Who would replace Malzahn (merged threads again)

[AUsince72 11,084]

Just now, AUght2win said:

I agree. It'd be hard to give over the keys to CKS. I hope he stays as the resident DC as long as he wants, though. T-Will really excites me down the road. That guy IS Auburn. I'd love for him to become the face of the program.

I agree, as long as the next HC is open to CKS.  However, what I don't want (regardless of how much I love the defensive staff) is to hamstring the next HC by "making" him keep coaches he doesn't want.  That's what AU already appears to do too often.

As for T-Will.... I'd LOVE to one day hear the AD announce "Please welcome Auburn Head Coach Travis Williams!!!!!!"

*WILD APPLAUSE*

 

[Zeek 16,649]

I’m down with Brown, Clark, or Grass

[auburnphan 6,050]

Hi thread, I can't wait to see more of you when you get merged into the who replaces Gus (multiple merged thread)!!!!

[cctiger 571]

19 minutes ago, Zeek said:

I’m down with Brown, Clark, or Grass

I'd take either one of the 3 over what we have got now! Clark, Brown, Grass, in that order.

[lala 327]

Why the hades would anyone include Clay Helton..... I know because he was at AU.    Maybe we should think outside the box

[AUght2win 6,833]

11 minutes ago, lala said:

Why the hades would anyone include Clay Helton..... I know because he was at AU.    Maybe we should think outside the box

Never point out a problem without pitching a solution, cowboy. Let's see your list. 

[AUght2win 6,833]

33 minutes ago, auburnphan said:

Hi thread, I can't wait to see more of you when you get merged into the who replaces Gus (multiple merged thread)!!!!

Nah, I think this one is a bit different from the merged thread. This is talking about someone who fits Auburn's narrow standards. Talking about guys like Lane Kiffin is a waste of breath IMO.

[Zeek 16,649]

28 minutes ago, cctiger said:

I'd take either one of the 3 over what we have got now! Clark, Brown, Grass, in that order.

They have heart! 

[GwillMac6 20,670]

And this right here is why JABA is a real thing. We do not get out of our own way. The criteria for who we hire is not who is the best person. It should be who is going to win us the most games and recruit the best. I want a good football coach. If he is a good man on top of that then awesome. 

[AUght2win 6,833]

1 minute ago, GwillMac6 said:

And this right here is why JABA is a real thing. We do not get out of our own way. The criteria for who we hire is not who is the best person. It should be who is going to win us the most games and recruit the best. I want a good football coach. If he is a good man on top of that then awesome. 

Maybe it's virtually pro football to you, but not to me. The commonality between the worst people in society is a "win at all costs" mentality. Not saying that's you, or that you're a bad person. I'm just saying that is should matter what kind of man leads 18-22 year olds. It's not too much to ask for both. Dabo Swinney is both.

When we become like Alabama or Louisville (basketball) then I'll stop watching. Character matters. The representation of Auburn University matters.

[Swamp Eagle 5,134]

Give me Lane Kiffen, Neal Brown or Bill Clark, in no order. 

Or Hugh Freeze...

[GwillMac6 20,670]

1 minute ago, AUght2win said:

Maybe it's virtually pro football to you, but not to me. The commonality between the worst people in society is a "win at all costs" mentality. Not saying that's you, or that you're a bad person. I'm just saying that is should matter what kind of man leads 18-22 year olds. It's not too much to ask for both. Dabo Swinney is both.

When we become like Alabama or Louisville (basketball) then I'll stop watching. Character matters. The representation of Auburn University matters.

O am I def not a good person. I would lean to me being more of a bad person. Winning at all costs does not mean you have to hire Art Briles or hire  Hugh Freeze who was cheating his a$$ off at ole miss among other things. It just means hiring the best possible football coach we can REGARDLESS of if they will be in church every sunday morning and NOT hiring the same ol bible thumping hires we have made the last 2 hires. Pat Dye was not even remotely a saint and did not fit the criteria at all that you laid out above and look where that got us. Yah it ended poorly but we had our most dominant run of sustained success in our programs history something we desperately crave now. He is our best coach ever. The field is named after him and he had myriad of  issues off the field.

