Now that the bloodletting is finished...

[Zeek 16,656]

Changes were made that frankly were inevitable. We can bicker about the "why" all we want but it really does no good. What matters from here is where we go next. I believe the following is right around the corner:

• Derrick Nix gets hired as our next Offensive Coordinator and RB coach. His job will be recruiting more than anything but he brings legitimate experience. His hometown is Attalla, AL. Nix has coached running backs at Southern Miss, was a quality control coach for the Atlanta Falcons, then running backs for Ole Miss from 2008-19, receivers at Ole Miss 2020-21, and is currently an Assistant HC and receivers coach at Ole Miss. Kiffin values him highly.
• Chris Kiffin gets hired as our next Defensive Coordinator after the Texans finish their playoff run. He was an assistant at Idaho from 2005-06, grad assistant at Ole Miss in 2007, offensive quality control assistant at Nebraska 2008-09, defensive administrative assistant at USC in 2010, DL coach at Arkansas State in 2011, DL coach and recruiting coordinator at Ole Miss 2012-16, FAU DC and LB coach at FAU in 2017, pass rush specialist at the 49ers 2018-19, Cleveland Browns DL coach 2020-22, and Texans LB coach 2023-present. He is considered a great recruiter and has a lot of experience in various spots on the defensive side. He and Kelly will be a great recruiting duo.
• Second Wave of the Portal - usually the second wave of the portal is a small one. I think we see a lot more names than usual with such huge and numerous coaching changes still occurring. Alabama players are going to be very interesting to watch if they hire DeBoer I expect they might.
• Second Exodus of the Portal - it gives and it takes. We are going to have some new faces on the staff and that always leads to departures. We still have some fat to trim on the roster in my opinion.

Position-wise here are some of my brief thoughts... take them or leave them

• Quarterback - we are not confident in Thorne moving forward. There is some cautious optimism that Hank Brown and Walker White could take the reigns. If a portal quarterback becomes available in the next wave we could be very aggressive in making it happen.
• Running Back - Likely taking two high school kids next cycle. We look good right now. Battie staying is nice.
• Wide Receiver - I see us still taking one more portal receiver.
• Tight End - we are set here but man we are top-heavy with older guys. I could see us taking at least one high school guy and one transfer next year.
• Offensive Line - Percy Lewis (Mississippi State) and two tough high school kids help. We still probably need another portal guy.
• Defensive Line - Trill Carter is a subtle but nice pickup. Gage Keys is someone I'm interested in seeing more from. Might have another addition or two. The interior of the DL is my biggest concern; last year we allowed inside runs for big gains consistently.
• Edge - I think we're relying on the young guys here.
• Linebackers - we have a lot of guys back but also have a lot of young dudes on board and key transfer addition. I'm curious if the highly-rated young guys can usurp the veterans. I won't name names but there are some guys I would love to not see on the field again lol.
• Defensive Backs - man did they look bad in the Iron Bowl and the bowl game. Kelly might be a big help here and Crime Dog getting back some autonomy could be a help. We generated more interceptions than we have in a while but there were a number of issues that allowed teams like NMSU to march all over us.

I may make another long thread just tracking additions/subtractions. 

[aubiefifty 16,803]

3 minutes ago, Zeek said:

Changes were made that frankly were inevitable. We can bicker about the "why" all we want but it really does no good. What matters from here is where we go next. I believe the following is right around the corner:

