BHDAU1

Same here. Kiffin actually has a winning percentage as a college head coach that is 1% less than Malzhan's (66% to 67%). If you factor in his time as a head coach in the NFL his lifetime winning percentage falls to 60%! These were figures that I came up with before the last two losses. I had rounded up Kiffin's win percentage from 65.6 % to 66%, I would imagine now it is 65%. To be fair, I am going to go figure Freeze's win % as a head coach now to see where it compares. With a quick search it was found that Freeze's winning percentage as a college head coach is 66%. If you add the bowl games in that percentage rises to 67% as he is 6 and 2 in bowl games.

Come on you don't really believe that do you? Specifically your comment that Auburn is the least desirable program in the SEC outside of Vandy? Admittedly, the program has been in a bad place for the last few years, but the school itself, the beautiful campus, the incredible football facilities, the money available to the program, and the traditions here keep Auburn in the top half of head coaching destinations. Auburn just paid a ridiculous buy-out to fire a guy like it was nothing, while that is a negative in one respect, in another it shows how much the school and alumni care about success and winning. If I am a coach with a ton of confidence in myself, that would be an attractive job to me. I also don't believe Kiffin turned AU down, I think AU told him that they were no longer interested. That is likely something we will never know for sure.

Where did I say it was a "big step up" buddy? I'm just stating that Kiffin has lost 3 in a row and to offer him 12 million a year at this point would look really bad. There is no arguing that if you are being reasonable. I would imagine that Hiring Freeze at a FRACTION of that price suddenly doesn't look like such a bad alternative to the PTB. I don't really have a favorite yet myself, I want to see how the Iron Bowl turns out. If Caddy can win this Iron Bowl it would instantly make him a much more viable candidate IMO, and I would think the decision-makers at AU would have to get together to discuss it further. Just my .02 cents..

Tuberville's Ole Miss team had not been ranked 11th in the country and then proceeded to lose 4 of the last 5 games prior to him being hired. That was really not good and in my opinion, sealed the deal on Auburn NOT hiring Kiffin. I think prior to that he was absolutely the guy Auburn was going after 100%.

IMO, Kiffin losing these last three games in a row ended his chances of being Auburn's head coach. That was NOT a good look for Kiffin, nor would it have been a good look for Auburn to hire a guy that just lost three games in a row, two of which should have been easy wins, and paying him ridiculous stupid money to boot. I think we just dodged a bullet, but Im probably in the minority.

I would not be opposed to hiring Freeze based off of his past personal indiscretions which he has paid the price for. Everyone deserves a second chance within reason, we are not talking murder or a violent crime here because that would be a different story. He was not charged with any crime by any state or federal agency. In fact, out of the 8 total level 1 violations they charged Ole Miss with, 4 of those were under Nutt, and 3 more were related directly to Laremy Tunsil and a booster with 0 involvement from Freeze's staff. The 8th is the only one under Freeze's watch that he was technically responsible for, and the violation was between the TE coach/recruiting coordinator having contact with a booster who provided $2000 total in inducements to 4 total recruits in 2013. If you read the NCAA report and particularly the NCAA's explanation of what penalties were levied on Freeze and why, you will find that the Committee on Infractions found that Freeze HAD instituted a structure of compliance around his program that was substantial. Other mitigating factors were ZERO history of infractions, his quick admission of responsibility, and his full cooperation with the NCAA, Ultimately, it was his failure to monitor better that got him in trouble. I think he could be a great hire, and I would expect him to be exceedingly careful not to break any rules b/c of his experience. Freeze would certainly have a lot to prove to Auburn, the SEC, and the NCAA which should add to the motivation. Others have also said this, but just look at Bruce Pearl and what he has done with his second chance. He has made Auburn a top 25 basketball program, if not top 10 or 15. I'm not saying Freeze can replicate what Coach Pearl has done, but Freeze has proven to be a pretty good head coach with a winning record.

