This one wasn't a hard decision for Gus Malzahn.

The head coach added former Auburn defensive back Joshua Holsey to his staff as graduate assistant working with the defense, a source told AuburnSports.com on Friday. Malzahn later confirmed the news when meeting with reporters after Auburn's 2020 Pro Day, and it was apparent Malzahn thought Holsey a great fit for his staff.

“It was a pretty short discussion," Malzahn said of adding Holsey as a GA. "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 (with the NFL), 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 was at Pro Day at Auburn's indoor practice complex, chatting with current and former Tigers alike — including some of his former teammates.

"As a freshman, [Holsey] lined me up," said former Auburn safety Daniel Thomas, who played one season with Holsey in 2016. "He helped me get around the field. I've always got much love for him."

Holsey, an elite defensive back prospect out of Fairburn, Ga., in 2012, earned a starting job in the secondary his freshman year on the Plains. He proceeded to log 31 starts during his four years with the Tigers, with his starts spread across both cornerback spots, the nickel position and both safety positions during his versatile career.

"I knew Holsey was going to be a coach one day when ball stopped," said former Auburn safety Jeremiah Dinson, who also played with Holsey in 2016. "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.""

As a senior, Holsey suffered a torn ACL during the Tigers' Week 2 victory over Jacksonville State.

He received a medical redshirt, however, and returned for the 2016 season, snagging three interceptions en route to a seventh-round NFL draft selection by the Washington Redskins.

While recovering from a foot injury, Holsey at one point was on the Redskins' active roster in December 2018, but was shortly after placed on injured reserve again. He was waived by Washington the following May before being picked up by the Raiders.

He dealt with a partially torn ACL in Oakland and was waived during the final roster cuts prior to this past season.

At Auburn, Holsey totaled 118 tackles and four interceptions. The best game of his career came in 2016 against Ole Miss, when the cornerback broke up five passes and had a 47-yard interception in the fourth quarter that iced the 40-29 victory for Auburn.

He also notched a career-high 11 tackles in his first game playing safety against Kansas State in 2014, helping Auburn win a defensive battle on the road.

Holsey could be credited with two game-sealing interceptions in 2016, as he picked off Vanderbilt's Kyle Shurmur with 36 seconds left in the game as the Commodores were driving into Auburn territory, down 23-16.

"Just being around him, he's a bright, bright young man," Dinson said of Holsey. "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."

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