• Derrick Nix gets hired as our next Offensive Coordinator and RB coach. His job will be recruiting more than anything but he brings legitimate experience. His hometown is Attalla, AL. Nix has coached running backs at Southern Miss, was a quality control coach for the Atlanta Falcons, then running backs for Ole Miss from 2008-19, receivers at Ole Miss 2020-21, and is currently an Assistant HC and receivers coach at Ole Miss. Kiffin values him highly.
• Chris Kiffin gets hired as our next Defensive Coordinator after the Texans finish their playoff run. He was an assistant at Idaho from 2005-06, grad assistant at Ole Miss in 2007, offensive quality control assistant at Nebraska 2008-09, defensive administrative assistant at USC in 2010, DL coach at Arkansas State in 2011, DL coach and recruiting coordinator at Ole Miss 2012-16, FAU DC and LB coach at FAU in 2017, pass rush specialist at the 49ers 2018-19, Cleveland Browns DL coach 2020-22, and Texans LB coach 2023-present. He is considered a great recruiter and has a lot of experience in various spots on the defensive side. He and Kelly will be a great recruiting duo.
• Second Wave of the Portal - usually the second wave of the portal is a small one. I think we see a lot more names than usual with such huge and numerous coaching changes still occurring. Alabama players are going to be very interesting to watch if they hire DeBoer I expect they might.
• Second Exodus of the Portal - it gives and it takes. We are going to have some new faces on the staff and that always leads to departures. We still have some fat to trim on the roster in my opinion.

Position-wise here are some of my brief thoughts... take them or leave them

• Quarterback - we are not confident in Thorne moving forward. There is some cautious optimism that Hank Brown and Walker White could take the reigns. If a portal quarterback becomes available in the next wave we could be very aggressive in making it happen.
• Running Back - Likely taking two high school kids next cycle. We look good right now. Battie staying is nice.
• Wide Receiver - I see us still taking one more portal receiver.
• Tight End - we are set here but man we are top-heavy with older guys. I could see us taking at least one high school guy and one transfer next year.
• Offensive Line - Percy Lewis (Mississippi State) and two tough high school kids help. We still probably need another portal guy.
• Defensive Line - Trill Carter is a subtle but nice pickup. Gage Keys is someone I'm interested in seeing more from. Might have another addition or two. The interior of the DL is my biggest concern; last year we allowed inside runs for big gains consistently.
• Edge - I think we're relying on the young guys here.
• Linebackers - we have a lot of guys back but also have a lot of young dudes on board and key transfer addition. I'm curious if the highly-rated young guys can usurp the veterans. I won't name names but there are some guys I would love to not see on the field again lol.
• Defensive Backs - man did they look bad in the Iron Bowl and the bowl game. Kelly might be a big help here and Crime Dog getting back some autonomy could be a help. We generated more interceptions than we have in a while but there were a number of issues that allowed teams like NMSU to march all over us.

I may make another long thread just tracking additions/subtractions. 

thank you for your hard work zeek! i taught you well...........

[bishoptf 684]

13 minutes ago, Zeek said:

Changes were made that frankly were inevitable. We can bicker about the "why" all we want but it really does no good. What matters from here is where we go next. I believe the following is right around the corner:

• Derrick Nix gets hired as our next Offensive Coordinator and RB coach. His job will be recruiting more than anything but he brings legitimate experience. His hometown is Attalla, AL. Nix has coached running backs at Southern Miss, was a quality control coach for the Atlanta Falcons, then running backs for Ole Miss from 2008-19, receivers at Ole Miss 2020-21, and is currently an Assistant HC and receivers coach at Ole Miss. Kiffin values him highly.
• Chris Kiffin gets hired as our next Defensive Coordinator after the Texans finish their playoff run. He was an assistant at Idaho from 2005-06, grad assistant at Ole Miss in 2007, offensive quality control assistant at Nebraska 2008-09, defensive administrative assistant at USC in 2010, DL coach at Arkansas State in 2011, DL coach and recruiting coordinator at Ole Miss 2012-16, FAU DC and LB coach at FAU in 2017, pass rush specialist at the 49ers 2018-19, Cleveland Browns DL coach 2020-22, and Texans LB coach 2023-present. He is considered a great recruiter and has a lot of experience in various spots on the defensive side. He and Kelly will be a great recruiting duo.
• Second Wave of the Portal - usually the second wave of the portal is a small one. I think we see a lot more names than usual with such huge and numerous coaching changes still occurring. Alabama players are going to be very interesting to watch if they hire DeBoer I expect they might.
• Second Exodus of the Portal - it gives and it takes. We are going to have some new faces on the staff and that always leads to departures. We still have some fat to trim on the roster in my opinion.

