Strychnine

So, he went for it on 4th and goal from the 16, instead of taking the field goal? Definitely sounds consistent.

Tuberville was 12-20 in SEC play at Ole Miss, then went on to 49-29 at Auburn. The three coaches between Tuberville and Freeze went 25-23, 3-21, and 10-22. The fellow that went 3-21, later went 15-0 for a playoff win at LSU. 19-21 in SEC play is not bad at all, at Ole Miss. I am not suggesting that you should be excited about the hire, and I am not excited about it myself, but I can get behind it long enough to see how it goes.

It would not surprise me if were a 100 page contract, and 98 pages cover moral turpitude.

While that could obviously be complete nonsense, it would be frighteningly sad, if true. That would mean several people probably got together, realized just how bad of an idea it was, and looked to a PR firm for damage control. If you need to consider damage control, before a hiring is even announced, that is beyond a huge red flag. It is a flashing neon red billboard, the size of a skyscraper.

For that matter, he was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. Wisconsin makes a lot more sense for him, as he waits for an opportunity to go back to Ohio State.

There are 131 programs in FBS football. Of those, the list of programs that have won national championships in the last 20 years is pretty short, yet Auburn is one of them, and they played for another. Auburn is an amazing job, as they will pay top money for results, and they will even pay great money to make someone not coach anymore. Auburn is a destination job, as coaches rarely leave Auburn for greener pastures. Greener pastures for an Auburn coach are very rare, as Auburn will beat any offer to keep a coach worth keeping. In the last 40 years, no one has left Auburn for a "better" job. Auburn coaching searches may run afoul, for whatever reasons, but Auburn remains a top job.

Probably nothing concrete. An important thing to remember in coaching searches is that almost all of the candidates being evaluated/interviewed are currently employed elsewhere, and do not wish to jeopardize their current job until something concrete is on the table. No one involved in the process has anything to gain by talking to anyone from the media, and they are certainly not going to trust "off the record". Hearsay and speculation are the standard. Nothing can be confirmed or refuted, until an announcement is made, and none of the hearsay or speculation matters after that, as the focus and clickbait have moved on. Anyone that leaks to a media source, is most likely doing so with an agenda, not a desire to give anyone the scoop.

Why? His RB coach at Ole Miss is in his 1st season, so he would have no overwhelming reason to bring him. Caddy is an Auburn legend, he recruits well, he is popular with fans, and his RBs produce. Aside from being an Auburn legend, Caddy is an obvious asset. Retaining Caddy would be a great way to quickly lock down that position, and maximize fan support. Unless a new head coach drastically misreads the room, no one wants to be the guy that started off by getting rid of Caddy.

I hope reporters in Mississippi do not have contacts in Auburn's AD.

How do we know anyone is interested in coaching at Auburn long-term? Coaches generally do not leave Auburn for greener pastures. If they succeed, Auburn makes them comfortable. If they do not, Auburn makes them uncomfortable. Auburn will pay good money to keep a coach, and they will pay good money to fire one too. It is the same reason coaches generally do not leave other SEC powers for greener pastures. When was the last time a head coach was poached from Auburn, LSU, Georgia, Florida, or Alabama? None of that says anything about Deion, but why is his potential longevity any more questionable than other candidates?

That is why I do not believe the rumor about Kiffin being preferred as a replacement to Saban, unless there is just some behind the scenes bad blood between Alabama power brokers and Dabo. Dabo made 6 consecutive Playoff appearances, might make another Playoff trip this year, won 2 NCGs, and built a powerhouse where there was definitely not one before. On top of that, he is a former Alabama player. The only active coach with a more impressive resume than Dabo Swinney, is Nick Saban. If Dabo is a realistic option, any program would be foolish to not have him at the top of their list.

I was there after the 2016 Clemson game. #2 Clemson comes to JHS to kick off the season, and a three-headed QB hydra was the offensive gameplan Gus came up with. The idiocy was further compounded by the addition of a fourth QB, to run the whirlybird. I would love to hear a recording of the Clemson staff's headset chatter as they reacted to some of the shenanigans they witnessed in that game.

Hopefully it ends up much better for Auburn, than it did for that guy.

Are there people that actually still consider him an option? I find it incredibly unlikely that he would leave his alma mater, that he has poised at the top of the SEC East, to come to Auburn. Money is the only motive I can really think of, and Georgia would match anything to keep him.

Unless the next head coach seriously misreads the room, Caddy will get an interview. He recruits well, players love him, his RBs produce, and he knows the environment. Caddy is obviously a valuable asset. Aside from that, no sane coach wants to kick off their tenure by firing an Auburn legend. There is no need to make demands, or put retaining Caddy in the contract, his work speaks for itself.

If Kiffin came to Auburn, and successfully built a consistent playoff program, why would he leave? In that case, Auburn would certainly be compensating him well, and would competitively counter any offers made. He would have stability and job security. Coaches generally do not leave Auburn for greener pastures.

Could you elaborate on the poor influences?

I have to give him credit, as he recovered from something that likely kills most head coaching careers, and did it in less than 10 years.

I would think that would be a pretty effective means of ending a coaching career.

The author of that article may very well be completely correct. However, I doubt that Lanning (or his agent), would divulge any Auburn interest to an Oregon beat reporter, or any reporter at all. That is like calling the CIA or DARPA to ask about UFOs at Area 51, and expecting them to say: "Jim, we are glad you called. We actually have recovered debris and bodies from multiple alien spacecraft, from 3 different alien species. Please, just keep that between us, ok?" If his agent does not at least flirt with Auburn, they are not doing their job. Lanning has his team poised to grab a playoff slot, and that is the best time for an agent to negotiate a raise, or an even better contract somewhere else, like Auburn.

I remember reading about Kiffin being fired at the airport, in 2013. Had someone told me that in less than 10 years, he would be considered as a favorite for Auburn's next head coach, I would have thought it was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard.

If I have learned anything on this forum over the years, it is that the crazy ideas really come out when there is a coaching vacancy.

Not advocating for Gundy at all, but that series is 90-19-7. Even having 3 wins against Oklahoma puts him on a short list there. He delivered their first outright conference championship since shortly after WWII. His overall record is outstanding for OSU, and he is an alum. Again, I have absolutely zero interest in Gundy, but I can understand why they have not fired him. The list of living OSU fans that have witnessed a coach even comparable to him grows shorter every year. They really have absolutely no reason to believe that they could do better.

I suspect he spent the entire month of October wondering which game would be his last.

Indeed. All he said was basically: I am listening, but we are focused on Jackson State right now. That is all that needs to be said, and all any reporter should be expecting to get. Hopefully, he does not go pine box Tuberville on them, then show up at Auburn two days later.