Golesh names Coleman Hutzler Assistant Coach
Veteran defensive coach Coleman Hutzler has been hired as an assistant coach with Auburn Football working with the Bucks and Edges on defense, head coach Alex Golesh announced Wednesday.
“We’re excited to add Coach Hutzler and his family to our program,” Golesh said. “His strong SEC experience and proven ability as a recruiter will be invaluable to Auburn Football. Coleman also has multiple years of experience working with Coach Durkin and our defensive scheme, which allows for a smooth transition. He is an elite developer of talent that has produced more than a dozen NFL players and will make a tremendous impact on our program.”
Hutzler comes to Auburn with 20 years of experience, including the last 10 years in the Southeastern Conference. He most recently spent the last two seasons as the defensive coordinator at Mississippi State.
He has worked alongside Auburn defensive coordinator DJ Durkin four previous times in his career at Stanford (2008-09), Florida (2010-11, 2014) and Ole Miss (2021).
During Hutzler’s career, his players have accounted for more than 30 all-conference honors, more than 25 All-America accolades, four conference player of the year awards and four national player of the year nods.
Highlighting his two-year stint at Mississippi State, Hutzler had a total of three defenders rank in the top three in the league in tackles, including the top two tacklers in the league in 2024, while his 2025 unit ranked third in the SEC with 12 interceptions. His unit improved in every defensive category, including scoring defense, total defense and turnovers forced, from his first season to his second.
Prior to his time in Starkville, Hutzler served as the special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach at Alabama. He not only helped Alabama have one of the best special teams units in the country, including mentoring college football’s all-time leading scorer in kicker Will Reichard, but also saw the defense rank in the top 25 in the country in sacks and tackles for loss in both seasons. In his first season, outside linebacker Will Anders Jr. swept the national awards, winning the Bronko Nagurski, Chuck Bednarik and Lombardi awards to go along with the Lott IMPACT Trophy.
Hutzler’s previous stops as a full-time coach in the SEC include stints as the special teams coordinator at Ole Miss in 2021, co-defensive coordinator at Texas in 2020, special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach at South Carolina from 2016-19 and Florida in 2014.
Hutzler has repeatedly seen his special teams units and individuals rank among the best in the country in numerous categories and was a nominee for the Broyles Award while at South Carolina in 2017.
Before returning to the league with South Carolina in 2016, he spent the 2015 season as the special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach at Boston College, where the Eagles defense allowed just 254.3 total yards and 82.8 rush yards per game, and the special teams unit blocked three punts.
Hutzler’s first stop in the SEC came as an assistant special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach at Florida from 2010-11 before returning to the swamp in 2014, where on a defense that ranked top 10 in the country in yard allowed per play, yards allowed per rush and yard allowed per pass. Between his stints in Gainesville, Hutzler was the special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach at New Mexico from 2012-13.
He began his coaching career at the University of San Diego, working as a defensive assistant in 2006. He became a recruiting assistant at Stanford in 2007 and served as an assistant on the defensive side of the ball for the Cardinal in 2008 and 2009.
A native of Las Vegas, Hutzler played football at Middlebury College in Vermont, earning his degree in psychology. A linebacker from 2002-05, he was a team captain as a senior and left the program second in career tackles.
Hutzler and his wife, Cobey, have a son, Micah, and a daughter, Leila.
(Press Release from Auburn University)