Position-wise here are some of my brief thoughts... take them or leave them

• Quarterback - we are not confident in Thorne moving forward. There is some cautious optimism that Hank Brown and Walker White could take the reigns. If a portal quarterback becomes available in the next wave we could be very aggressive in making it happen.
• Running Back - Likely taking two high school kids next cycle. We look good right now. Battie staying is nice.
• Wide Receiver - I see us still taking one more portal receiver.
• Tight End - we are set here but man we are top-heavy with older guys. I could see us taking at least one high school guy and one transfer next year.
• Offensive Line - Percy Lewis (Mississippi State) and two tough high school kids help. We still probably need another portal guy.
• Defensive Line - Trill Carter is a subtle but nice pickup. Gage Keys is someone I'm interested in seeing more from. Might have another addition or two. The interior of the DL is my biggest concern; last year we allowed inside runs for big gains consistently.
• Edge - I think we're relying on the young guys here.
• Linebackers - we have a lot of guys back but also have a lot of young dudes on board and key transfer addition. I'm curious if the highly-rated young guys can usurp the veterans. I won't name names but there are some guys I would love to not see on the field again lol.
• Defensive Backs - man did they look bad in the Iron Bowl and the bowl game. Kelly might be a big help here and Crime Dog getting back some autonomy could be a help. We generated more interceptions than we have in a while but there were a number of issues that allowed teams like NMSU to march all over us.

I may make another long thread just tracking additions/subtractions. 

Yeah appreciate all the work you put into this. All I have to say is it sure would be nice if we could have some stability with our assistant coaching staff, I mean its one thing that they leave for greener pastures and its another thing when they are shown the door. This matters at least to me in that it shows that our CEO freeze is not able to hire competent assistants and if that is the case then that means other issues. I will give him a pass on the initial hirings since time was compressed and such but I was really hoping to have some consistency coaching wise.

My other comment would be about PT, I mean Freeze said as much that he was the guy for 2024. I think most believe he is not the answer but until I hear Freeze say otherwise on MULTIPLE occasions he had already anointed him the starter for 2024..I guess we will see.

[W.E.D 11,070]

18 minutes ago, Zeek said:

• Edge - I think we're relying on the young guys here.
•  

For the life of me don't understand the staff's thinking here.  They came to realize the obvious on QB, but we all know our pass rush was bad.  McCloud seems okay, but we could definitely use another on pass rushing downs. Riley get's another attempt to convert to edge?

Maybe cost prohibitive to get a pass rusher too.

[bishoptf 684]

23 minutes ago, Zeek said:

Changes were made that frankly were inevitable. We can bicker about the "why" all we want but it really does no good. What matters from here is where we go next. I believe the following is right around the corner:

• Derrick Nix gets hired as our next Offensive Coordinator and RB coach. His job will be recruiting more than anything but he brings legitimate experience. His hometown is Attalla, AL. Nix has coached running backs at Southern Miss, was a quality control coach for the Atlanta Falcons, then running backs for Ole Miss from 2008-19, receivers at Ole Miss 2020-21, and is currently an Assistant HC and receivers coach at Ole Miss. Kiffin values him highly.
• Chris Kiffin gets hired as our next Defensive Coordinator after the Texans finish their playoff run. He was an assistant at Idaho from 2005-06, grad assistant at Ole Miss in 2007, offensive quality control assistant at Nebraska 2008-09, defensive administrative assistant at USC in 2010, DL coach at Arkansas State in 2011, DL coach and recruiting coordinator at Ole Miss 2012-16, FAU DC and LB coach at FAU in 2017, pass rush specialist at the 49ers 2018-19, Cleveland Browns DL coach 2020-22, and Texans LB coach 2023-present. He is considered a great recruiter and has a lot of experience in various spots on the defensive side. He and Kelly will be a great recruiting duo.
• Second Wave of the Portal - usually the second wave of the portal is a small one. I think we see a lot more names than usual with such huge and numerous coaching changes still occurring. Alabama players are going to be very interesting to watch if they hire DeBoer I expect they might.
• Second Exodus of the Portal - it gives and it takes. We are going to have some new faces on the staff and that always leads to departures. We still have some fat to trim on the roster in my opinion.