Wow, watching that 2002 game brings back so many memories. I was a student then and it was party time after that one! Watching how that team played really contrasts with what Auburn has been for the last few years (up until the last few games that is). The really good teams under Tuberville all had a lot of things in common, an offense based off the basic I-Formation along with variations of it where the QB would swap from being under center into the shotgun. The O line was usually made up of upperclassmen that had some game experience but were mostly reserves as underclassmen, the RBs were usually big time recruits that had a couple years of experience, and the WRs recruited were usually 6 feet tall or taller. If you look back at the recruiting classes they were generally ranked in the teens nationally with one or two in top ten and a couple in the low 20s. There were usually 4 to 5 4-star guys and the rest were mainly 3 star ranked guys. I just kinda went thru them on a site that has them listed out and what their star rating was out of high school. It is amazing how many of the guys that were 3-star recruits ended up having good NFL careers versus how many 4 and 5 star guys that ended up in the NFL. That was because Tuberville and his staff coached these guys up and molded them into very good players. Whoever ends up getting the HC job at Auburn, I sure hope they can coach 'em up like Tuberville did.

I like that there at least seems to be some hope and belief that Auburn does have a chance in this game, even if it is small one. That most likely would not have been the case if any of us were asked 3 or 4 weeks ago. It seems like everyone agrees that if Auburn does pull out a win, it won't be because Auburn's offense caused a bunch of confusion within Bama's defense, or AU out-schemed them with new plays and formations. If they win the game it will be b/c Auburn played the most basic offense you can play with 100% effort the entire game, won the time of possession battle by a very large margin, won the turnover battle by +1 or more, and Auburn's defense had their best game of the season, getting consistent pressure on Bryce and getting them off the field quickly. All 11 guys on Auburn's defense will need to run to the ball every single play. Each Auburn defender needs to assume that all 10 of their teammates are going to miss the tackle, and they need to take the right angle to intercept the ball carrier. It is definitely going to be a monumental task for this team, but I think they have the ability to pull it off with the momentum they have built with Caddy as HC.

I'm sorry man but I think your entire post is ridiculous. How old are you? Ole Miss "caught up" with the times long ago buddy. Calling the school or town that it is in racist is "wildly openly stupid". 25% of Ole Miss's student population consists of minorities versus just 16% at Auburn. Even more interesting is that despite having a hair under 10,000 less students than Auburn in total, Ole Miss has more total black students at 2,686 versus Auburn's 1,624 total black students. Those two figures alone should tell you that you are wrong. Just because one person at one business has an antique Sambo-style picture hung-up in a bar does not mean that the school or town is racist. And finally, just what exactly would you prefer that the male students wear? Huge sweat pants or gym shorts falling off their butt and an oversized baggy t-shirt? Generally kids from the middle class and up wear pretty simple traditional casual clothes in whatever fit and style that is popular at the time because they want to look nice. Khaki shorts above the knee and Polo type shirts have been popular since the mid-1970's and there is nothing wrong with that at all.

You are right about the pressure. Keep him off the field as long as we possibly can with long time-grinding drives and when on defense actually get some effective pressure on him. Sacks would be great but just making him rush throws might be good enough. AU's DB's have stepped it up a little these last few games. Yes, they have had some very bad busts in coverage as well, but I like that we seem to be playing much tighter coverage than what they were doing before. It would drive me absolutely crazy watching 3rd down conversion after 3rd down conversion when the opponent needed 5 to 8 yards and our DB's were being made to play 10 yards off of the LOS. In regards to your comments on Robby, I have often wondered what would happen if Robby was told to quit worrying about your throwing mechanics and feet placement on any pass play designed for 15 yards or less and just sling the damn ball like you did in HS. While it might cause issues on longer passes (which are already bad anyway), it might just help him just get the damn ball out in-time and in the proper spot. Nick Marshall is a prime example of this methodology. No one gave a damn about what the pass looked like, just that it got to the man it was sup to go to. When he first came in they tried to change his throwing motion and footwork from how he played in high school. The result was a 50% completion rate. Once they let him throw how he wanted to throw the completion rate went up every single month from 50% in August to 64% in November. Maybe that would make a difference in this case too. Look at his junior year high school highlights. Where did that arm go?

