looking for new OL coach

[Carnell 592]

An AOL article named possible replacements (dont know how informed the writer is).  But of the ones they named Stacy Searrels is the most qualified.  And of  course meets Gus philosophy more closely.  He has experience in coaching o linemen in downhill rushing schemes similar to that as Gus runs.  

[fredst 9,064]

22 minutes ago, AUsince72 said:

 

[abw0004 10,113]

2 hours ago, auburnphan said:

And Hand is one of the highest paid coaches at his position today and is doing a fine job when he is allowed to do it and doesn’t have to fit square pegs in round holes.

besides recruiting deficiencies I think there are major deficiencies in the blocking scheme that the offensive line coach is forced to work with.

I never thought highly of Hand.  If you look at his OL personnel after Grime's guys had graduated, they were not developed at all.  Our OL was not very good when Hand bailed.  Something interesting, if you look at when he leaves for a new job it is right before his guys the he recruited take over.  His longest stint anywhere was for 5 years.  This year Texas is 48th in the country in rushing where Auburn was 33rd.

[alexava 6,973]

The hire will be someone nobody has ever heard of except Bird. He will tell us all how great he is.

[auburnphan 6,050]

3 minutes ago, abw0004 said:

I never thought highly of Hand.  If you look at his OL personnel after Grime's guys had graduated, they were not developed at all.  Our OL was not very good when Hand bailed.  Something interesting, if you look at when he leaves for a new job it is right before his guys the he recruited take over.  His longest stint anywhere was for 5 years.  This year Texas is 48th in the country in rushing where Auburn was 33rd.

Hand was only here for 2 seasons.  His first season we were 6th in rushing his second we were 26th. I am no Hand fan but he talked about changing the culture and type of offensive lineman that we needed.  He wanted lunchbox, smash you in the mouth, eat, sleep and s*** football kind of guys.  

If you follow how we have gone after lineman, Gus seems to love 7 on 7 risers and camp risers.  And when he misses he grabs big sloppy body guys instead of going after guys that have high motors, great work ethic, a big frame and football smart but are not in the right position and can develop into an offensive lineman.

What hand did do was take a guy who never played offensive line before and got him SEC ready in short time.  Tega either peaked at that time or has shown little improvement.  

I think that maybe we have gotten everything we could get out of the talent that we have on the roster at that position the last couple of seasons.  Kind of like when Jake Holland was the starter at Linebacker.  Recruiting and scheme are responsible for offensive line play.  Think of the Tulane game and how a dominant nose tackle destroyed everything because our scheme does not allow to adjust the blocking.

[bigbird 60,525]

11 minutes ago, alexava said:

The hire will be someone nobody has ever heard of except Bird. He will tell us all how great he is.

50/50

[sandyclawedtiger 206]

Dustin Fry. Just another nobody buddy hire.

[triangletiger 1,599]

55 minutes ago, fredst said:

More importantly, who does Bill Taylor want?

I'm hearing that JB is 'stepping down' because Arryn Siposs is leaving. 

[abw0004 10,113]

I am leaning towards Kendall Simmons or Ryan Pugh.  Those two are big risks, but with risks are big rewards if they pan out.  As we have seen with former Auburn players, they truly understand Auburn's culture.  They are still relatively young so they relate to the kids they are recruiting.  They will have that energy in practices to keep their guys motivated.  A great example of that is T-Will can be seen running out there with his players.  Lastly, if we do strike gold, they may be harder to be lured away to other schools as Auburn has a special place for them.  Not to say a certain amount of money won't do the trick, but they are more likely to stick.  Not to mention if we do go this route, their starting salary might be lower than a more seasoned coach.  

[McLoofus 35,182]

1 hour ago, fredst said:

More importantly, who does Bill Taylor want?

Even more importantly, why hasn't Michael Bay signed on to do Wade Christopher vs Bill Taylor: Oklahoma Drilled yet?

[McLoofus 35,182]

26 minutes ago, triangletiger said:

I'm hearing that JB is 'stepping down' because Arryn Siposs is leaving. 

