The Auburn Tigers are cornering the market on ex-Bulldog defensive coordinators. Brian Van Gorder will make his return to the SEC this season as the defensive coordinator for Gene Chizek and the Auburn Tigers. Van Gorder served as defensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons last season and held that position with the Bulldogs from 2001-2004.
"It's been a great transition with Brian," Chizik said at SEC Media Days today. "We go back a long ways. Philosophically, we're on the exact same page with what we believe in defensively and what we think is the right mixture of a lot of different things, coverage and front-wise."
After leaving the Bulldogs in 2004, Van Gorder has bounced around. He spent a year with the Jacksonville Jaguars before coming back to Georgia as the head coach at Georgia Southern. His tenure with the Eagles only lasted one season before landing with the Falcons.
Van Gorder is the second former Bulldogs defensive coordinator on the Auburn staff as Willie Martinez is currently secondary coach for the Tigers.
For more on the Georgia Bulldogs and the SEC check out Dawg Sports and Team Speed Kills along with SB Nation Atlanta. For more college football news and notes check out SB Nation's College Football hub page.