The man who helped bring the “Stupid D” mentality to Auburn’s defense is back on the Plains in a new role.

Former defensive back Josh Holsey has joined Gus Malzahn’s support staff as a graduate assistant working with the Tigers’ defense.

“It was a pretty short discussion," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. "Josh was just a super player here and a super young man. He played in the NFL. It was kind of one of those deals where when he got done I kind of had him on my mind. I know coach (Kevin) Steele thinks the world of him too. I think it’s a really good situation for him. He’s going to be a great coach.”

Holsey played at Auburn from 2012-16, appearing in 44 games over those five seasons while making 31 starts in the secondary and finishing with 118 career tackles. A well-respected former defensive back with experience at cornerback and nickel, Holsey was a cornerstone of Auburn’s defensive turnaround during Steele’s first year as defensive coordinator in 2016.

That year, Holsey totaled 30 tackles, tied for the team lead with 10 pass breakups and led the team with three interceptions while helping spearhead a defensive renaissance on the Plains, where he coined the term “Stupid D” -- a phrase that was adopted by the players younger than him and a mentality that has carried through Auburn’s defense over the last several seasons, with former safety and team captain Jeremiah Dinson even breaking down the defensive huddle with that phrase last season.

“Josh Holsey made that tradition our freshman year here and ever since then we have played with a different swagger,” former defensive end Marlon Davidson said.

That mantra, paired with the tutelage of Steele -- whose presence has brought a steadying force to that side of the ball -- has led to Auburn’s defensive resurgence the last four years, where the Tigers have ranked in the top-20 nationally in scoring defense each year during that span and have been one of only five FBS programs to limit opponents to fewer than 20 points per game each of the last four seasons.

Following his departure from Auburn after the 2016 season, Holsey was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He played two seasons with Washington before sustaining another torn ACL in December 2018 being waived by the franchise last May. He was then signed by the Oakland Raiders last summer before ultimately being waived during final roster cuts on Aug. 30.

Malzahn and Holsey then spoke about the former defensive back standout returning to the Plains to kickstart his coaching career as part of the Tigers’ support staff, which has undergone a lot of turnover this offseason.

“I knew Holsey was going to be a coach one day when ball stopped," Dinson said. "He’s one of the top-three smartest players I’ve been around, one of the players who took me under his wing when I first came in.... You could see it, man, being around Holsey--just being around him, he’s a bright, bright young man. It’s not shocking to me to see him in the position he’s in. I’m telling you right now, three to four years from now he’s going to be a DB coach at a major university.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.