[bigbird 60,509]

1. Shane Beamer

2. Cale Gundy

3a. Josh Heupel

3b. Jeff Scott

4. Dave Aranda

5. Kevin Wilson

[AUght2win 6,833]

20 minutes ago, GwillMac6 said:

O am I def not a good person. I would lean to me being more of a bad person. Winning at all costs does not mean you have to hire Art Briles or hire  Hugh Freeze who was cheating his a$$ off at ole miss among other things. It just means hiring the best possible football coach we can REGARDLESS of if they will be in church every sunday morning and NOT hiring the same ol bible thumping hires we have made the last 2 hires. Pat Dye was not even remotely a saint and did not fit the criteria at all that you laid out above and look where that got us. Yah it ended poorly but we had our most dominant run of sustained success in our programs history something we desperately crave now. He is our best coach ever. The field is named after him and he had myriad of  issues off the field.

I agree we need to get the best guy for the job. We don't need a saint either, but they do have to be good men and they do have to get what Auburn is all about. If they aren't, it IS a non-starter. I think people have this belief that if a man's character is questionable, they somehow make a better coach. Like they have more edge or something. That could be true with the likes of Woody Hayes or Bob Knight. But John Wooden was a saint. Lou Holtz was a decent guy. Chris Petersen at Washington is a good man. Bill Snyder at K State. Coach K at Duke. Swinney at Clemson. 

It is possible for Auburn to find a good man and a great coach all in one. 

[provibe 261]

I think Clark, Glass or Brown would be excellent candidates. I like the idea of looking at someone who has been a head coach. As stated before, I like what Mark Stoops has done at Kentucky and believe he could do the job at Auburn. I probably stayed on the Gus bus as long as anybody because I wanted the stability and really thought he could grow into a great coach, but I am done and ready to move on!

[AUght2win 6,833]

27 minutes ago, GwillMac6 said:

O am I def not a good person. I would lean to me being more of a bad person. Winning at all costs does not mean you have to hire Art Briles or hire  Hugh Freeze who was cheating his a$$ off at ole miss among other things. It just means hiring the best possible football coach we can REGARDLESS of if they will be in church every sunday morning and NOT hiring the same ol bible thumping hires we have made the last 2 hires. Pat Dye was not even remotely a saint and did not fit the criteria at all that you laid out above and look where that got us. Yah it ended poorly but we had our most dominant run of sustained success in our programs history something we desperately crave now. He is our best coach ever. The field is named after him and he had myriad of  issues off the field.

And idk man, some old timers may want to fight you for saying Dye was the Orange & Blue GOAT. Shug didn't mess around.

[AUght2win 6,833]

Just now, provibe said:

I think Clark, Glass or Brown would be excellent candidates. I like the idea of looking at someone who has been a head coach. As stated before, I like what Mark Stoops has done at Kentucky and believe he could do the job at Auburn. I probably stayed on the Gus bus as long as anybody because I wanted the stability and really thought he could grow into a great coach, but I am done and ready to move on!

Mark Stoops would be a solid hire!!!

[Gowebb11 9,314]

2 hours ago, AUght2win said:

Like it or not, when Auburn University looks for a head football coach they have a unique standard.

First, I appreciate the approach of your post. I agree that so much more needs to be considered for someone who becomes the face of your program. That said, I’m always hesitant to assume we are unique in our standard. This won’t be popular, but outside of our fan base, I dont know too many fans of other power programs that correlate Auburn football with impeccable standards. We’ve had more than our share of issues with coaches and players, and the NCAA has come knocking on more than a couple of occasions. Coach Dye had plenty of  personal flaws, but I’ve known a lot of his players through the years and he turned out some fine young men. I agree with you about Petrino but what disqualifies Kiffin from being considered? In his 3 years at Bama and last 2 at FAU, what has he done that reflects bad behavior? Maybe its time the powers that be lessen their judgment and think of it with a more open mind. 

That said, I want someone that is inspirational with players and fans, relentless as a recruiter, and alpha on gameday. From your list, I like Neal Brown because he wins big vs bigger opponents, Bill Clark because he has had to rebuild a program from scratch (which requires a tremendous vision and strategic mindset), and Clay Helton because he wins on the big stage, recruits great, and his teams are well conditioned and disciplined. 