Position-wise here are some of my brief thoughts... take them or leave them

• Quarterback - we are not confident in Thorne moving forward. There is some cautious optimism that Hank Brown and Walker White could take the reigns. If a portal quarterback becomes available in the next wave we could be very aggressive in making it happen.
• Running Back - Likely taking two high school kids next cycle. We look good right now. Battie staying is nice.
• Wide Receiver - I see us still taking one more portal receiver.
• Tight End - we are set here but man we are top-heavy with older guys. I could see us taking at least one high school guy and one transfer next year.
• Offensive Line - Percy Lewis (Mississippi State) and two tough high school kids help. We still probably need another portal guy.
• Defensive Line - Trill Carter is a subtle but nice pickup. Gage Keys is someone I'm interested in seeing more from. Might have another addition or two. The interior of the DL is my biggest concern; last year we allowed inside runs for big gains consistently.
• Edge - I think we're relying on the young guys here.
• Linebackers - we have a lot of guys back but also have a lot of young dudes on board and key transfer addition. I'm curious if the highly-rated young guys can usurp the veterans. I won't name names but there are some guys I would love to not see on the field again lol.
• Defensive Backs - man did they look bad in the Iron Bowl and the bowl game. Kelly might be a big help here and Crime Dog getting back some autonomy could be a help. We generated more interceptions than we have in a while but there were a number of issues that allowed teams like NMSU to march all over us.

I may make another long thread just tracking additions/subtractions. 

I forgot to also state that I am glad that who you think will be hired are good recruiters, but sure do hope they can coach also...need both and having one or the other doesn't work well.

[KillenTime 127]

9 minutes ago, bishoptf said:

Yeah appreciate all the work you put into this. All I have to say is it sure would be nice if we could have some stability with our assistant coaching staff, I mean its one thing that they leave for greener pastures and its another thing when they are shown the door. This matters at least to me in that it shows that our CEO freeze is not able to hire competent assistants and if that is the case then that means other issues. I will give him a pass on the initial hirings since time was compressed and such but I was really hoping to have some consistency coaching wise.

My other comment would be about PT, I mean Freeze said as much that he was the guy for 2024. I think most believe he is not the answer but until I hear Freeze say otherwise on MULTIPLE occasions he had already anointed him the starter for 2024..I guess we will see.

Freeze backed off the PT as the starter next year after the bowl game performance.  The last quote I saw was the position is wide open going into spring. 

[KillenTime 127]

29 minutes ago, Zeek said:

Changes were made that frankly were inevitable. We can bicker about the "why" all we want but it really does no good. What matters from here is where we go next. I believe the following is right around the corner:

• Derrick Nix gets hired as our next Offensive Coordinator and RB coach. His job will be recruiting more than anything but he brings legitimate experience. His hometown is Attalla, AL. Nix has coached running backs at Southern Miss, was a quality control coach for the Atlanta Falcons, then running backs for Ole Miss from 2008-19, receivers at Ole Miss 2020-21, and is currently an Assistant HC and receivers coach at Ole Miss. Kiffin values him highly.
• Chris Kiffin gets hired as our next Defensive Coordinator after the Texans finish their playoff run. He was an assistant at Idaho from 2005-06, grad assistant at Ole Miss in 2007, offensive quality control assistant at Nebraska 2008-09, defensive administrative assistant at USC in 2010, DL coach at Arkansas State in 2011, DL coach and recruiting coordinator at Ole Miss 2012-16, FAU DC and LB coach at FAU in 2017, pass rush specialist at the 49ers 2018-19, Cleveland Browns DL coach 2020-22, and Texans LB coach 2023-present. He is considered a great recruiter and has a lot of experience in various spots on the defensive side. He and Kelly will be a great recruiting duo.
• Second Wave of the Portal - usually the second wave of the portal is a small one. I think we see a lot more names than usual with such huge and numerous coaching changes still occurring. Alabama players are going to be very interesting to watch if they hire DeBoer I expect they might.
• Second Exodus of the Portal - it gives and it takes. We are going to have some new faces on the staff and that always leads to departures. We still have some fat to trim on the roster in my opinion.

