AUBURN, Alabama -- Auburn defensive coordinator Ted Roof is leaving the Tigers to accept a similar position at Central Florida.

Roof leaves Auburn after three seasons of uneven performances by the defense. It's not known who'll run the defense when Auburn faces Virginia in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on Dec. 31.

was the first to report Roof's departure.

Roof signed a three-year contract with Auburn earlier this year that paid him an annual salary of $500,000. He'll work with head coach George O'Leary at Central Florida. Roof was O'Leary's defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech from 1999-2001.

Roof was part of a 2010 Auburn coaching staff that helped Auburn win the BCS national championship when the defense was ranked ninth nationally in rushing defense. But his young defense suffered big losses to Arkansas, LSU, Georgia and Alabama this year.

Roof came to Auburn from Minnesota. He was at Duke before that, including four years as head coach.

He's the second coach to leave Gene Chizik's first coaching staff since the start of the 2009 season. Defensive line coach Tracy Rocker left after last seasons to become an assistant coach with the NFL's Tennessee Titans.