Former Auburn offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau will reportedly be back in the SEC this fall, albeit in an off-field role.
According to multiple reports, Kiesau is expected to join Billy Napier’s Florida staff as an offensive analyst. On3 reported the change for Kiesau for the first time on Sunday morning.
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Kiesau’s addition to Florida’s coaching staff would reunite the 50-year-old coach with Napier, who he previously worked with in Alabama during the 2015 season. Napier was the Tide’s wide receivers coach at the time, while Kiesau was an offensive analyst on Nick Saban’s staff.
Kiesau spent less than two seasons at Auburn as part of former coach Bryan Harsin’s staff, beginning in 2021 in an analyst role with the Tigers’ wide receivers before being promoted to wide receiver coach after Cornelius Williams was fired after his first four years games this year. Kiesau was then promoted to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the 2022 season after Harsin fired Mike Bobo and then saw his successor Austin Davis step down six weeks after accepting the job and before ever coaching a practice at Auburn.
Kiesau served as the Tigers’ offensive coordinator for the first eight games of the year but was fired along with Harsin on Halloween in a 3-5 start to the season. Kiesau was one of several Auburn employees with ties to Harsin and Boise State who were fired midseason, joining tight ends coach Brad Bedell, strength coach Jeff Pitman, chief of staff Brad Larrondo and recruiting director Darren Uscher . Kiesau was in the first year of a two-year contract that earned him $800,000 annually as Auburn’s offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach.
At the time of Kiesau’s release, Auburn’s offense was at its worst in several key areas since 2012 – when the team went 3-9 – including passing efficiency (118.17), scoring (22.9 points per game) and sacks allowed per game (2.62 ). The Tigers’ passing offense ranked 12th in the SEC and 90th nationally under Kiesau, while their passing efficiency numbers were the worst in the league and 110th nationally. Auburn’s scoring offense was 13th in the SEC and 103rd nationally during Kiesau’s tenure as offensive coordinator.
Prior to joining Harsin at Auburn, Kiesau spent four seasons on Harsin’s staff at Boise State, including two as offensive coordinator. He was the Broncos’ wide receivers coach during the 2017 and 2018 seasons and added the co-offensive coordinator title in 2019 before serving as Boise State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2020.
In addition to his experience working with Harsin and his aforementioned one-year stay in Alabama, Kiesau has more than two decades of coaching experience. He started at Utah State in 2000, where he coached running backs and switched to wide receivers the following year. This was followed by four seasons as a coach at Cal, five seasons at Colorado — including two as offensive coordinator from 2009-10 — before returning to Cal in 2011. From 2012-13 he was offensive coordinator in Washington under Steve Sarkisian for a year in Kansas.
His seasons at Alabama and one at Fresno State followed before joining Harsin at Boise State.
Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.