Auburn football announces the hiring of Drew Fabianich, program's new GM, Director of Scouting and Development

AUBURN – Auburn football announced what Auburn Live and others reported earlier this week, and that’s the hiring of Drew Fabianich.

That initial report was published on Monday, with the official hiring happening on Thursday.

Here’s what the official program release said about the hiring of Fabianich:

Auburn football program is hiring long-time National Football League scout Drew Fabianich as its General Manager and Director of Scouting and Development, Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin announced Thursday. Fabianich spent the past 18-plus years with the Dallas Cowboys, including the last 14 as a national scout for the organization.

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In his role with Auburn, Fabianich will utilize his extensive scouting background to bolster Auburn’s identification and evaluation of prospects, while working with all phases of the Auburn football player personnel and recruiting areas. He will also provide development support for current players, utilizing his two decades of NFL experience. 

“Drew brings two decades of scouting and player development at the highest level of this game, along with a dozen years of college coaching experience,” Harsin said. “The combination of his coaching track record as well as the player personnel and scouting background, makes Drew a great fit as we look at every angle of recruiting top talent and then continuing to develop our guys during their time here at Auburn. Drew knows what it takes to get to this level and then the next level in this game, and that’s a skill set which will help our players, coaches and next level recruiting process.”

Fabianich joined the Cowboys in 2003 as a Southeast and Midwest scout until his promotion in 2005 as a national scout. In that role, Fabianich was responsible for scouting, evaluating and grading national prospects. Over the last 10-plus years while Fabianich was with the organization, Dallas had one of the highest percentages of Pro Bowlers drafted in the NFL.

“It’s a pleasure and honor to be working with one of the premier programs in the country, and to be back in the SEC,” said Fabianich. “I have known Coach Harsin for a number of years and have been impressed with his player development and vision. The opportunity to work with him and help build a championship roster here at Auburn is something I can’t wait to get going on.”

Before joining the professional ranks, Fabianich spent 18 years coaching in the college and high school ranks. He began his coaching career in 1986 at his alma mater, Mesa State (Colo.) University, as a quarterbacks, wide receivers and passing game coordinator for two years before serving as a defensive graduate assistant at Baylor.

Drew Fabianich was a defensive line coach at the University of Tennessee from 1990-93 before being named defensive coordinator at UT-Martin. After a three-year stint at UT-Martin, Fabianich spent three years as defensive coordinator at Louisiana Monroe and two in the same capacity at WT White High School in Dallas before joining the Cowboys in 2003.

A native of Longmont, Colorado, Fabianich was a quarterback and receiver at Mesa State from 1982-86

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT DREW FABIANICH

“GREAT hire by Auburn! You recruited an expert on all aspects of football, and my experiences with his evaluation of talent, and of people is second to none. I will miss talking with him on the NFL level, but the college game, the SEC, and of course, the Auburn Tigers gained a jewel!”

Charles Davis
Analyst
NFL on CBS
NFL Network

“Fantastic hire! I had the great fortune of working with Drew throughout my time coaching in Dallas and he was an invaluable resource to me and our whole organization as we built our teams throughout the years.

“Drew has extensive experience as both a coach and as a scout and that helped him immensely as a talent evaluator in our draft process. He not only knew players and what it takes to succeed in the NFL, but he knew how players fit into a team and an organization. As a national scout for many years, he contributed to the evaluations of all players at all positions and was an integral part of the decision-making process in our personnel department. I’m really excited for Drew and for Auburn. It’s a perfect fit.”

Jason Garrett
NBC Sports Football Analyst
Former Dallas Cowboys Head Coach

“Drew has a unique ability to evaluate a player and envision what they can become. He has that sense to identify their skill set and knowing how to feature or utilize a player to be at their best for the team. Drew will positively impact Auburn football for years to come.”

Dan Quinn
Defensive Coordinator, Dallas Cowboys
Former Atlanta Falcons Head Coach 

“I’ve had the pleasure to see Drew work in the NFL environment. The day-to-day grind and also preparing and presenting in the Draft Room. He is very meticulous in his evaluation and one of the reasons the Cowboys have had success in the draft the last decade. Not only will Dallas miss his evaluation skills but the energy and personality he brings to the job every day. What a great get by the Auburn Tigers!”

Daryl Johnston
Executive VP, USFL
Fox NFL Analyst 
Former Dallas Cowboys Fullback