"I used to walk into Sky Bar like a god with that beautiful Aussie bastard as my wingman. Now I'll be lucky if I can make it through the night without being called sir."

[dyehardfanAU 2,117]

1 hour ago, abw0004 said:

I never thought highly of Hand.  If you look at his OL personnel after Grime's guys had graduated, they were not developed at all.  Our OL was not very good when Hand bailed.  Something interesting, if you look at when he leaves for a new job it is right before his guys the he recruited take over.  His longest stint anywhere was for 5 years.  This year Texas is 48th in the country in rushing where Auburn was 33rd.

Grimes guys didn't start graduating until last year or this year unless there's a JUCO I'm forgetting.  Hand landed Tega and Brahms, the only 2 decent OL we had this season.  I think it's fairly safe to say that neither are a good combination of recruiter/coach.

[keesler 5,924]

20 minutes ago, abw0004 said:

I am leaning towards Kendall Simmons or Ryan Pugh.  Those two are big risks, but with risks are big rewards if they pan out.  As we have seen with former Auburn players, they truly understand Auburn's culture.  They are still relatively young so they relate to the kids they are recruiting.  They will have that energy in practices to keep their guys motivated.  A great example of that is T-Will can be seen running out there with his players.  Lastly, if we do strike gold, they may be harder to be lured away to other schools as Auburn has a special place for them.  Not to say a certain amount of money won't do the trick, but they are more likely to stick.  Not to mention if we do go this route, their starting salary might be lower than a more seasoned coach.  

No disrespect but the last thing Auburn needs at this position is a big risk guy that has zero SEC caliber coaching.  Auburn/GUS needs to strike gold here because it's still going to take yrs to get an SEC caliber line recruited and developed.  Blow out the bank and get the best qualified OLine coach you can find.  Pinching pennies on a lower salaried coach rather than a more seasoned coach it this time is not the answer.

Frankly, I sick and tired of Auburn acting as a training ground for coaches for them to ride a gravy train while learning on the job.

 

[dyehardfanAU 2,117]

1 minute ago, keesler said:

No disrespect but the last thing Auburn needs at this position is a big risk guy that has zero SEC caliber coaching.  Auburn/GUS needs to strike gold here because it's still going to take yrs to get an SEC caliber line recruited and developed.  Blow out the bank and get the best qualified OLine coach you can find.  Pinching pennies on a lower salaried coach rather than a more seasoned coach it this time is not the answer.

Frankly, I sick and tired of Auburn acting as a training ground for coaches for them to ride a gravy train while learning on the job.

 

The best thing that can happen for OL recruiting is to hire someone with experience putting guys in the NFL.  We need a quick turnaround in OL recruiting or we're going to be mediocre for the forseeable future.

[abw0004 10,113]

12 minutes ago, dyehardfanAU said:

Grimes guys didn't start graduating until last year or this year unless there's a JUCO I'm forgetting.  Hand landed Tega and Brahms, the only 2 decent OL we had this season.  I think it's fairly safe to say that neither are a good combination of recruiter/coach.

I am pretty sure the last person to graduate was Austin Golson from Grime's first stint and that was the last season Hand was here.  Did I miss someone?

[dyehardfanAU 2,117]

8 minutes ago, abw0004 said:

I am pretty sure the last person to graduate was Austin Golson from Grime's first stint and that was the last season Hand was here.  Did I miss someone?

Kaleb Kim, Brodarious Hamm, Mike Horton, Bailey Sharpe, & Marquell Harrell off the top of my head.  That's a pretty good OLine for a Sun Belt team but laughable for a team trying to compete for championships.

[abw0004 10,113]

4 minutes ago, dyehardfanAU said:

Kaleb Kim, Brodarious Hamm, Mike Horton, Bailey Sharpe, & Marquell Harrell of the top of my head.

Horton, Harrell were all freshmen during Hand's first year as I don't think they redshirted.  Kim and Sharpe redshirted during Grime's last year in his first stint and Hamm was under Hand.  So I guess the last of Grimes' guys were Kim and Sharpe although neither played on Hand's line during his time here.  I believe I have that right.

