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Florida Cornerbacks coach - and former Tiger DB standout - Travaris Robinson has joined the Auburn defensive staff in the same position. This is news that has been a virtual certainty for a few weeks, but final word was not going to be announced until after the bowl games were complete.
They certainly didn't wait long. The announcement was made within minutes of Florida's victory over East Carolina in the Birmingham Bowl. A victory clenched by one of Robinson's star players, Vernon Hargreaves, III.
Head coach Gus Malzahn made the announcement official on Twitter:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Excited to welcome TRob back to the Auburn Family! He is an excellent coach/recruiter & will be a valuable asset to our program!</p>— Coach Gus Malzahn (@CoachGusMalzahn) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachGusMalzahn/status/551484403831308289">January 3, 2015</a></blockquote>
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He also took the time to thank former cornerbacks coach Melvin Smith for his work:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>I would also like to thank Coach Melvin Smith for his hard work, professionalism and the positive example he has been for our players.</p>— Coach Gus Malzahn (@CoachGusMalzahn) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachGusMalzahn/status/551484951552872448">January 3, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Robinson has spent the last four years as the cornerbacks coach at Florida under Will Muschamp. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Auburn during Muschamp's first stint as Auburn's defensive coordinator. He is also a stellar recruiter, and will likely have a very big impact on the recruiting trail for the Tigers in the closing month of recruiting season.
This may not be the final change on the defensive staff that we'll see. Some current staff members may be shuffled around. Regardless, this is a big addition for the Tigers. You only have to look to see the performance of Vernon Hargreaves, III over the past few seasons to know what Robinson is capable of producing in the defensive backfield.