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The Opelika-Auburn News had a sitdown with Auburn Director of Athletics Jay Jacobs this week.
Read a synthesis of the meeting that ran in the paper here.
Read everything else we talked about right after this bit of punctation:
(Was an 8-5 season a letdown for football?)
“2010 was a magical year for us. Back when I interviewed Gene in December ’08, we knew that 2011, as far as the number of players, was going to be challenging. I couldn’t be more proud of how the guys played. There was only one institution that played more freshmen than we did this past season. I’m proud of how hard they worked and how they stayed to the task at hand and continued to build this foundation that’s going to take us back to an SEC championship.”
(Assess Gene Chizik's offensive and defensive coordinator hires)
“Being Auburn, being in the SEC and having won a national championship in 2010, there were a lot of people that were interested in coming to work here at Auburn. For him to be able to hire Brian VanGorder as the defensive coordinator, that was (Chizik’s) number one choice. When we started this process, we didn’t know that Brian was going to be an option. As we went through the process, we found out he would be. (Chizik) was able to get the number one guy he wanted to hire. Because of the professionalism of the Falcons and also of Auburn, we were able to get that done as soon as the Falcons’ season was over. Certainly, in hiring the offensive coordinator, Scot Loeffler, Gene interviewed several guys trying to find the right fit for Auburn, and I couldn’t be more pleased with a guy that’s termed by most as a rising star as an offensive coach. I’m certainly appreciative of Gus (Malzahn) and Ted (Roof), but we’re certainly excited about the future with Brian and Scot.”
(Any concern with how long the hires took?)
“I think the thing everybody is beginning to learn, that I knew about Gene, is that he’s thorough. He’s interested in what’s best for Auburn, not some skeptic’s timeline about when we should and shouldn’t hire somebody. The key to it is finding the best fit for these guys that play on the field, for this athletics department, for this university and for the Auburn family. That’s what he was able to do successfully.”
(Why doesn’t Chizik’s name come up more often in coaching searches?)
“In the business we’re in, it’s sometimes difficult to determine what people are thinking, who the right fit is for institutions. There’s no better job than one at Auburn, and then there’s no better job than working in the SEC. If you’re not at Auburn or you’re not in the SEC and neither of those come available, then you’re probably wanting to try to move in. But if you’re here, or in the SEC, why would you be interested in going anywhere else? We’re the most successful league in the nation across the board, but particularly what we’ve been able to do in this league in football.”
(Has AU truly put the Cam Newton saga behind it?)
“In the recruits and families I visited, it was never brought up. So yes, I feel like the nation has put that behind us. Certainly the NCAA has put it behind us. When it comes to recruiting in the SEC, it’s a tall forest. As we continue to move through recruiting, it’s obvious that, with our last few people we signed, we’ll probably end up with a top-10 recruiting class. So we’ve had two top-five recruiting classes, a top-10, and there’s still a couple people out there, so you don’t know how it’s going to end up. But the key is, when you measure those things, what’s most important to Gene and his coaching staff is getting the right Auburn men to be here.”
(How does seeing former AU players succeed in the NFL make you feel?)
“It makes you proud. That’s part of the family. That’s one of your teammates, your brothers, one of your children, whatever it may be, and you’re proud of that, just proud of their accomplishments. And glad that, in some way, maybe our football program played a small part in that. I feel like the Auburn family and the Auburn experience will impact them the rest of their lives, to grow them, having instilled in them the Auburn creed and the Auburn values. So as they continue to move forward in their life, they can be successful businesspeople, dads, husbands, community leaders, those things.”
(Do you favor an 8-game or 9-game SEC schedule?)
“My thoughts are eight games in the SEC, knowing we have a championship game, that’s enough. We’re the most competitive league in the nation, and playing those eight games has proven to be what is best for each institution and what is best for the SEC, if you gauge it by national championships won.”
(Status of Tony Barbee's men's basketball program?)
“I think Tony is getting his system implemented. It takes a little time. The thing that Auburn people, we all gauge our progress on is how competitive we are. To go to overtime on the road, to lose by 3 on the road, we’re getting that competitive edge and learning how to compete in this league. I think what we have going on with our men’s basketball team is right on schedule … well, it’s right on schedule for me. Tony, the reason I hired him, is because he’s almost as big a competitor as I am. He can’t stand to lose. We’re getting there. He continues to recruit the right guys, the right kind of guys. The intensity on the court is second to none. I’m very pleased at what he’s been able to accomplish so far this year. Certainly not where we want to end up. We have high hopes moving forward, but pleased at how our student-athletes are competing. And how Tony and his staff are leading this team.”
(How much has the Auburn Arena helped them?)
“We have five goals, and one of those is a professional, positive gameday experience. And certainly the arena brings that. When you have the crowds that we have and the arena we have, certainly that provides a home-court advantage. Also, one of our goals is financial success, and certainly selling the tickets we’re selling and having some games that are standing-room only tickets, has hit one of our financial goals as well. The arena has been a great asset, not only for the home-court advantage, but for a sense of pride for the Auburn family and for men’s and women’s basketball. And even for gymnastics. A couple Friday nights ago, we almost had a sellout for our women’s gymnastics meet (vs. Alabama). It’s the nicest arena in the Southeastern Conference. It is there for the fans to be comfortable. And certainly, when it comes to the competitive side, it provides a home-arena advantage.”
(Any concern with how long Barbee took to sign contract?)
“It was no issue at all with me or Tony. None whatsoever. We felt we had a strong letter of agreement. He knew Auburn’s commitment to him. We certainly knew his commitment to Auburn. I agree with Tony.”
(State of women’s basketball program)
“There is no better ambassador for Auburn than Nell Fortner. It doesn’t matter if it’s women’s basketball, women’s golf, football, whatever it may be. She is a great ambassador, positive always. She would say that she’s not in the least bit satisfied with where we are right now. But she’s lost a couple of players to injuries and transferring. But the quality of her student-athletes in the classroom and community are second-to-none, and they compete every Thursday and Sunday, whatever the schedule may be. She’s like Tony: She wants to win every game. But she’s got to continue to build this foundation and get this team back to the NCAA Tournament and winning the SEC, like we did three years ago.”
(If things don't turn around, could it cost Fortner her job?)
“I don’t get into hypotheticals. I have real things I have to do day-to-day, and I don’t have the luxury of talking about hypotheticals.”
(New facility improvements on the horizon)
“We are about to renovate the Watson Fieldhouse and make it a strength and conditioning center for our Olympic sports that are currently housed in (Beard-Eaves) Coliseum. That was approved at the Friday board meeting. Then, we’re moving forward with plans to move sports medicine, which is in the Coliseum, out. We haven’t decided where that’s going to go. We just got approval Friday to start talking to architects and figure out where we’re going to put it. And the other structure that is about to be underway is we’re building a dining hall in conjunction with this parking deck the university is building (outside the athletic complex). It’ll be a wellness kitchen, a dining facility for all students on campus. It will cater to students that have certain dietary needs. It is going to be a great addition to this campus. Student-athletes will eat there, but any students on campus that have certain dietary needs – whether it’s lactose intolerance, whether someone needs to gain weight, has an issue with diabetes – there will be a nutritionist there to help them plan a healthy meal plan for them day-in and day-out.”
(Any plans for Beard-Eaves?)
“Beard-Eaves is a university facility. Athletics is moving out. Kinesiology is still housed there, and the university is building Kinesiology a new facility. When Kinesiology is completely out of the Coliseum, then the president and the board will make a decision as to what is going to happen to the Coliseum.”
(How are things looking in the athletic department on the whole?)
“We have five goals, and we’ve been able to accomplish those five goals and those that aren’t complete yet, we’re on track to accomplish them. The first is winning. Certainly, with the football team going to a bowl game and the women’s soccer team winning its first SEC tournament championship, we’re on track again to be in the top 10 percent of all schools in the nation in the Director’s Cup, as far as winning. Financially, even in these tough economic times, we’ve been able to make our budgets. We don’t receive any state funding. All of ours is what we generate here in some form or fashion. From a compliance standpoint, we feel great about where we are from an attitude of compliance here. Graduating our student-athletes, we’ve had a Rhodes Scholar, a Rhodes Scholar finalist. In the past two years, we’ve had two winners of the SEC’s highest (academic) award, the H. Boyd McWhorter Award. And also the community service award, the Brad Davis Award. First school ever to have both men and women Boyd McWhorter Award winners. From an academic standpoint, very proud of our students and so appreciative of the professors and the deans on campus, their commitment to excellence. The fifth is our professional gameday experience. Going by the emails and letters we receive from visiting fans, our gameday experience is second-to-none in the nation. I feel like we’re on target again to achieve those goals. We have an unquenchable spirit of discontent. We don’t ever want to be satisfied. We’re striving to continue to improve on all five of our goals.”
Read a synthesis of the meeting that ran in the paper here.
Read everything else we talked about right after this bit of punctation:
(Was an 8-5 season a letdown for football?)
“2010 was a magical year for us. Back when I interviewed Gene in December ’08, we knew that 2011, as far as the number of players, was going to be challenging. I couldn’t be more proud of how the guys played. There was only one institution that played more freshmen than we did this past season. I’m proud of how hard they worked and how they stayed to the task at hand and continued to build this foundation that’s going to take us back to an SEC championship.”
(Assess Gene Chizik's offensive and defensive coordinator hires)
“Being Auburn, being in the SEC and having won a national championship in 2010, there were a lot of people that were interested in coming to work here at Auburn. For him to be able to hire Brian VanGorder as the defensive coordinator, that was (Chizik’s) number one choice. When we started this process, we didn’t know that Brian was going to be an option. As we went through the process, we found out he would be. (Chizik) was able to get the number one guy he wanted to hire. Because of the professionalism of the Falcons and also of Auburn, we were able to get that done as soon as the Falcons’ season was over. Certainly, in hiring the offensive coordinator, Scot Loeffler, Gene interviewed several guys trying to find the right fit for Auburn, and I couldn’t be more pleased with a guy that’s termed by most as a rising star as an offensive coach. I’m certainly appreciative of Gus (Malzahn) and Ted (Roof), but we’re certainly excited about the future with Brian and Scot.”
(Any concern with how long the hires took?)
“I think the thing everybody is beginning to learn, that I knew about Gene, is that he’s thorough. He’s interested in what’s best for Auburn, not some skeptic’s timeline about when we should and shouldn’t hire somebody. The key to it is finding the best fit for these guys that play on the field, for this athletics department, for this university and for the Auburn family. That’s what he was able to do successfully.”
(Why doesn’t Chizik’s name come up more often in coaching searches?)
“In the business we’re in, it’s sometimes difficult to determine what people are thinking, who the right fit is for institutions. There’s no better job than one at Auburn, and then there’s no better job than working in the SEC. If you’re not at Auburn or you’re not in the SEC and neither of those come available, then you’re probably wanting to try to move in. But if you’re here, or in the SEC, why would you be interested in going anywhere else? We’re the most successful league in the nation across the board, but particularly what we’ve been able to do in this league in football.”
(Has AU truly put the Cam Newton saga behind it?)
“In the recruits and families I visited, it was never brought up. So yes, I feel like the nation has put that behind us. Certainly the NCAA has put it behind us. When it comes to recruiting in the SEC, it’s a tall forest. As we continue to move through recruiting, it’s obvious that, with our last few people we signed, we’ll probably end up with a top-10 recruiting class. So we’ve had two top-five recruiting classes, a top-10, and there’s still a couple people out there, so you don’t know how it’s going to end up. But the key is, when you measure those things, what’s most important to Gene and his coaching staff is getting the right Auburn men to be here.”
(How does seeing former AU players succeed in the NFL make you feel?)
“It makes you proud. That’s part of the family. That’s one of your teammates, your brothers, one of your children, whatever it may be, and you’re proud of that, just proud of their accomplishments. And glad that, in some way, maybe our football program played a small part in that. I feel like the Auburn family and the Auburn experience will impact them the rest of their lives, to grow them, having instilled in them the Auburn creed and the Auburn values. So as they continue to move forward in their life, they can be successful businesspeople, dads, husbands, community leaders, those things.”
(Do you favor an 8-game or 9-game SEC schedule?)
“My thoughts are eight games in the SEC, knowing we have a championship game, that’s enough. We’re the most competitive league in the nation, and playing those eight games has proven to be what is best for each institution and what is best for the SEC, if you gauge it by national championships won.”
(Status of Tony Barbee's men's basketball program?)
“I think Tony is getting his system implemented. It takes a little time. The thing that Auburn people, we all gauge our progress on is how competitive we are. To go to overtime on the road, to lose by 3 on the road, we’re getting that competitive edge and learning how to compete in this league. I think what we have going on with our men’s basketball team is right on schedule … well, it’s right on schedule for me. Tony, the reason I hired him, is because he’s almost as big a competitor as I am. He can’t stand to lose. We’re getting there. He continues to recruit the right guys, the right kind of guys. The intensity on the court is second to none. I’m very pleased at what he’s been able to accomplish so far this year. Certainly not where we want to end up. We have high hopes moving forward, but pleased at how our student-athletes are competing. And how Tony and his staff are leading this team.”
(How much has the Auburn Arena helped them?)
“We have five goals, and one of those is a professional, positive gameday experience. And certainly the arena brings that. When you have the crowds that we have and the arena we have, certainly that provides a home-court advantage. Also, one of our goals is financial success, and certainly selling the tickets we’re selling and having some games that are standing-room only tickets, has hit one of our financial goals as well. The arena has been a great asset, not only for the home-court advantage, but for a sense of pride for the Auburn family and for men’s and women’s basketball. And even for gymnastics. A couple Friday nights ago, we almost had a sellout for our women’s gymnastics meet (vs. Alabama). It’s the nicest arena in the Southeastern Conference. It is there for the fans to be comfortable. And certainly, when it comes to the competitive side, it provides a home-arena advantage.”
(Any concern with how long Barbee took to sign contract?)
“It was no issue at all with me or Tony. None whatsoever. We felt we had a strong letter of agreement. He knew Auburn’s commitment to him. We certainly knew his commitment to Auburn. I agree with Tony.”
(State of women’s basketball program)
“There is no better ambassador for Auburn than Nell Fortner. It doesn’t matter if it’s women’s basketball, women’s golf, football, whatever it may be. She is a great ambassador, positive always. She would say that she’s not in the least bit satisfied with where we are right now. But she’s lost a couple of players to injuries and transferring. But the quality of her student-athletes in the classroom and community are second-to-none, and they compete every Thursday and Sunday, whatever the schedule may be. She’s like Tony: She wants to win every game. But she’s got to continue to build this foundation and get this team back to the NCAA Tournament and winning the SEC, like we did three years ago.”
(If things don't turn around, could it cost Fortner her job?)
“I don’t get into hypotheticals. I have real things I have to do day-to-day, and I don’t have the luxury of talking about hypotheticals.”
(New facility improvements on the horizon)
“We are about to renovate the Watson Fieldhouse and make it a strength and conditioning center for our Olympic sports that are currently housed in (Beard-Eaves) Coliseum. That was approved at the Friday board meeting. Then, we’re moving forward with plans to move sports medicine, which is in the Coliseum, out. We haven’t decided where that’s going to go. We just got approval Friday to start talking to architects and figure out where we’re going to put it. And the other structure that is about to be underway is we’re building a dining hall in conjunction with this parking deck the university is building (outside the athletic complex). It’ll be a wellness kitchen, a dining facility for all students on campus. It will cater to students that have certain dietary needs. It is going to be a great addition to this campus. Student-athletes will eat there, but any students on campus that have certain dietary needs – whether it’s lactose intolerance, whether someone needs to gain weight, has an issue with diabetes – there will be a nutritionist there to help them plan a healthy meal plan for them day-in and day-out.”
(Any plans for Beard-Eaves?)
“Beard-Eaves is a university facility. Athletics is moving out. Kinesiology is still housed there, and the university is building Kinesiology a new facility. When Kinesiology is completely out of the Coliseum, then the president and the board will make a decision as to what is going to happen to the Coliseum.”
(How are things looking in the athletic department on the whole?)
“We have five goals, and we’ve been able to accomplish those five goals and those that aren’t complete yet, we’re on track to accomplish them. The first is winning. Certainly, with the football team going to a bowl game and the women’s soccer team winning its first SEC tournament championship, we’re on track again to be in the top 10 percent of all schools in the nation in the Director’s Cup, as far as winning. Financially, even in these tough economic times, we’ve been able to make our budgets. We don’t receive any state funding. All of ours is what we generate here in some form or fashion. From a compliance standpoint, we feel great about where we are from an attitude of compliance here. Graduating our student-athletes, we’ve had a Rhodes Scholar, a Rhodes Scholar finalist. In the past two years, we’ve had two winners of the SEC’s highest (academic) award, the H. Boyd McWhorter Award. And also the community service award, the Brad Davis Award. First school ever to have both men and women Boyd McWhorter Award winners. From an academic standpoint, very proud of our students and so appreciative of the professors and the deans on campus, their commitment to excellence. The fifth is our professional gameday experience. Going by the emails and letters we receive from visiting fans, our gameday experience is second-to-none in the nation. I feel like we’re on target again to achieve those goals. We have an unquenchable spirit of discontent. We don’t ever want to be satisfied. We’re striving to continue to improve on all five of our goals.”