[triangletiger 1,599]

2 minutes ago, dyehardfanAU said:

Kaleb Kim, Brodarious Hamm, Mike Horton, Bailey Sharpe, & Marquell Harrell off the top of my head.  That's a pretty good OLine for a Sun Belt team.

The jury is still out on Bro Hamm, and I'd say Marquell Harrell was a solid OG.  The problem is that the OL has to operate in sync.  If one or two guys aren't doing their job (or can't do their job), the whole unit looks bad.

[dyehardfanAU 2,117]

4 minutes ago, abw0004 said:

Horton, Harrell were all freshmen during Hand's first year as I don't think they redshirted.  Kim and Sharpe redshirted during Grime's last year in his first stint and Hamm was under Hand.  So I guess the last of Grimes' guys were Kim and Sharpe although neither played on Hand's line during his time here.

No, that is incorrect.  JB was the OL coach who recruited each of the players I named.  Please don't start white-knighting Grimes, you're better than this.

[sevenlee36 1,654]

Why would JB stick around ? There are no players left at OL to coach 

[abw0004 10,113]

4 minutes ago, dyehardfanAU said:

No, that is incorrect.  JB was the OL coach who recruited each of the players I named.  Please don't start white-knighting Grimes, you're better than this.

Oh no I'm not.  I think you may have misinterpreted my original post.  I wasn't talking about who was recruited by whom.  I am talking about when they were actually playing on the line.  So when I said once Grime's guys were gone, Hand left, and right after that his guys that he was developing were not developed, I meant who was actually playing.  So that the good lines we saw under Hand, were Grimes' guys that he coached up and we were seeing Grimes' work/coaching on display.  Am I making more sense now?  I wasn't referring to recruiting and who was recruited by which coach.

[aubiefifty 16,791]

Potential Auburn offensive line coaching candidates

Updated 9:08 AM;Today 9:00 AM

6-7 minutes

Auburn Football

Getty Images

AUBURN, ALABAMA - NOVEMBER 16: The Auburn Tigers offense lines up against the Georgia Bulldogs at Jordan-Hare Stadium on November 16, 2019 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Following Auburn’s loss to Minnesota in the Outback Bowl, Gus Malzahn said he expected his entire coaching staff to remain intact for the 2020 season, with the lone change coming at offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach with the recent hire of Chad Morris to take over those roles.

Now, a week later, Malzahn’s staff is undergoing some level of change after veteran offensive line coach J.B. Grimes stepped down from his position Tuesday night to “move on and pursue other opportunities.” It will be the third time during his tenure that Malzahn will be tasked with hiring a new offensive line coach -- he previously did it after the 2015 season, when Grimes left for Cincinnati, and again after the 2017 campaign when Herb Hand left for Texas -- and this one will be particularly important given the overhaul Auburn will undergo along the offensive line this offseason. The Tigers lose six seniors, including four full-time starters, from the 2019 offensive line and will welcome at least five newcomers to the position room in 2020.

Malzahn will likely move quickly with the hire, with February’s National Signing Day just weeks away and the annual AFCA convention in Nashville beginning this weekend. With that in mind, here are a few names to watch to potentially fill the vacancy on Auburn’s staff:

Kendall Simmons, Auburn analyst

Simmons, a former Auburn offensive lineman, joined Malzahn’s staff nearly one year ago as an offensive analyst and spent the 2019 season working under Grimes with Auburn’s offensive line. The former two-time All-SEC offensive lineman played eight seasons in the NFL, starting 83 of the 84 games he appeared in, and won two Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers before retiring after the 2009 season.

Simmons, who earned approximately $70,000 last year in his off-field role according to university financial records, obviously has familiarity with Auburn’s coaching staff and returning offensive line personnel, so his promotion to offensive line coach would make sense from a continuity standpoint. He has also played the position in the SEC, and as a former first-round NFL Draft pick and Super Bowl champion, knows what it takes to excel as an offensive lineman at the highest level.

