... Auburn fires Tommy Tuberville.
Possible successors are many. The names are out there and there are a ton of coaches who the University should consider as qualified to be head football coach at Auburn. Those names include:
Tommy Bowden: hopefully won't happen. He's a great coach, but we all saw what he was able to do at Clemson in a conference that's not quite so Defense-oriented. He's an offensive coach and I don't think he'd be a great fit at Auburn.
Will Muschamp: DC at Texas. Tuesday was named head coach-in-waiting at Texas. In addition to the vote of confidence from the school, he also will be paid $900,000 per year to remain as Texas' defensive coordinator. That's a ridiculous salary for an assistant coach. To give you an idea, I believe Auburn's assistant coaches make in the neighborhood of $200-300,000 per year. NO LONGER A POSSIBILITY.
Steve Spurrier: HC at South Carolina. This would be a very interesting move. Spurrier has found out the hard way that it is simply impossible to dominate at USC -- something he prides himself on. His ego is huge, and it may be a great match for Nick Saban's. He could be Auburn's answer to Saban.
The Old Ball Coach is a great recruiter who could rival Saban's recruiting and it would create a huge spectacle every November. Auburn is a much bigger stage than that at USC and I would think Spurrier would love to make such a move.
He is typically regarded as an offensive coach -- a move that would be interesting for Auburn. But he has shown a new interest of late in defense. He is a more balanced coach than he was in his younger years and now might be the time for him to show a new level of success at a school with the same potential for success as Florida had/has.
The question is, will he also consider Tennessee? I don't think so. It's a different atmosphere and he is widely hated there. Auburn is close enough to Florida, a place where he has established recruiting pipelines, that this may actually be a possibility. We'll just have to wait and see.
Mike Leach: HC at Texas Tech. Leach is a great coach, who is an offensive guru. This would be a move in the opposite direction than Auburn is currently going. But it is along the same lines as Tony Franklin wanted to go. Leach could be successful if he hires the right defensive coordinator, something he hasn't had in the past.
Leach has always had great offenses. In fact, this year's is not even his best. The problem with Texas Tech in the past has been their lack of any resemblance of a defense. The emergence of a mediocre defense this year is the reason for Texas Tech's success this year. So he would have to bring in the right supporting cast.
Is this likely? I would say it is a definite possibility, considering the attempt to ink Bobby Petrino several years ago. And word is that he isn't happy in Lubbock. Theonly question is whether his personality would go over well on the Plains, a place where football is taken very seriously. I think he would be fine here, but for some reason I'm just not feeling it.
Nick Saban: Only if he wins the title at Alabama. This snake in the grass is liable to do anything for the right price. News update: WE DON'T WANT HIS KIND AROUND HERE. Loyalty is a big deal on the Plains.
Lane Kiffin: former coach of the Oakland Raiders. Was an assistant under Pete Carrol at USC. Kiffin should be a good head coach in college, theoretically. But that's only considering what his defenses did at USC. But you have to remember that USC is the only real football school of note on the West Coast and recruiting there would be similar to recruiting at Florida if FSU and MIAMI suddenly didn't play football anymore. Of course, Cal is out there too, along with Oregon, but those teams are too inconsistent.
Kiffin could be a good choice, but I think he's too much of a gamble. I don't even know if he knows where Auburn, Ala. is located. He could, however, bring an NFL mentality to Auburn, something that seems to be working well for Alabama.
Bill Cowher: former coach of the Pittsburg Steelers. This guy's name has been thrown around quite a bit lately and I think it's all just a bunch of speculation. He has never coached in college and would be quite a gamble for that reason. Could he handle the more fragile ego's of college kids? I don't know.
Plus, he has been seen around the campus of Clemson, so I don't think he is really a possibility at all.
Paul Rhodes: current DC at Auburn. Rhodes is a likeable guy who many consider to be on his way to a HC position. Rhodes teaches fundamental defenses and is trying to overcome Auburn's lack thereof this season. Rhodes handles the media well and might just be a great choice, if Auburn decides to go that route. I think he would do it. And to be honest, it wouldn't upset me in the least.
I like his personality and I think the players like him. He has built a sense of unity and pride through the defense this year and anyone who has been paying attention knows I love a defensive-minded head coach. He would definitely have to bring in a good OC, but I don't think that would be a problem for him. I think this is a pretty strong possibility.
Butch Davis: HC at North Carolina. Davis is one hell of a football coach. He brought Miami back from the depths of embarassment toa national championship before he left for the NFL. And his players gave Larry Coker a championship the next year. He is a great recruiter and he knows what he is doing. However, He is reportedly very happy in North Carolina and inside word is that Tennessee is after him pretty hard. The simple timing of it all may exclude Auburn from the mix. Davis would be one of the top choices for the job, however, and I think most of us would love to have him. But I don't think Davis is willing to leave UNC, especially for an SEC job. He knows all about the difficulties a HC in the SEC has, having declined offers from several SEC powerhouses in the past. This is not a good possibility.
Bobby Johnson: HC at Vanderbilt. Johnson has done a fantastic job at Vanderbilt and also a did a great job at Furman when he was there. He obviously knows how to win. Anyone who can make Vandy bowl-eligible is a great recruiter and a great coach. But for some reason I don't see him as a very good fit at Auburn. Whether or not he is interested is unknown. But I do know he is one of the top candidates for the Clemson job and having roots in South Carolina, I would say him becoming the next HC at Clemson is probably a done deal. For Vandy's sake, I would hate to see them lose him and fall back to the depths of failure. For that reason, he may not go anywhere. Also not a good possibility.
As other names emerge, I will post them along with my thoughts...
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment