Reports: Ellis Johnson Out As Auburn Defensive Coordinator

The Auburn Tigers gave up an average of 39 points per game over their last six SEC games and defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson will pay for that with his job.

According to multiple reports, Auburn defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson has been fired one day after his Tigers were lit up for 55 points in an Iron Bowl loss at Alabama.

Auburn Undercover had the first report and it was later confirmed by AL.com.

The Tigers are 57th in the nation in total defense this season at 388.7 yards per game and 60th in scoring defense, allowing 26.1 points per game.

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But in conference play, Auburn gave up 32.8 points a game, and the best it did over the final six conference games was the 31 it surrendered in a win at Ole Miss.

Auburn lost four of its last seven games after a 5-0 start that included a 41-7 demolition of LSU at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Oct. 4.

But since then, Auburn allowed 38 in a loss at Mississippi State, 35 in a win over South Carolina, 41 in a loss to Texas A&M, 34 in a loss at Georgia and the 55 in the Iron Bowl.

Johnson was in his second season at Auburn. The 62-year-old has been a college coach since 1982, with stops three stops at The Citadel (including one as head coach), Gardner-Webb (as head coach), Appalachian State, East Carolina, two stints at Southern Miss (one year as head coach), two stints at Alabama, Clemson, Mississippi State and South Carolina.

He was 5-6 at Gardner-Webb in his one season there in 1983, 12-22 in three seasons at The Citadel from 2001-03 and 0-12 in his lone year at Southern Miss in 2012.

Head coach Gus Malzahn said Saturday, he wasn’t ready to talk about Johnson’s status.

"“I’m not going there right now,” he said after the game. “Right now we’re disappointed we got beat and that’s it.”"

Apparently Malzahn went there Saturday, meaning Auburn will be seeking its fourth defensive coordinator in five years.

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