AUBURN, Alabama -- Auburn's Gus Malzahn made good on his promise to hit the ground running as the Tigers' new coach by hiring Ellis Johnson as the defensive coordinator, a source familiar with the agreement confirmed Thursday morning.

Johnson, who will reportedly make $800,000 per year according to AuburnUndercover.com, was fired as the Southern Miss head coach after a disastrous first year in Hattiesburg that dropped the Golden Eagles from 12-2 in 2011 to 0-12 in 2012.

“I’m going to take my time and I’m going to find the right fit," Malzahn said in his introductory press conference on Tuesday night. "We are going to hire men of character who will be great examples for our players and then they’re going to be great coaches and great recruiters."

But Johnson has a long SEC resume as a defensive coordinator. Johnson, 60, served as Alabama's defensive coordinator from 1997-2000, worked at Mississippi State from 2004-2007 and led South Carolina's defense from 2008 to 2011, turning the Gamecocks into one of the country's most effective units.

He also served as the defensive coordinator at Clemson and Appalachian State, as well as brief head coaching stints at Gardner-Webb and the Citadel.

At South Carolina, Johnson ran a 4-2-5 scheme that includes a "Spur," a hybrid safety/linebacker that allows a defense to adjust to an offense's personnel packages without much shifting of base personnel.

Installed with the Gamecocks, Johnson's 4-2-5 defense finished in the Top 15 nationally three times in four seasons, including the No. 4 defense in the country during his final year working with Steve Spurrier.

Johnson's task is to rebuild an Auburn defense that struggled in all four years of Gene Chizik's regime and set a school record for yards allowed per game in 2012, Brian VanGorder's only year in charge of the defense.

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