[Gowebb11 9,314]

12 minutes ago, bigbird said:

1. Shane Beamer

2. Cale Gundy

3a. Josh Heuple

3b. Jeff Scott

4. Dave Aranda

5. Kevin Wilson

Welcome back @bigbird I agree on Heupel and Aranda. Not sure about Wilson as a HC, but I think he is a big time OC. 

[lala 327]

1 hour ago, AUght2win said:

Never point out a problem without pitching a solution, cowboy. Let's see your list. 

The solution is not having Helton.   Just saying that is traditional AU thinking that has to change.  

It dis with the AD and we can only hope it does in football as well.  

[Gowebb11 9,314]

13 minutes ago, AUght2win said:

I think people have this belief that if a man's character is questionable, they somehow make a better coach. 

I like your points and am loving this thread. There’s a flip side to your point quoted above though. There are some people who equate character with not cussing on the sideline or not downing a beer or two. There are a lot of ways to fail young men as a coach, and one of them is to fail to help them reach their potential by not demanding the highest standards of them. There is a lot of that going on at AU right now. 

[aucanucktiger 1,791]

2 hours ago, AUght2win said:

Like it or not, when Auburn University looks for a head football coach they have a unique standard. At Auburn, you have to embody the University's ethos to a degree. I think this is what most universities used to do back when the sport was about shaping young men and not entirely about money. I, personally, like it. I believe the head coach should be an ambassador for the university and a representative of its values. But that's here nor there.

Love or Hate Tubberville, Chizik, and Gus as coaches, they all embody what it means to be good, Auburn men. This means being blue collar, tough, fearless, Southern, and traditional. That's why guys like Petrino, Kiffin, and Leach would never seriously be considered to coach at Auburn by the powers that be. 

This isn't a discussion of whether or not the criteria should be used. This is a question of, within that criteria, what coaches would want for the Auburn job if it came open after the season?

My picks in no particular order:

• Neal Brown, Troy (HC Record: 30-15): The guy is young (38) , but resurrected Troy. He runs a wide open spread offense that he could easily plug in with our current talent.
• Bill Clark, UAB (HC Record: 30-16): So impressed with what he's done in his short career. Making UAB relevant is a miracle in and of itself, but in the face of the program shut-down? Insane. He's an Alabamian through and through. In his 30 year career, he's never had a job outside the state. I think he could be special.
• Clay Helton, USC (HC Record: 31-12): He's an Auburn guy who's done well at a big-time program left in big-time chaos. They should again win the Pac 12 South, making it 2 years in a row. They are the defending overall Pac 12 Champs.
• Brent Venables, DC Clemson: No need to dig into the resume. The guy knows how to win and recruit for a Southern powerhouse.
• Kevin Steele, DC Auburn: He was a disaster as a head coach in his only stint at Baylor. But that was 15 years ago. At Baylor, back when they were truly Baylor. He's learned from the best since then. He is 60, though.
• Jeff Brohm, HC Purdue (HC Record 40-19): The guy is winning in a tough job at Purdue, and has a southern football background. Still an unproven.
• John Grass, Jacksonville State (HC Record: 47-9): Dude has never lost a conference game in 4 years at Jack State. 34-0! Has won 4 straight conference titles. Almost beat us in JHS a few years back. 

Other guys who would qualify, but are too green: Travaris Robinson DC South Carolina, T-Will LB Coach, Auburn, Brian Bohannon HC Kennesaw State.

I know there are more out there. Name yours!

IMHO this is a REALLY astute post - one of the best we have seen on this board since the torches & pitch forks were grabbed this week and this forum basically turned into the childrens' hour/Al.com.

[AuburnEagle79 2,165]

Bohannon runs the flexbone. While I'd love for Nick Saban to have to figure out how to stop that, we'd never hire him. 

[AuburnEagle79 2,165]

I think the most logical choices are the three local coaches. Brown, Grass, and Clark. 

[ValleyTiger 2,894]

No offense OP, but your list sucks outside of Brahms and Venables.