It really is sickening how bad it's gotten at this point. I am not saying that this is flat-out not true, because I have no idea whether it is or isn't. What I do know is that as far as this "breaking story" goes, we have a reporter telling us that his unnamed "sources" have reported this to him, sources that are not named nor described in any way. Are they sources inside the Auburn program? Ole Miss program? Are they a group of Ole Miss fans at the local bar off campus? Are the sources his two best friends in Idaho? Anyone in the media could start this rumor now for any number of reasons, the most likely of which is to get as many views/hits as possible, to gain notoriety/recognition, and to gain more credibility should the prediction come true. By not naming any sources nor describing what or where the sources are, should this not occur on that Friday but on a later date this guy could easily walk it back. He could come back afterward and just say well my sources were wrong about the time frame but right about Kiffin to AU, or better yet, due to the leaking of this very information that he published, the parties involved have changed their plans as a direct result of this story! Oh well, I guess we will all just have to see how this whole thing plays out and hope for the best.

Who knows what is true anymore with the media. Anyone can say damn near anything they want, true or not, with absolutely 0 repercussions or accountability. I think we all saw enough of that prior to the midterm elections with people just flat-out lying saying our government was ending if you voted a certain way and no one said sh*t about it! You just get enough people to repeat it publicly and all of a sudden it is taken as fact. The members above discussing what the strategic purpose would be of leaking this have the right idea. It's pretty tough to come up with any reasons why either school's athletic department would want this leaked to the public at this point, none of which are very likely.

You are NOT alone. I have quite a few reservations about hiring him, chief among them being why do so many people think he is such a great coach? There really isn't a lot of evidence of that is there? I mean is it not a little unnerving that Gus Malzhan has a better winning percentage than Kiffin as a college head coach? (Gus 68%/Kiffin 66%). If you count his games as an NFL head coach that percentage drops down to 60%! If you look at his recruiting it really isn't exceptional either, only his success getting transfer portal guys is noteworthy. I will say that personality-wise he seems to have matured and is much more subdued and responsible for what comes out of his mouth. There is no denying that these last two losses are not a good look for him from any perspective, and if in fact Auburn has already gotten him to agree to a contract in secret, I pray that he leaves Ole Miss in a respectful and positive way. With ALL of that said, (LOL) I'm not on the Lane train just yet, nor am I against getting on it if I do a little more research and like what I find. I also still stand by my opinion that if Auburn has no intention of hiring Caddy as head coach (and I would understand that, given he has no experience), that they absolutely make it a requirement that the new coach retain him as an assistant coach or position coach or both. Coach Caddy deserves that at a minimum after he almost single-handedly turned all of the negative media coverage AU was getting into the most positive coverage we have had nationally in years! That post-game coverage by the SEC Network after the Texas A&M game was absolutely priceless for AU's overall image. It changed the national perception of the health and direction of the program, as well as the perception of how attractive the head coaching job is here. This amazing display of support by the fans for an Auburn team with a losing record will not be forgotten by potential recruits, whether they were there in-person or watching on TV. It was absolutely a minor miracle that Caddy and his coaches were able to turn this team around 180 degrees in one week's time prior to the Miss. St. game, and more importantly they have kept it together as one team with a common purpose and goal. This Auburn team has become a team that the entire Auburn Family can proud of, a team that has fought their hearts out and left it all on the field for the name across their chest, the players beside them, and their coach that they truly believe in and trust. This is what brought back tens of thousands of fans who had given up going to the games or even watching them on TV.

LOL, Yeah I figured I would get some of that. Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but I just have a feeling that everything is lining up in a certain way for these guys to do something really special for themselves, the coaches, and Auburn University. Maybe Coach Caddy can get them to harness all the frustration, anger, negativity, and disappointment that they have experienced these last two years and use as fuel to play the best game they have played all year and do something that hasn't been done in 12 years.

