Who do you want as head coach?

[AURex 1,998]

I am no Gus apologist. I'm as frustrated as everyone else.

But this same discussion has been going for years. Look at the previous names touted as great choices to replace Gus. I remember Norvell, Herman, Patterson, and Frost seriously promoted as potential saviors of the Auburn program. Well, they were all hired to save programs that had winning tradition and resources. Yet despite great recruiting advantages at Texas and FSU, nobody has been impressed with the results. And Frost fizzled too. (Patterson has stuck with TCU and declined.)

Now writ on the Auburn fan list it's Cristobal, Fleck, Campbell, and Frickell -- and we are relieved that we did not mistakenly hire Herman, Norvell or Frost.

I don't know the answer. I'm not eager to keep Gus, but I know that I do not want Auburn to be the next Tennessee, cycling through coaches that look pretty on paper but can't get the job done.

I'm not convinced Fleck would leave the Midwest. Despite good recruiting and great resources, Cristobal has not dominated the Pantiwaist Athletic Conference. Campbell seems to be a solid coach, but with no SEC ties, and Frickell is, so far, a one year wonderboy.

One person who is now ready to be recruited away from Clemson is Venables. And he doesn't have the Saban Stink all over him. If he could bring Clemson's OC with him, I'd see that as a home run.

 

[ToomersStreet 795]

Lance Leipold

[AUght2win 6,838]

29 minutes ago, AURex said:

I don't know the answer. I'm not eager to keep Gus, but I know that I do not want Auburn to be the next Tennessee, cycling through coaches that look pretty on paper but can't get the job done.

I totally feel you, but when people say "we don't want to be Tennessee" I actually hear "we don't want be Clemson". As a program we have all the tools to be the latter. 

I'd rather cycle through coaches and be Tennessee than to continue through this agonizing mediocrity. 

Yesterday it was clear our HC had no gameplan to try to win. In the IB. There was nothing clever. Never any desperation or changes once we got down. It's like watching an NFL preseason game. That is INEXCUSABLE.

I just can't stand it anymore. Give me somebody, anybody who will fight tooth and nail, and not run the program like a neutered robot. 

[Bo Didley 146]

I could get behind Kiffin or Sarkisian. 
kiffin is a riot and his players seem to love him.
Sark hit rock bottom in his personal life and bounced back. I don’t judge a man and his vices. His offense is breaking records and lightning up score boards. 
 

both seem to be QB developers also.  

[AUpreacherman22 3,885]

This is really the only relevant thread on this board!   All we can do is dream of a new HC rescuing our program from mediocrity until it finally happens.   
 

side note:  the people posting “I don’t like this one guy because he lost that one game that one time against that one team.”  are hilarious!!!  
I would be happy interviewing any of the realistic and reasonable names mentioned in this thread.   

[auburnphan 6,050]

6 hours ago, AUFriction said:

Yep... such a great recruiter...

 

you should really sit this one out, my friend.

[Bo Didley 146]

Thoughts ?

Eric Bieniemy

[Beaker 2,457]

Wow...I keep coming back to this thread and bothered it keeps getting longer.  Maybe not 'bothered,". Just annoyed.  Gus annoys me.

 

Couple of fresh ideas:

1.  100% certain if Auburn swapped coaches we would not become a Tenn type.  Why?  Every coach since 1980 has won and won big at Auburn.  Either undefeated seasons, NC games, conference championships  - every coach since Barfield.  Heck - I could make a case for a few NCs in there also.   ALL OF THEM: Dye, Bowden, Tubs, Chiz and Gus have won big at Auburn.    We would not become Tenn.

2. Who do I want?  I am not sure, but I know the type or profile.   I want a coach who hates to lose.  Gus does not hate to lose.  2017  LSU postgame comments confirmed that, "this is not the end of the world."  His words spoken after giving up a 20 point lead on the road.

