How Will Muschamp's Brief Stint at Auburn Could Benefit Tigers' D in Long Term

The second Will Muschamp era at Auburn lasted 360 days, finished with a 6-6 record and featured a defense that allowed 6.4 more yards per game than its 2014 predecessor.

When Muschamp decided to leave for the head coaching job at South Carolina, he owed Auburn zero dollars and zero cents thanks to the way his contract was written. Muschamp later hired three different Auburn assistant coaches to join his Gamecocks staff.

No matter how they're broken down, those numbers just don't add up for an Auburn program that thought it had the dream combination of offensive-minded head coach Gus Malzahn and Muschamp, whom his former boss called the greatest defensive mind in all of football. 

While Muschamp's departure after one underwhelming season frustrated many Auburn fans, the reality is that the former Auburn defensive coordinator and at least two of the assistants he took to South Carolina were getting bigger jobs with more responsibilities.

Name	Auburn Position	South Carolina Position
Will Muschamp	Defensive Coordinator	Head Coach
Travaris Robinson	Defensive Backs Coach	Defensive Coordinator
Lance Thompson	Linebackers Coach	Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Line
Bobby Bentley	Offensive Analyst	Running Backs Coach

Linebackers coach Lance Thompson, who joined Muschamp's Auburn staff from Alabama, decided to make the move to South Carolina after not getting the defensive coordinator job that went to Kevin Steele. He's now a defensive line coach and "assistant head coach of defense," according to the team's official site.

Still, Muschamp's quick-fire second tenure—along with the additional staff changes—seemed to provide nothing more than additional headaches for a team that is now on its fifth defensive coordinator in six seasons.

But here's another number from Muschamp's brief stint at Auburn that could benefit the Tigers' defense as it heads into spring practice next week: seven.

That's the number of high-level defensive recruits Muschamp and secondary coach Travaris Robinson brought to the Plains in the Class of 2015.

Name	Position	Rating	Auburn Recruiters
Byron Cowart	DE	No. 1 SDE	Tim Horton, Will Muschamp
Prince Tega Wanogho	DE	No. 8 SDE	Rodney Garner, Will Muschamp
Jeff Holland	OLB	No. 8 OLB	Rodney Garner, Will Muschamp
Tim Irvin	ATH	No. 18 ATH	Travaris Robinson, Will Muschamp
Javarius Davis	ATH	No. 38 ATH	Travaris Robinson
Carlton Davis	CB	No. 33 CB	Travaris Robinson, Will Muschamp
Jeremiah Dinson	CB	No. 105 CB	Travaris Robinson

Robinson, a former Auburn defensive back from 1999 to 2002, was Muschamp's ace defensive backs coach during his stint as Florida's head man. Without Muschamp, Robinson wouldn't have returned to the Plains.

When the duo arrived in Auburn, they were able to address a pair of glaring weaknesses in the Tigers defense.

First, the Tigers needed immediate help at defensive back. In the first few months of Muschamp's tenure, Auburn lost five players to transfers from a secondary that was already weak before he arrived.

Fortunately for Auburn, Muschamp and Robinson were able to land four defensive backs from the state of Florida in his brief time working on the Class of 2015: Tim Irvin, Javarius Davis, Carlton Davis and Jeremiah Dinson.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Javarius Davis redshirted for the Tigers last season, but the rest were thrown into the fire early. For true freshmen, they definitely delivered.

Carlton Davis started nine of 13 games at cornerback and was named to the SEC All-Freshman team after recording 56 tackles and a team-high three interceptions. A quick and physical presence at cornerback, he made several game-changing plays last season for the Tigers.

The Miami native who was once committed to Ohio State and wasn't on Auburn's radar until the hires of Muschamp and Robinson is now the face of the Tigers secondary.

"He's a guy who is going to continue to get better," Robinson said in November, via James Crepea of AL.com. "He can be one of the better ones who ever came from here, and I'm excited to have the opportunity to coach him."

The versatile Irvin started Auburn's season opener against Louisville and played a number of roles in the secondary as a true freshman. Dinson had developed into a strong rotational piece before a devastating knee injury against Texas A&M.

Throw in Jamel Dean, a big-time transfer from Ohio State who had previously been recruited by Muschamp and Robinson at Florida, and Auburn has a loaded group of young defensive backs that has already begun to show great potential.

The second area Muschamp's defensive staff at Auburn was able to address in a short amount of time was the future of the pass rush.

Auburn wasn't able to get to quarterback enough in its final season under former coordinator Ellis Johnson—who is now, in an ironic twist, an analyst on Muschamp's South Carolina staff.

With Carl Lawson out injured and Dee Ford off to the NFL the year after Auburn's 2013 run to the BCS National Championship Game, the defense became even more of a punch line in the SEC.

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Muschamp and his new defensive staff at Auburn immediately turned its attention to recruiting the No. 1 pass-rusher in the entire country, 5-star defensive end Byron Cowart. 

Cowart hadn't unofficially visited Auburn since November 2013 before Muschamp's arrival, and the Florida product had made a half-dozen trips to Gainesville in 2014. 

But Cowart, who was personally recruited by Muschamp, chose Auburn on national signing day last year. 

While Cowart only recorded six tackles in all of 2015, he should be a crucial piece to the Auburn defense in the next couple of seasons. He should be able to flash more of the skills that made him the nation's No. 3 overall player after getting a full offseason of preparation under him.

"[Auburn defensive line coach Rodney Garner] was tough on him," former defensive end DaVonte Lambert said in December, via Phillip Marshall of Auburn Undercover. "He’s tough on all of us, but on Byron he was really tough. He’s responded very well. I think next year he’ll be real great."

Muschamp was also involved in the recruitment of Prince Tega Wanogho, a 6'8", Nigerian-born defensive end from Alabama private school powerhouse Edgewood Academy. 

Wanogho redshirted the 2015 season after suffering a major leg injury on the basketball court in his senior year of high school. Still relatively new to football, Wanogho soared up the recruiting rankings in his short time at Edgewood and has all the physical tools needed to be a star defensive lineman.

Thanks to Cowart, Wanogho and the returning Lawson and Montravius Adams, Auburn's defensive line could go from being a thin group before the arrival of Muschamp to the strength of the team in 2016.

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The short Muschamp tenure also landed 4-star linebacker Jeff Holland, who chipped in 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack in his limited work last season.

Holland is a strong talent in rushing off the edge and could easily start for the Tigers in 2016 after major departures at the position.

"Jeff Holland's a guy who's got some pass-rushing ability and can give you some different things," Muschamp said, via Brandon Marcello of AL.com. "I think they've got some good young players coming."

Allie Davison of Rivals thinks Holland could be a real difference-maker for the Auburn defense in his sophomore season:

Muschamp's short time back at Auburn came with a laundry list of disappointments.

The defense didn't show many improvements until Lawson's return from injury and didn't play its best game until the Birmingham Bowl—after Muschamp had already left for South Carolina.

Muschamp was able to leave Auburn without any sort of financial penalty, and he took several assistants with him in an offseason that would later include the departures of offensive coaches Dameyune Craig and J.B. Grimes.

But even though he stayed for less than a full 365 days of a three-year contract, Muschamp was able to stock his successor's inventory with talented blue-chip recruits, many of whom would not have signed with Auburn without him.

And those players could be the keys to the numbers Auburn desperately wants to see from its defense in 2016 and beyond.

All statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.