Ryan Pugh, Troy offensive coordinator/offensive line coach

Pugh, another former Auburn offensive lineman, was hired at Troy last offseason by former Auburn offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey to oversee the Trojans’ offense and coach the offensive line. While Pugh served as Troy’s offensive coordinator, it was Lindsey who called plays for the Trojans in 2019, as Pugh’s role was largely to coach the line and oversee the running game.

Would Pugh give up a Group of Five offensive coordinator job for a Power Five position coaching gig at his alma mater if Malzahn comes calling? That remains to be seen, but Pugh certainly has the credentials to take over Auburn’s offensive line. Pugh was a three-time All-SEC offensive lineman during his career at Auburn, which included an All-America nod in 2010, when he was also a finalist for the Rimington Trophy and won a national championship with the Tigers, whose offensive coordinator was Malzahn. So, naturally, Pugh already has a relationship with Malzahn and the way he runs the offense.

Pugh, 31, began his coaching career in 2012 as a graduate assistant at Auburn, working with the likes of Reese Dismukes (the 2014 Rimington winner) and future first-round NFL Draft pick Greg Robinson. Pugh then spent the 2013 season as a graduate assistant at Virginia Tech before holding the same role at Cincinnati in 2014 and at LSU in 2015. His first on-field coaching role came at UTSA, where he served as offensive line coach during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. He was then hired at BYU as offensive line coach in 2018 before joining Lindsey’s staff at Troy last season.

Pugh earned $175,000 last season with Troy, according to USA Today’s assistant coach salary database.

Dustin Fry, former Arkansas offensive line coach

If Auburn opts to go with someone who has worked with Morris, the new offensive coordinator, then Fry would be a top candidate for the position. Fry, 36, has worked on the same staff as Morris for each of the last eight seasons, first serving as a graduate assistant at Clemson from 2012-14 before following Morris to SMU as offensive line coach from 2015-17 and then at Arkansas the last two seasons before Morris was fired. Fry was not retained at Arkansas by new coach Sam Pittman.

A former offensive lineman at Clemson, Fry started 36 games along the offensive line and appeared in 47 during his college career (2002-06). He then played four seasons in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams, Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos from 2007-10.

Fry’s salary at Arkansas was $400,000 last season.

Stacy Searels, UNC offensive line coach

Another former Auburn offensive lineman, Searels began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater from 1992-93 before getting his first on-field role in 1994 at Appalachian State. Since then, the former three-year starter and All-American on the Plains has put together a 26-year career as a college assistant. He has coached at Cincinnati, LSU, Georgia, Texas, Virginia Tech and Miami before reuniting with Mack Brown at UNC last season.

Searels, who earned $300,000 at UNC in 2019, has a long and impressive resume coaching offensive linemen for the better part of three decades. Along the way, he has coached All-Americans, a Rimington winner and been part of a national championship-winning team.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

[dyehardfanAU 2,117]

5 minutes ago, abw0004 said:

Oh no I'm not.  I think you may have misinterpreted my original post.  I wasn't talking about who was recruited by whom.  I am talking about when they were actually playing on the line.  So when I said once Grime's guys were gone, Hand left, and right after that his guys that he was developing were not developed, I meant who was actually playing.  So that the good lines we saw under Hand, were Grimes' guys that he coached up and we were seeing Grimes' work/coaching on display.  Am I making more sense now?  I wasn't referring to recruiting and who was recruited by which coach.

Grimes' guys are guys recruited by Grimes.  He is responsible for them being on campus.  You're using pretzel logic again so I'll disengage.  Be well.

[aubiefifty 16,791]

if gus loves auburn AND he realizes how upset the majority of the fan base is with him AND he really wants to stay i would think he make whatever changes  were needed to keep his job. most normal people would.does he let personal pride trump his love for auburn? and here is a really fun thought...what if he makes it through his current contract? does he get a raise or does he take a pay cut if he starts winning ten games a season and a bowl. opinions? i have a nice buzz so i hope ya'll understand all that.........

[AUApostle 7,651]

I'm hopeful it's Searels, but something tells me it's going to be Simmons.  Pugh might be a great fit, but he would be taking a big risk this early in his rising career.