3.  We need an edgy coach who can recruit with the dirty and grimey likes of Saban, Pruitt and Smart..  Someone like T- Will, who has swagger.  I am not saying T Will is the man.  Maybe he is, idk.  Someone who understands it is an expectation  to win 50% of the games vs your rivals, but you better hate losing any of them.   Gus does not comprehend this.  

Lastly - the man doesn't have to be a HC today or even an OC/DC.  Sam Pittman was neither and played a HC at Juco for 18 months.   Dabo Sweeney had never been an OC or HC.  

Find the guy who fits the profile and you have your next Pat Dye type coach - someone who will be here for the right reasons and for the long haul.  

 

[Beaker 2,457]

5 hours ago, ToomersStreet said:

Lance Leipold

I have no idea who this guy is, but he hates to lose.  You don't dominate for that many yrs without adapting to your recruiting classes and competition. 

Also - you can't just have a system and win like this without hating to lose. System coaches are 'lightning in a bottle' kinda guys.  

The high school coach from Ark who doesn't punt - he hates to lose.   I saw his documentary.  We need that kind of mental approach (not him).  

 

 

[ToomersStreet 795]

1 hour ago, Beaker said:

I have no idea who this guy is, but he hates to lose.  You don't dominate for that many yrs without adapting to your recruiting classes and competition. 

Also - you can't just have a system and win like this without hating to lose. System coaches are 'lightning in a bottle' kinda guys.  

The high school coach from Ark who doesn't punt - he hates to lose.   I saw his documentary.  We need that kind of mental approach (not him).  

 

 

I feel like that should be a cautionary tale to every power 5 program

[Mikey 16,603]

3 hours ago, Beaker said:

1.  100% certain if Auburn swapped coaches we would not become a Tenn type.  Why?  Every coach since 1980 has won and won big at Auburn.

One way to look at that is that we've been very, very lucky shooting dice and we're due to roll snake eyes.

Don't forget Florida. With all of their talent and resources, they had to hire and fire two coaches and are now on their third since Urban Crier left Gainesville.

It may be time to get a new coach, it may not be but thinking anyone will be a huge initial success just because the few before him were isn't a reasonable thought.

[tbone1430 1,346]

14 minutes ago, Mikey said:

One way to look at that is that we've been very, very lucky shooting dice and we're due to roll snake eyes.

Don't forget Florida. With all of their talent and resources, they had to hire and fire two coaches and are now on their third since Urban Crier left Gainesville.

It may be time to get a new coach, it may not be but thinking anyone will be a huge initial success just because the few before him were isn't a reasonable thought.

Another way to look at that is pure fear. Let’s be afraid of the unknown and keep mediocrity going instead of trying to better the program, even if we fail. 

And you bring up Florida. I wish we could have gone through two coaches in the past 8 years to finally find our Dan Mullen and be 28-6 in the past 3 seasons and ranked in the top 7 three straight seasons. It’s time to get a new coach and he probably won’t be an initial success because you have Gus system players who only know how to run 2 routes and have high school fundamentals, but unless he’s a complete dumpster fire we have the resources to allow any competent coach to be successful. 

Don’t fear failure. Fear the absence of progress.

[woodford 3,655]

12 hours ago, Bo Didley said:

Thoughts ?

Eric Bieniemy

He’s probably getting an NFL job. Personally, I hope the Falcons hire him. 

[gc2525 17]

On 10/26/2020 at 7:52 AM, gc2525 said:

Here are my picks for new Coach:

1. Luke Fickell
2. Steve Sarkisian

The major issue is we need to get rid of CGM, he is killing the program.

Still sticking with these two guys as CGM replacement.....

[casatiger 513]

We need a guy who can come in and look at our talent and build the offense around it and then effectively recruit against Saban, Kirby, Mullen, etc... to build the team to their liking.  Thats a short list but there are coaches that can do that.  We don't have that now unfortunately.   

[Bo Didley 146]

3 hours ago, woodford said:

He’s probably getting an NFL job. Personally, I hope the Falcons hire him. 

