has been the primary or secondary recruiter to land nine different five-star recruits. That included names like Will Anderson, Josh Sweat and Levonta Taylor. Other big names Kelly recruited include Isaiah Bond, Terrion Arnold, Travis Rudolph, Javion Cohen and Brian Branch.

Recruiting remains among Freeze’s highest priorities as he continues to build the roster. A top-10 2024 class alone isn’t enough. The momentum and success must be maintained.

Freeze has openly stated his goal of a top-five-rated class in 2025.

But Freeze, an elite recruiter in his own right, is stepping back from the heavy recruiting focus he had in his first year as Auburn’s head coach. Freeze is expected to take on a much larger role in the offense in 2024. That would mean calling plays.

Freeze initially passed off that responsibility to former offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery so he could focus on recruiting as his top priority. Freeze landed a strong class, but the offense clearly suffered.

If Freeze does plan to in fact take on that much more hands-on role, he doesn’t want to leave a void in recruiting.

Enter Kelly. Void filled.

Neither Montgomery nor former defense coordinator Ron Roberts were particularly strong recruiters. Roberts left for a defensive assistant job at Florida.

So, the timing was right to bring Kelly back to his alma mater. Auburn needed someone with defensive coordinator experience. But a requirement assuredly was hiring a coordinator who could recruit.

Auburn made that much very clear. The lead was not buried. The co-defensive coordinator job suggests not having the entire responsibility of the defense. He will likely take on responsibility as a defensive backs coach after the departure of Zac Etheridge, as announced Friday morning.

Auburn has not yet named the co-coordinator with Kelly.

Kelly is here to coach the defense of course, but his job is to recruit.

“I am very grateful to return to a university and a football program that have meant so much to me growing up in this state and playing for Coach Dye.” Kelly said. “It’s an honor to work with Coach Freeze, whom I have a tremendous amount of respect for, and I’m appreciative of him for this opportunity. I look forward to helping Coach Freeze and this staff bring our program back to the caliber of championship football that Auburn deserves.”

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