Paul Rhoads, who served as defensive coordinator for the past eight seasons at Pittsburgh, is Auburn's new defensive coordinator and secondary coach after Will Muschamp departed for Texas.

Rhoads, 41, was highly regarded as one of the best defensive coordinators in the country while at Pitt. He was named the Big East's best defensive coordinator in 2006 by The Sporting News. Paul Rhoads (Photo courtesy of autigers.com) Last season, Rhoads' defense finished fifth nationally in total defense after allowing just 297.7 yards per game and were third nationally in pass defense allowing just 167.3 yards per game. In order to win championships, Rhoads believes Auburn's defense must do a better job at stopping the run. Last season, the Tigers ranked 29th nationally in rushing defense and allowed 124.7 yards per game on the ground. To improve on those numbers, the defense will be committed to stopping the run and it starts up front on the line. With Pat Sims leaving early for the NFL Draft and Josh Thompson graduating, senior Sen'Derrick Marks will be counted on to fill the void at defensive tackle. Marks returns to his natural position at tackle after being moved to end last season where he had 43 tackles and recorded two sacks in 13 starts. Sen'Derrick Marks (Photo courtesy of autigers.com) Look for Marks to have a breakout season. At 6-1 and 288 pounds, he will use his athleticism to be one of the top interior pass rushers. He will also be counted on by Rhoads to be a leader to the inexperienced younger players on the line. One of the younger players who will look to Marks for guidance is 6-4, 289-pound junior Jake Ricks. Ricks will start at the other tackle position next to Marks after having a productive spring. He saw limited playing time last season as a backup but could emerge as one of the stars on the line. Junior defensive end Antonio Coleman surprised everyone last season when he filled in nicely for the injured Quentin Groves. Groves, who now plays in the NFL, never really got his old job back when he recovered from the injury. Last season, the 6-2, 250-pound Coleman was in on 38 tackles, 8.5 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss. Antonio Coleman (Photo courtesy of autigers.com) Coleman had a freak accident during one of the scrimmages in the spring when he suffered a cervical sprain and was carted off the field. He missed the rest of spring, but says he's back to 100 percent and ready to be the team's best pass rusher for the second year in a row. At the the other end spot, sophomore Michael Goggans starts after limited playing time last season. At 6-3 and 254 pounds, the former tight end has the potential to become another great pass rusher for Auburn. The Tigers have plenty of depth on the line and Rhoads plans to use fall camp as a time to figure out which backup can step in when the starters need a break. At one of the end positions, sophomore Antoine Carter should get plenty of playing time after making 16 tackles, 1.5 sacks and four tackles for loss as a true freshman last season. Zach Clayton, A.J. Greene and Mike Blanc all had productive springs but will need to see a lot of improvement in preseason practice if they want to see action in games that aren't lopsided. Phil Marion Coming next week: Linebackers Quarterbacks and Wide Receivers Running Backs Offensive Line and Tight Ends