I figure the same. I would like to see him as a HC just not sure at Auburn for job#1

[AuCivilEng1 11,010]

Sarkisian is the best bet with, believe it or not, the lowest risk, imo.  If he hadn’t been an alcoholic, he would more than likely still be coaching at USC. USC is the Bama type job of the West coach. When a coach gets hired there, he’s earned it. If he didn’t work out for us, it would just be bad luck. There little room to say that he was a dud hire. And we took a risk in his ability to coach like Malzahn, Tubs and Chizik.

And hell if none of what I just said convinces you, Saban thinks he’s worth the risk. And Nick Saban is infinitely better at evaluating everything football than anyone on this board or even anyone envolved with Auburn at all. So I trust his judgment. Lol

[AUApostle 7,651]

10 minutes ago, AuCivilEng1 said:

Sarkisian is the best bet with, believe it or not, the lowest risk, imo.  If he hadn’t been an alcoholic, he would more than likely still be coaching at USC. USC is the Bama type job of the West coach. When a coach gets hired there, he’s earned it. If he didn’t work out for us, it would just be bad luck. There little room to say that he was a dud hire. And we took a risk in his ability to coach like Malzahn, Tubs and Chizik.

I have questions about him.  Good offensive mind, but Gus-like results at Washington and USC before the implosion.  I also don't think his battles with alcoholism make him low-risk, either.

 

[DAG 33,983]

21 minutes ago, AUDevil said:

I have questions about him.  Good offensive mind, but Gus-like results at Washington and USC before the implosion.  I also don't think his battles with alcoholism make him low-risk, either.

 

True but learning under the best cannot hurt.  Not saying I want him, but could do much worse.

[ToomersStreet 795]

10 hours ago, tbone1430 said:

Another way to look at that is pure fear. Let’s be afraid of the unknown and keep mediocrity going instead of trying to better the program, even if we fail. 

And you bring up Florida. I wish we could have gone through two coaches in the past 8 years to finally find our Dan Mullen and be 28-6 in the past 3 seasons and ranked in the top 7 three straight seasons. It’s time to get a new coach and he probably won’t be an initial success because you have Gus system players who only know how to run 2 routes and have high school fundamentals, but unless he’s a complete dumpster fire we have the resources to allow any competent coach to be successful. 

Don’t fear failure. Fear the absence of progress.

One thing EVERYONE in the Auburn family must take into consideration with the new coach is extreme and unconditional patience.  Since 2016 Gus has recruited 1.75 offensive lineman out of high school.  Currently he only has two committed.  This has been what has held the offense back since 2018 and clearly it is not getting resolved.  Next guy has a major rebuilding task ahead of him.

[DAG 33,983]

Whoever coaches, I would love to see them bring in Derek Mason in some sort of AHC/DC role. That would be freaking amazing. 

[WinstonMcFlurry 28]

I think its foolish to look seriously at any coach with only year of big success, get someone with maybe a not incredible record at a place that is hard to win at (Campbell, Leipold, Clark, Brown). Connections DO NOT MATTER if you win you get recruits, its that simple. Saban and Miles coached in the Midwest before their joining and they seemed to do pretty well in recruiting. We are not getting any NFL guys lol, I can assure you Eric Bieniemy and Joe Brady do not want to deal with 17 year olds on a daily basis. We need a program builder, a guy who will adapt with the times, and a guy who will raise money for facilities. 

Personally I like Clark, but there are a ton of guys I see floated here that either going to be abject failures almost certainly, or we have no chance of getting.   

[creed 1,637]

All of this talk is jello and a wall. Not exactly how I would go about a coaching hire.

[auburn4ever 1,266]

#1 Mario Cristobal, #2 Hugh Freeze and #3 Lane Kiffin.

[bigbird 60,529]

Cristobal

Tony Elliot

Billy Napier

Mike Yurcich

Neal Brown