Will Muschamp and Auburn Is a Great Match, Should Terrify SEC

The coaching silly season is upon us, and judging from the first two coordinator positions that have opened up in the SEC, former Florida head coach Will Muschamp might have his pick of high-profile jobs.

Texas A&M relieved Mark Snyder on Friday after the loss to LSU. On Sunday, less than 24 hours after surrendering 55 points to Alabama, Auburn followed suit and dispatched of second-year defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson according to a release from the University.

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"At this time I felt it was best for our program to make a change with our defensive coordinator," head coach Gus Malzahn said in the release. "Ellis is a true professional and I would like to thank him for his contributions at Auburn."

Johnson handled the news well.

"This is part of the business and I totally understand," Johnson said in the release. "I did think we were good in several areas, but overall it wasn't good enough. I’m disappointed for our players, but this is a results business. I want to thank Coach Malzahn and Auburn for the opportunity the last two years."

Could Muschamp be headed to the Plains?

Muschamp has Texas ties due to his time as the Longhorns' defensive coordinator, but the former head man in Gainesville got his coaching start as a graduate assistant under Terry Bowden in 1995 and 1996, and then served as the Tigers' defensive coordinator under Tommy Tuberville in 2006 and 2007.

ESPN.com's Travis Haney reports, there's already interest between current Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn and Muschamp:

The idea of Malzahn and Muschamp teaming up together on the Plains should terrify the SEC.

Auburn's primary problem this season was its pass defense, if anybody can fix that it is Muschamp.  His Gator defenses finished in the top four in the conference in pass defense every year and finished in the top three in the SEC in yards allowed per attempt in each of the last three seasons and generally make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks. 

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The foundation for success is there at Auburn. Junior cornerback Jonathan Jones was one of Auburn's most consistent performers this season with six picks—the second-most in the conference. He should be back, along with safeties Rudy Ford and Joshua Holsey.

The secondary took the brunt of the criticism this season, but main problem on the Plains was the inability for Auburn to get pressure with four, which forced Johnson to bring pressure from a variety of places. That pressure rarely got to the opposing quarterback, which left passing lanes the size of the Grand Canyon.

As Haney notes, the absence of defensive end Carl Lawson—who missed the season recovering from a torn ACL—played a big part in Auburn's pass rushing woes.

Lawson will be back in 2014, along with several of the replacements that rotated to fill that spot this year including Elijah Daniel, DaVonte Lambert and Gimel President.

From a recruiting standpoint, this could be a blessing in disguise. 

As Allie Davison of AuburnSports.com notes, Johnson wasn't as much of a factor on the recruiting trail as other defensive coordinators.

Who could come with Muschamp to the Plains?

That remains to be seen, but a former Tiger player could be coming with him.

If Muschamp is hired, that could signal a return of former Auburn defensive back and current Gator defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson, according to Zach Abolverdi of the Gainesville (Fla.) Sun:

That'd be huge for Auburn from a recruiting standpoint.

Not only has Robinson been instrumental as an assistant on Muschamp's staff, but he was ranked 24th on 247Sports.com's recruiter rankings in 2014. The Miami native was recently voted as one of the top nine recruiters who focus on the state of Florida by 247Sports.com's Luke Stampini. A recruiting boost specifically in the talent-rich state of Florida would be enormous for Auburn, and could pay immediate dividends in the class of 2015 and beyond.

The prospect of Muschamp's proven track record of success as a defensive coach, the recruiting boost it could bring the Tigers and Malzahn's ability to put up crooked offensive numbers all over the scoreboard would make Auburn a perennial contender.

Muschamp would wake up the monster. The same monster that has competed for two national championships since 2010 with defenses that were far from stellar.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.