New Auburn defensive backs coach Wesley McGriff agreed to a one-year deal with the Tigers when he was hired last month, according to reports from Auburn Undercover's Brandon Marcello and AL.com's Tom Green.
McGriff signed a memorandum of understanding February 20, and his contract runs until Jan. 31, 2020, at Auburn. He will be paid $300,000 this upcoming season and can receive an additional $25,000 if he stays at Auburn beyond the 2019 season.
McGriff was let go at Ole Miss following the 2018 season where he served as defensive coordinator. He was being paid $1.1 million per year, and it's believed that Ole Miss still owes him $800,000 in 2019 because of an offset buyout. His contract at Ole Miss still had two years left on it.
Ole Miss and Auburn discussed the fair-market value of Auburn's contract and the offset total from the buyout after McGriff was let go from Ole Miss.
McGriff is replacing Greg Brown at Auburn. Brown was paid $400,500 during the 2018 season and left Auburn in February to take the defensive backs job at Purdue.
Auburn has had to replace three assistant coaches this offseason, with two leaving on their own in offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey and Brown.
The other was running backs coach Tim Horton, who was demoted to an off-the-field role in February and later left to take the running backs coaching job at Vanderbilt.
All of the new hires for Auburn will make less than their predecessors, per reports.
New running backs coach Cadillac Williams joined the staff on Jan. 23 on a two-year deal. Williams contract details include an annual salary of $325,000 in a memorandum of understanding he signed when he was hired; documents provided on Tuesday to Auburn Undercover via an open records request show this. Williams' contract, when executed, runs through Jan. 31, 2021.
Williams was previously employed by the Birmingham Iron, one of the Alliance of American Football teams.
Lindsey left Auburn in December for the OC job at Kansas, but later landed at Troy as the head coach. Memphis OC Kenny Dillingham replaced Lindsey on a much cheaper contract with a price tag of $500,000. Lindsey had been making more than $1.1 million per year at Auburn.
The departures of two offensive staff members and one defensive staff member, along with the hiring of two promising offensive coaches and McGriff's one-year deal, will save Auburn $778,100 per year, according to the reported available data.
The University will also cover the cost of moving expenses and use of a vehicle for McGriff as he traveled from Oxford, Mississippi to Auburn, according to the reports.
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