However, the auspices in which Tuberville departed Auburn are not as relevant as who will inevitably replace him. Thus, Brooks and I have decided to use this blog as a forum to discuss potential candidates for the position and resolve who is the best coach currently available not named Sylvester . . .
Brooks: So, one of the best part of this story are all the names that keep coming up. Bobby Petrino and Houston Nutt were both rumored to be so drawn to the natural allure of the best agricultural school in Alabama that they were willing to make it their third stop in three years. Steve Spurrier was rumored to switch his Under Armour shirt from Boom-Boom to Tap by leaving South Carolina for Auburn. Even Will Muschamp was thought to be so frustrated with that the aged Mack Brown still hadn't retired in the three weeks since he was named Brown's successor that he was willing to leave his wife in Austin for the more raw, less burnt, version of Tiger Orange.
Unlike other writers, cough cough Pat Forde, Uncle D and I actually admit that we have no inside information, are aware of no rumors, have no contacts, and in fact, have no journalistic skills whatsoever other than Uncle D's undergrad degree. So, let's use this article from ESPN.com to base our names. They all seem somewhat legit, and if need be, we can add other names based on pure speculation as we see fit.
So, Uncle D., which candidate do you think is the best fit for Auburn?
Brooks: So, one of the best part of this story are all the names that keep coming up. Bobby Petrino and Houston Nutt were both rumored to be so drawn to the natural allure of the best agricultural school in Alabama that they were willing to make it their third stop in three years. Steve Spurrier was rumored to switch his Under Armour shirt from Boom-Boom to Tap by leaving South Carolina for Auburn. Even Will Muschamp was thought to be so frustrated with that the aged Mack Brown still hadn't retired in the three weeks since he was named Brown's successor that he was willing to leave his wife in Austin for the more raw, less burnt, version of Tiger Orange.
Unlike other writers, cough cough Pat Forde, Uncle D and I actually admit that we have no inside information, are aware of no rumors, have no contacts, and in fact, have no journalistic skills whatsoever other than Uncle D's undergrad degree. So, let's use this article from ESPN.com to base our names. They all seem somewhat legit, and if need be, we can add other names based on pure speculation as we see fit.
So, Uncle D., which candidate do you think is the best fit for Auburn?
Uncle D.: Again, despite my previous assertion regarding coaches not named Sylvester, anytime the Conference Coach of the Year Emeritus is on the market, you have to give him your hard sell. In Auburn's case, a guaranteed number of scholarships and the promise that you will be fired if you don't win 92% of your games.
Based on what supposedly happened to Tuberville, the "hot" candidates should approach the Auburn position cautiously. Turner Gill is obviously the most attractive name mentioned in the above article, but he should probably wait to leave until another high-profile position opens up or wait one more year and depart after emasculating a haughty Ball State team again.
Brooks, do you share this assessment regarding Coach Gill, or are you going to turn the tables on me . . .?
Brooks: I totally agree with you that Auburn's task of selling this job is crazy hard. I brought it up previously in an article entitled in a clever manner that makes fun of the mentally challenged. Right now, you have two choices that make any sort of sense for Auburn: Turner Gill and Gary Patterson. Gill is the media's darling at the moment. He resurrected a Buffalo program that had a career D-1A record of 10-69 record and transformed them into the MAC Champions this season. He has shown steady yet quick improvement at Buffalo. They've gone from 2-10 to 5-7 to 8-5 in his three years. Auburn is a team that has talent, but after a 5-7 year and a coaching change, they'll still be a re-building project. He also is not a spread guy, as a former player of Tom Osborne his teams are power run based, so he would work well with the roster Auburn currently has. Just having head coaching experience makes him attractive, but he's also been in the run for big time jobs before: he was a finalist for the Nebraska job last season.
The name that really sticks out to me, however, is Gary Patterson. He was the defensive coordinator at TCU under Dennis Franchionne, and took over as head coach in 2000. Since then, he has taken TCU to 7 bowls in 8 seasons. He also has 4 10+ win seasons with TCU, which is incredibly impressive. You don't see coaches with that type of resume come along often-- he's not a one time winner or a new hot candidat-- he's a proven winner. He's also a defensively minded guy, which again fits in with Auburn's recent history.
So Uncle D, the question that this opening along with the hirings at Mississippi State, Washington and Syracuse, does head coaching experience matter when looking at coaches?
Brooks: I totally agree with you that Auburn's task of selling this job is crazy hard. I brought it up previously in an article entitled in a clever manner that makes fun of the mentally challenged. Right now, you have two choices that make any sort of sense for Auburn: Turner Gill and Gary Patterson. Gill is the media's darling at the moment. He resurrected a Buffalo program that had a career D-1A record of 10-69 record and transformed them into the MAC Champions this season. He has shown steady yet quick improvement at Buffalo. They've gone from 2-10 to 5-7 to 8-5 in his three years. Auburn is a team that has talent, but after a 5-7 year and a coaching change, they'll still be a re-building project. He also is not a spread guy, as a former player of Tom Osborne his teams are power run based, so he would work well with the roster Auburn currently has. Just having head coaching experience makes him attractive, but he's also been in the run for big time jobs before: he was a finalist for the Nebraska job last season.
The name that really sticks out to me, however, is Gary Patterson. He was the defensive coordinator at TCU under Dennis Franchionne, and took over as head coach in 2000. Since then, he has taken TCU to 7 bowls in 8 seasons. He also has 4 10+ win seasons with TCU, which is incredibly impressive. You don't see coaches with that type of resume come along often-- he's not a one time winner or a new hot candidat-- he's a proven winner. He's also a defensively minded guy, which again fits in with Auburn's recent history.