Count me in as someone who honestly thinks that Auburn has a better than normal chance of beating Alabama. If I were laying odds on it I would say 45/55 that they can win, still most definitely an underdog but not as much as most pundits think they are. The Auburn team is highly motivated and much more confident than they were just a few weeks ago. I don't think that any of the starters think they have no chance, also a huge 180 from what it looked like before the Miss St game. With that said, Auburn's entire hopes ride on the offensive line and winning the time of possession battle by a significant margin IMO. If the AU offensive line can consistently generate even just a little push on Bama's D-line for the full 4 quarters we will have a chance. They don't need to knock them backward, just generate at-worst a stalemate north and south, but win the directional push east to west consistently. Make a little hole and let the pulling guard/tackle, the fullback, or the tight end clean-up the Bama LB/DE/DB filling the gap and the 1-2 punch of Tank and Jarquez should be able to keep the sticks moving and keep the ball out the hands of Bama's offense. We will probably need between 28 and 31 points to win along with a time of possession 10 to 20 minutes higher than Bama's. If the AU offense can put together a bunch of slow, grinding drives of 7 to 15 plays that eat up the clock, the pressure to score points is reduced and the Auburn defense stays much fresher. I'm talking drives like we used to see under Tuberville, when there were times that Auburn had the ball for 11 to 12 mins out of the 15 minutes total, to times where Auburn would have the ball literally an entire quarter! Unless Bama gets up more than 1 score on Auburn early, Robby needs to wait to the last few seconds of the play clock to snap it each and every play. We don't have the deep rotation that Alabama has on defense, and the drop from 1st to 2nd string guys at AU is much greater. Keeping the 1st string guys from getting worn-out and badly winded is vital. Two more things Auburn will likely have to do to have any chance of winning the game are limit turnovers to 1 or less, and our QB will need to hit 60% or better of what few passes he is asked to throw. I see Coach Caddy running a few easy-to-complete screens and wheel passes to the RB or Slot WR to try, a few slightly more challenging 7 to 15 yard passes to the TE over the middle or to one of the WRs on the edges, and maybe one or two much more difficult deep balls if both Robby is doing well AND Bama just completely sells out and stacks everyone in the box to stop the run. If Robby can't complete 60% or better of these and eliminate the missed passes to wide-open guys that are easy TD's (that we have seen at least once a game for the last 3 games), than Auburn's chance to win drops dramatically. That's my .02 cents, I would really like to hear what other people on this board think our chances are.

I apologize for the long post in advance, I always have too much to say it seems! Assuming Caddy is not hired as the next head coach at Auburn, I see absolutely nothing wrong with Auburn putting a non-negotiable clause in the new head coach's contract that requires Coach Caddy to be retained. This would need to specify that his salary and position on the staff has to be equal-to or better-than what he got under Harsin, and this requirement should be communicated to each and every one of the serious contenders for the job from the very start! You have to keep in mind that this particular situation is more unique than most, as the interim head coach is a native Alabamian and Auburn graduate that is very beloved across most of the entire state of Alabama and large portions of Florida from his time as a Buc. Carnell "Cadillac" Williams is a highly-accomplished former student-athlete at Auburn, universally considered among the top 3 running backs to EVER wear an Auburn jersey and an Auburn Football record holder many times over. His Auburn statistics and records are pretty incredible, particularly so when you consider that he missed almost half of BOTH of his first two years at Auburn in 2001 and 2002 due to season-ending injuries, and then had to share the backfield when he came back in 2003 with another top-5 NFL draft pick in RB Ronnie Brown AND another future NFL draft pick in RB Brandon Jacobs. Caddy was an integral part of the undefeated 2004 team that should have played for a national championship, a year in which he was both a first team All-American AND 1st Team All-SEC. Coach Caddy currently ranks as the #1 all-time leader in rushing touchdowns at Auburn as well as #1 in career rushing attempts, #1 in number of plays from scrimmage, and #2 all-time in both career rushing yards and career total yards from the line of scrimmage behind only Bo Jackson! In addition to the numerous records he holds, Coach Caddy is considered a true Christian and "Auburn Man" by virtually everyone at Auburn that knows him, he is an Auburn graduate, a former top-5 draft pick, a former NFL player who won "Rookie of The Year" in the first year of his 7 year career in the NFL, and a man that has rightfully earned a reputation as a superb RB coach, a players' coach that is loved by his team, and one of the best recruiters of talent in the SEC in just 4 short years since he was hired as part of Gus Malzhan's staff 2019. This guy was already a VERY important and valuable man for both the football program AND the entire university in many ways even BEFORE he was the RB coach or the interim head coach. Carnell has further increased his importance and value to Auburn many times over in just the last 3 weeks alone. You could very easily argue that naming him the interim head coach 3 weeks ago has completely changed the national narrative about both the Auburn football program and Auburn University. The near-constant negative press that the Auburn Football Program has been getting for the last 4 or 5 years has almost completely stopped, and we are now seeing quite a few local, regional, and national news stories and editorials that are very positive about both Coach Caddy and the Auburn Football program as a whole. You don't have to have a great memory to remember the countless negative things that have been said and written about this program on the TV, radio, and internet. When Gus Malzhan was fired, the vast majority of sportswriters across the country labeled the Auburn Head Football Coach job as a terrible place to coach football, where good coaches are shown little patience then chewed up and spit-out , where un-named rich and powerful boosters like to meddle and cause conflict within the program, where the fans are unrealistic in their expectations, and a program where it is impossible to win consistently because it shares the state with Alabama and it is in close proximity to UGA. I have not seen anyone saying those very negative things about the job thus-far, rather most of the stories I have read are very positive and are most certainly a result of the amazing coverage Auburn football received on Saturday by the SEC network. Most pundits are now calling it a top destination for coaches, where everything you need to build a program that can compete for conference and national championships on a yearly basis is already in-place and the position comes with a huge salary to match these huge expectations. Just as whoever is hired will have some non-negotiable clauses added to the contract for things that they require, Auburn is just as free to have specific requirements put in the contract as well. This can be anything for either side, ranging from important things like compensation, term length, performance clauses that trigger additional compensation, buyout terms, and staff salary requirements, to smaller insignificant stuff like dedicated parking spots and memberships at local country clubs and golf courses, etc. I don't think having a "Caddy-clause" in the head coaching contract at Auburn will scare off any of the coaches rumored to be in consideration. Honestly, given everything that Coach Caddy means to Auburn Football and the Auburn family (which I have thoroughly laid out above....LOL), we should not even consider any head coach candidate that has a problem with keeping Caddy on staff to some degree.

Like others have said, I guess it depends on how you define a big game. I myself don't quite understand why so many Auburn fans want to hire Lane Kiffin. I've seen youtube videos, heard podcasts, and read comments where a number of people have called him a "top 10" coach, and even one guy calling him a possible top 5 college coach! They were not talking about his position on Auburn's list of candidates but stating where they thought he ranked among all college coaches today. What exactly makes Lane Kiffin a "top 5" or "top 10" coach" He has won just 60% of his games as a head coach in college and the NFL. His record is 90 wins out of 149 games overall. If you only consider his win percentage as a college head coach it climbs to 66%. Lane Kiffin has won 85 games out of a total of 129 games as a college head coach. Take a guess at who also has won 66% of his games just as Auburn's head coach.... Gus Malzhan won 68 games out of 103 as head coach at Auburn for a winning percentage of 66%, and that win percentage climbs to 68% for his career as a college head coach. His record is 94 wins in 138 total games as of today. I'm not saying that I am against Auburn hiring Kiffin but to call him a top 10 coach is a stretch, and calling him a top 5 coach is just not close to realistic by any metric. Hugh Freeze, for example, has won .67% of his games as a college head coach with an overall record of 83 wins in 124 games. Do these people also consider Gus Malzhan and Hugh Freeze top 10 coaches? A lot of people talk about Kiffin being a great recruiter too but the numbers don't really show that at Ole Miss thus far. As far as within the SEC his class have ranked 12th in 2020, 6th in 2021, 11th in 2022, and sits at 9th for 2023. During that same span from 2020 to 2023 Auburns recruiting classes have ranked 5th in 2020, 8th in 2021, 6th in 2022, and sits at 11th for 2023.

