Does anyone understand Auburn?
We know what Texas is.
The Longhorns last won a title in 2005, have continuously underperformed since 2008, and have been a running joke or meme for seasons. Every time an idiot in burnt orange used the word “Back”, they are lambasted when things go wrong.
We know USC is.
The Trojans consistently get in their own way. Their head coach avoids more bullets than Arnie in ‘Commando’, and despite an incredible depth of talent within the Southern California recruiting area, seem to shoot themselves in the foot at every corner.
But we don’t know what Auburn is.
Under Gus Malzahn, the Auburn Tigers came within a whisker of winning another (he won one on The Plains under Gene Chizik with Cam Newton). Malzahn had a 68-35 record and a 39-27 mark in an incredibly tough SEC West division. He played Georgia on top of LSU and Alabama year in, year out. His record against Alabama was better than most sides in the SEC with at 3-5, and he’s also 3-5 against LSU. He’s got a worse record against Georgia (2-7). He always recruited excellently, and produced 32 picks than went in the NFL Draft – 11 more than had happened in the last seven years.
And yet during his tenancy as Alabama continued to rule, Malzahn was continually on the hot seat. A loss happened, and there was instant blood on the streets. He was given an extension after winning the west after ‘beating the dog’ out of Georgia and Auburn, and then Auburners wanted it revoked after a tough loss to a Georgia team that came close to winning a National Championship that season.
This year he lost two of his best defensive disruptors in Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson and on the offensive line, he lost players worth 160 (ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY) starts left The Plains. And with a sophomore quarterback in Bo Nix who was always a bit of a freelancer, it was always going to be a problem.
Yet in the world of impatient Auburn, these weren’t the excuses when big athletic donors in Tigerland like Bobby Lowder (he himself hardly an expert on running things after the bank that he was CEO of Colonial Bank was shut down in a mire of a FBI investigation during the mortgage collapse of 2009) and the Woltosz familly and Jimmy Rane (who incidentally was a major shareholder in Lowder’s bank, Colonial) put togyouether $10m for Malzahn’s immediate buyout, and would pony up the rest of the $21.5 million over the next four years….in a pandemic.
So you’d think that Auburn would have its head straight on and and immediately get a head coach like has happened at South Carolina and even Vanderbilt, who also fired their head coaches about the same time?
Nope.
Recruits jumped off Auburn’s sinking ship, leaving the Tigers behind the eight ball in recruiting. Looking up at them were the Alabamas, Clemsons, Georgias and LSUs, who continued their roll
Top WR Anthony Schwartz is breaking ranks and making fun of the situation. As are Auburn fans through their tears of disgruntlement.
Billy Napier of Louisana – the hottest name in coaching right now – said he wasn’t interested. Bill Clark at UAB said he would stay with the Alabama program he built again after it was destroyed by the UA school system. He probably prefers a more supportive world than what’s happening right now. And who would blame him? Then there’s Brent Venables, the best DC in the land, who said he was staying at Clemson. And Steve Sarkasian got a bump in pay ($3.5m to continue with being OC at Alabama) didn’t even interview after the SEC Championship.
The problem for Auburn is that the secret’s out. The hedges that surround the field at Jordan Hare seem to be coated with poisoned barbs. The coaches are less coaches than pawns in the power play in the golf club by a bunch of entitled wealthy men who believe they ‘own’ players. The Search Committee is full of ex-Auburn players.
Even the defensive coordinator Kevin Steele – one of the strongest potentials at the moment – is a joke if you consider just how bad he was as a head coach during his time. If Steele-to-head-coach does happen, they will be taking on a head coach with a 9-36 record. How is that an upgrade, Auburn?
Auburn may hate being asked this after the event, but they singularly failed to answer this question: If you’re going to replace Gus Malzahn, who do you replace him with who’s better?
At the moment, it seems, that they are going to have to look at someone a lot worse.
Oh, and for Texas and USC? Both stayed with their head coaches. USC is ranked 13th and Texas 17th in the recruiting rankings. Auburn? 41st.