So Uncle D, the question that this opening along with the hirings at Mississippi State, Washington and Syracuse, does head coaching experience matter when looking at coaches?
Uncle D.: Brooks, your breakdown of the merits and qualifications of Turner Gill and Gary Patterson is both cogent and incisive (two GRE words I studied this week that are contextually incorrect), however this blog entry by SEC savant Chris Low makes it moot.
Patterson wants nothing to do with the job and Auburn has subsequently added Skip Holtz, Jim Grobe, and Paul Johnson to a list of candidates that is starting to resemble a massive E-vite.
So, what are the alternatives for Auburn to attract coaches that won't be enticed to stay at their current positions with the promise of a raise (ibid Huston Nutt)? Just as Brooks suggested, you target young capable assistants who do not currently participate in a civil union with Mack Brown. Coordinators who continually put up Madden numbers or haven proven they can keep points off the board should receive serious consideration regardless of HC experience.
Mississippi State swept up Dan Mullen after Florida's 4th Quarter clinic against Alabama. Even though the scene of Mullen placing his hand on the passenger side window as he is driven away from Tim Tebow will be heart breaking, he has proven his scheme works and it is time for him to move on (even though he will write every day).
Brooks, should Auburn decide to spread it search to include younger assistants, which option seems most viable?
Brooks: See, this is what you get when you read. I still maintain Patterson is a great choice. Other coaches who are not available that would also be good fits include Pete Carrol, Bob Stoops, and Woody Hayes. Hayes might be dead, but the prospect of him punching out Nick Saban at the 50 yard line should sexually arouse any War Eagle fan.
I would also like to say I think Jim Grobe is another great candidate. Like Croom, whom you mentioned above, I think he's a name that they are late getting to but a great potential fit. While may own Tony Franklin's DVDs for the bargain basement price of $1500, he still is a guy with head coaching experience and has taken teams to bowl games before.
Realistically, however, he is not willing to follow Tommy Tuberville, even for $2+ million a year. That means, like you said, assistants are a good bet. I think you follow Mississippi's State lead and continue to plunder the Florida coaching staff by looking a defensive coordinator Charlie Strong. He's like Jim Mullen, except he doesn't resemble the missing link. He's learned from Ron Zook the value of running to the proper sidelines for games, and under Urban Meyer he learned the value of being a cocky SEC douchebag. It's a hire that will bring in a talented coach with experience under two great recruiters, has a ton of contacts already in the South, and hurt a conference opponent-- seems like a really smart addition.
Another possible choice is Nick Holt. He's the defensive coordinator at USC. He has previous head coaching experience at Idaho from 2003-05, so he knows what its like to head up a program. Unlike Steve Sarkisian, however, his side of the ball has not regressed under his tutelage. He's coaching a defense that now has somewhere between 7-9 draft picks on it, so he can recruit talent. He may not be familiar with the South, but USC has proven in the past that it can get kids out of Louisiana (Joe McKnight), so he's not totally out of his element. Unfortunately, he's also ugly as sin so he might make recruits mom's pass out when he enters their living room.
Uncle D, once again your fancy GRE knowledge has confused me and made me adopt your point of view. I think Turner Gill is the best available option at the moment, and I'd put Strong as the best available assistant.
Really, at the end of the day, the longer this search goes on the more likely it is that Auburn will just hire the first coach that responds to its Facebook friend requenst-- preferably, they will also fill out the "How Do You Know This Person" survey
Brooks: See, this is what you get when you read. I still maintain Patterson is a great choice. Other coaches who are not available that would also be good fits include Pete Carrol, Bob Stoops, and Woody Hayes. Hayes might be dead, but the prospect of him punching out Nick Saban at the 50 yard line should sexually arouse any War Eagle fan.
I would also like to say I think Jim Grobe is another great candidate. Like Croom, whom you mentioned above, I think he's a name that they are late getting to but a great potential fit. While may own Tony Franklin's DVDs for the bargain basement price of $1500, he still is a guy with head coaching experience and has taken teams to bowl games before.
Realistically, however, he is not willing to follow Tommy Tuberville, even for $2+ million a year. That means, like you said, assistants are a good bet. I think you follow Mississippi's State lead and continue to plunder the Florida coaching staff by looking a defensive coordinator Charlie Strong. He's like Jim Mullen, except he doesn't resemble the missing link. He's learned from Ron Zook the value of running to the proper sidelines for games, and under Urban Meyer he learned the value of being a cocky SEC douchebag. It's a hire that will bring in a talented coach with experience under two great recruiters, has a ton of contacts already in the South, and hurt a conference opponent-- seems like a really smart addition.
Another possible choice is Nick Holt. He's the defensive coordinator at USC. He has previous head coaching experience at Idaho from 2003-05, so he knows what its like to head up a program. Unlike Steve Sarkisian, however, his side of the ball has not regressed under his tutelage. He's coaching a defense that now has somewhere between 7-9 draft picks on it, so he can recruit talent. He may not be familiar with the South, but USC has proven in the past that it can get kids out of Louisiana (Joe McKnight), so he's not totally out of his element. Unfortunately, he's also ugly as sin so he might make recruits mom's pass out when he enters their living room.
Uncle D, once again your fancy GRE knowledge has confused me and made me adopt your point of view. I think Turner Gill is the best available option at the moment, and I'd put Strong as the best available assistant.
Really, at the end of the day, the longer this search goes on the more likely it is that Auburn will just hire the first coach that responds to its Facebook friend requenst-- preferably, they will also fill out the "How Do You Know This Person" survey
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