IMO, they had better make him part of the deal with whomever is hired as the new head coach. I don't see any way that it could be seen as a negative by the media, fans, or new head coach given what a tremendous asset he is to the program. He has given Auburn the best press and publicity it has had in the last 4 or 5 years these last three weeks, and I suspect it will continue that way till the end of the season. He single-handedly brought tens of thousands of fans BACK to the stadium this last weekend and many times more than that back to the TV to watch the game. The entire game was an endorsement for Auburn and the people there, and the extended post-game coverage was absolutely priceless for the image of Auburn Football. Numerous teammates from his years here as player and his years in the NFL showed up in-person to support both Coach Caddy and the program. I'm 100% convinced that Coach Caddy was the only man in the program that could have pulled that off. Despite it being considered a lost season by most fans with multiple embarrassing losses on national TV, a large number of players leaving the program before and during the season, a losing record that should be even worse, a completely disconnected coaching staff, a huge decline in fan support and game attendance, and a team full of what seemed to be apathetic players who were just going thru the motions, Coach Caddy made the decision that he was going to do literally everything he could to turn the entire thing around for the last 4 games of the season. It really is a minor miracle given how bad everything was. For the very first time this year the Auburn football team is playing their hearts out as one team, giving 100% effort and fighting for each other and the Auburn family. That is plain to see for anyone paying attention. Coach Carnell "Caddy" Williams exploits as a player at Auburn and as a professional in the NFL give him unquestionable credibility with the players and potential recruits, and his actions as the interim head coach have proven him to be a true Auburn man thru and thru. It would be criminally stupid not to keep him on staff, assuming he wants to stay.

Again, I would think that should he win the next two games, or even win one of the two but be in the Alabama game with a chance to win at the end, that he should get serious consideration. Really think about the dumpster fire he was shoved into that was Auburn football 3 weeks ago, from the top all the way down to the team itself, which played all season with less than full effort often, with little to no heart, and with no sense of togetherness. For Coach Caddy to turn that around and within two weeks time get everyone to buy all-in like he has, with everyone on the team all seemingly working towards a common goal together with heart and maximum effort, that is a small miracle in itself. Look at the fan and alumni support he had turn out at this game between two teams with losing records, both with a lot of losses that were downright embarrassing. He made this a sell-out game that had no business being a sell-out, bringing back literally tens of thousands of fans to both the stadium and to the TV who had already given up on the season and who were apathetic at BEST. Hell, I was one of them! I wasn't even watching the games on TV anymore, just recording them in the slim hope they would win and could watch it without feeling embarrassed for Auburn, a school I love and where I spent 5 of some of the best years of my life thus far. When you think about it that way, I'm not sure anyone else on earth could have made that happen but him. I know a lot of you think it stupid to even consider him for head coach due to his total lack of experience, and I can't argue with that. It is true it would be a VERY risky hire for any one of a number of logical reasons. He would absolutely be learning on-the-job at a big-time traditional football school in one of the hardest conferences in the U.S. to win consistently in. It would be a monumental task for anyone really. Do I think he could do it? I am going to see how the rest of the season and recruiting plays out but I think there is a really good chance that he could do it, as long as he gets the perfect staff around him.

The game last night was really special. Despite all the negative stuff that has happened, the bad record, the bad losses that make up that record, the constant negative press that Auburn has had for the last 2 or 3 years, despite ALL of that, the Auburn family came together and believed in the team and the coach, and the team played their hearts out for each other and for the Auburn name across their jerseys. It was evident even thru the TV screen that Auburn is a special place, and the great TV coverage we got of that love, excitement, and togetherness did more for Auburn's image in the conference and on the national scene in one night than anything in the last 8 years! The SEC network knew it and kept the footage rolling log after the game was over, and for the first time this season we can ALL be extremely proud of our program.

While I do not think he gets retained as Head Coach next year whoever IS hired as Head Coach would be an absolute MORON not to hire Coach Caddy for a prominent and important role in their staff. Not only has Caddy already proven to be an excellent recruiter, RB coach, and motivator of young men, but he has proven that he TRULY loves Auburn, the students and fans, the traditions we hold dear, the pride we have in our sports programs, and the principles which we are supposed to always live by. He can easily bond with any young men in the program and particularly the young black men, no matter what their upbringing, that make up a big percentage of our team and bring the best out of all of them. As one of the more recent all-time greats at AU, an Auburn graduate, a top 5 draft pick, and as a player with 7 years of experience in the NFL, he has immense credibility with both the players and recruits. The bottom line is he is exactly the kind of coach we need at Auburn, whatever the title. IMO if we win out and beat Alabama I wouldn't be mad if he was hired as head coach, with the only requirement made of him that he hire the best and most experienced OC and DC that we can possibly get. That would have to happen anyway for both Auburn and Coach Caddy to have a chance of long term success as he would be learning on the job. I think he could do it, I mean football has been this guy's entire life, I'm sure he has picked up enough of it throughout his college and NFL career to coach a team. He would just need a lot of experienced guys around him to help him learn how to be a head coach, speak with the media, and delegate responsibility.

