The first coaching move of the offseason has officially taken place.
Josh Aldridge, who spent the previous two seasons as Auburn’s EDGE coach, departs the program for the defensive coordinator position at East Carolina according to a report by ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Auburn’s EDGE rushers were arguably the strongest unit on Auburn’s defense the past two seasons under Aldridge. This season, Jalen McLeod and Keldric Faulk were the highest-graded defensive players according to Pro Football Focus at 85.5 and 84.7 respectively. The pair combined to create 74 quarterback pressures with 16 sacks and three forced fumbles. Backup EDGE rushers Zykeivous Walker and Amaris Williams had solid seasons as well by combining to make 13 pressures and 12 quarterback hurries.
McLeod found similar success in 2023 by creating 37 quarterback pressures with six sacks. As a freshman that season, Faulk made 36 tackles with a sack.
Before his time at Auburn, Aldridge spent four seasons under head coach Hugh Freeze at Liberty, where he began as a defensive line coach before being promoted to defensive coordinator, becoming a Broyles Award nominee in 2021. He has also spent time at Lenor-Rhyne and West Georgia.
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