Auburn Tigers, Harsin adding veteran coach to analyst's role
Roc Bellantoni, who's had a long collegiate coaching career with stops at Washington State, Utah State, and Buffalo, among others, is heading to the Southeastern Conference, per sources.
Bellantoni, who was on the Utah State staff of Gary Andersen in 2020 and most recently had accepted a position earlier this spring to be the special teams coordiantor at Southern Illinois, is joining Bryan Harsin's Auburn Tigers' staff in a senior analyst role.
Harsin was hired by Auburn away from Boise State on Dec. 22, 2020, after the Tigers' administration forced an exit with Gus Malzahn.
An Iona graduate who spent 10 years at Eastern Illinois from 2001-11, eventually ascending to the role of associate head coaching and helping the program to six NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs appearances and five Ohio Valley Conference titles, Bellantoni is getting his first crack in the SEC.
He also has coached at Florida Atlantic, Villanova and Drake.
Bellantoni's first coaching job was at the high school ranks, when he coached both the defensive and offensive lines at a Mamaroneck (N.Y.) High School.
Beginning his coaching career in 1993, Bellantoni has coached consecutively at the collegiate level since 1995, when he joined the staff of Buena Vista University.
