Kent Austin has been appointed as the quarterbacks coach at Auburn University, marking his transition from a special assistant to the head coach in the previous season. Expressing gratitude for the opportunity, Austin conveyed, “I feel very honored and blessed to be given this new position and am thankful for the trust Coach Freeze has placed with me to develop our quarterbacks at Auburn.”
At the age of 60, Austin brings a wealth of experience to his new coaching role. He enjoyed a decade-long career as a quarterback in the CFL, representing teams such as the Saskatchewan Roughriders, B.C. Lions, Toronto Argonauts, and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. His playing days saw remarkable achievements, including 36,030 passing yards and two Grey Cup victories.
Embarking on his coaching journey in 2003, Austin served as the quarterbacks coach for the Ottawa Renegades. He later took on the role of offensive coordinator for the Argonauts from 2004 to 2006 before assuming the position of head coach for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2007, leading the team to a Grey Cup in his inaugural season.
Transitioning to collegiate coaching, Austin served as the offensive coordinator at Ole Miss, his alma mater, for two years. Subsequently, he took the helm as the head coach at Cornell University for three seasons. In 2013, he became the head coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, spending five years with the team before resigning to focus on his duties as vice president of football operations. Despite guiding the Tiger-Cats to two Grey Cup appearances, Austin concluded his tenure with a slightly unfavorable record of 36-44.
In 2019, Austin assumed the role of quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator at Liberty University, working for four seasons under head coach Hugh Freeze. Freeze, who is now at Auburn, praised Austin, stating, “I’ve known Kent for a long time and worked with him at multiple schools. He is a great teacher and developer of quarterbacks and has been a valuable resource to our program this past year.”
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