This Auburn team is going to very good a month from now. They are just working out how to play together right now with the new line-ups being put into the game. Broome is injured and according to Coach Pearl not able to jump off of his left ankle. That would be a big problem for anyone, and much more so for a big man playing inside. They shot the ball terribly and had a lot of unforced turnovers but still managed to win the game against a team that played very hard and has some talent and size in USF. I think if we can get Jaylin more involved somehow offensively that will make a big difference as well. He is just a tiny bit away from knocking down the 3s he is taking, and if he gains a little more confidence with his mid-range shooting watch out as I think he is good for 6 to 8 points a game in that area. All in all a good 2nd game for a team that is finding a completely new identity from last year.

Maxcohen, You are right about the interview, he definitely needs to be more articulate when speaking to the media. BUT, with that said, that is something I think he would have no problem doing. Auburn University should be able to help him with that fairly easily I would think. In 6 weeks he could speak with a British accent if necessary. I am of the opinion that if Coach Williams can keep this team together, make them show growth, and win a couple of games that I would not be mad if Auburn hired him. I mean honestly, I was at the point of not even watching the games anymore after being a die hard fan for the last 27 years AND as an 2003 Auburn graduate. Auburn football hit its lowest point I can remember this year, at least for me, and there is no one available that I am really sold on for head coach. I think he would have to go thru the interview process and present a cohesive plan for rebuilding the team and have two very experienced and successful coordinators 100% already lined up to come if he is hired. I think having a proven offensive and defensive coordinator coming on board with him would be a requirement. If he can do that then hire him on a short-term basis, 2 or 3 year contract with little to no buy-out. Give him a good salary and most importantly give him whatever money he needs to hire his staff. Worst case scenario he does great recruiting and wins more than Harsin but not good enough to remain head coach, and Auburn lines up a big name coach to replace him after a couple of years. Best case scenario he recruits really well, fields a team that plays its heart out, and Auburn gets better every year as he becomes a better coach. Maybe as soon as year 4 or 5 Auburn is in the running for the SEC title and either playoff or meaningful bowl game.

I don't understand why so many people want Sanders, if we are going to hire someone with very little or no experience as a head coach I would choose Caddy over Deion. Ive always thought of Sanders as a huge primadonna. Just earlier this year Deion had a hissy fit and stormed out of a press conference because a couple of reporters called him Deion rather than Coach Sanders. Comparing himself to Nick Saban, he said the press never calls Nick Saban "Nick" when addressing him and he won't have it either. To which at least of a couple members of the press informed him that Nick Saban is called Nick regularly during interviews and press conferences. That doesn't sound like Auburn coach material to me.

Sorry to be a debbie downer but just what exactly is anyone using as proof that Deion Sanders can be a successful head coach in college football at any level, much less the SEC?? His whole 2 years at Jackson State, or the 4 or 5 years of high school coaching experience he accumulated (not all of it as even a head coach)??? Sorry, but making that leap of faith would be a massive mistake. Just b/c he was a good player doesn't mean crap in regards to being a good head coach. In fact, the VAST majority of successful head coaches in both college and the NFL were NOT star players and in many cases rode the bench their entire careers. The small number of guys that did play who ended up being very successful coaches were mostly QB's in their college days. I think to be a consistently successful coach in Division 1 big-time football these days you have to be extremely smart with a tightly-focused and highly-driven work ethic. In addition to those two qualities, the coach has to be likable and able to relate to the kids coming into the program, while at the same time demanding a high level of respect from them. The other side of it is that the coach should have a strong coaching background, having coached at different levels and at different schools, having been everything from an assistant to a head coach, and preferably spent time at some point coaching under what we consider a great coach already. I think if AU sticks to those requirements they have a great chance of turning the program around quickly.