Position-wise here are some of my brief thoughts... take them or leave them

• Quarterback - we are not confident in Thorne moving forward. There is some cautious optimism that Hank Brown and Walker White could take the reigns. If a portal quarterback becomes available in the next wave we could be very aggressive in making it happen.
• Running Back - Likely taking two high school kids next cycle. We look good right now. Battie staying is nice.
• Wide Receiver - I see us still taking one more portal receiver.
• Tight End - we are set here but man we are top-heavy with older guys. I could see us taking at least one high school guy and one transfer next year.
• Offensive Line - Percy Lewis (Mississippi State) and two tough high school kids help. We still probably need another portal guy.
• Defensive Line - Trill Carter is a subtle but nice pickup. Gage Keys is someone I'm interested in seeing more from. Might have another addition or two. The interior of the DL is my biggest concern; last year we allowed inside runs for big gains consistently.
• Edge - I think we're relying on the young guys here.
• Linebackers - we have a lot of guys back but also have a lot of young dudes on board and key transfer addition. I'm curious if the highly-rated young guys can usurp the veterans. I won't name names but there are some guys I would love to not see on the field again lol.
• Defensive Backs - man did they look bad in the Iron Bowl and the bowl game. Kelly might be a big help here and Crime Dog getting back some autonomy could be a help. We generated more interceptions than we have in a while but there were a number of issues that allowed teams like NMSU to march all over us.

I may make another long thread just tracking additions/subtractions. 

I haven't seen a formal announcement on McGriff staying.  I did see a lot of announcements about him leaving, but never saw a formal announcement about his hiring.  Is he now staying for sure?

[JDUBB4AU 5,121]

Love it Zeek . Thank you 

[Zeek 16,656]

37 minutes ago, bishoptf said:

Yeah appreciate all the work you put into this. All I have to say is it sure would be nice if we could have some stability with our assistant coaching staff, I mean its one thing that they leave for greener pastures and its another thing when they are shown the door. This matters at least to me in that it shows that our CEO freeze is not able to hire competent assistants and if that is the case then that means other issues. I will give him a pass on the initial hirings since time was compressed and such but I was really hoping to have some consistency coaching wise.

My other comment would be about PT, I mean Freeze said as much that he was the guy for 2024. I think most believe he is not the answer but until I hear Freeze say otherwise on MULTIPLE occasions he had already anointed him the starter for 2024..I guess we will see.

It’s really hard to manage coaches off the field issues. They’re adults at the end of the day. 

[CR 2,445]

Ive heard a couple of the beat guys say if Tua’s brother from Maryland gets another year, Au will be interested

[WFE12 9,191]

 

[ShocksMyBrain 9,366]

Just now, WFE12 said:

 

I didn’t know he couldn’t recruit on the road. This is huge. 

[W.E.D 11,070]

3 minutes ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

I didn’t know he couldn’t recruit on the road. This is huge. 

Similar to on the field coaching restrictions, the NCAA puts a restriction on recruiters who can visit players off campus.  Usually it is a 1 to 1 of On Field Coaches to recruiting off campus.

I'd guess Kent Austin will not be a designated off campus recruiter.  I'm actually kind of shocked more schools have done this more often as it breaks up responsibilities and a greater focus on both. Players can still video call with position coaches and meet them on campus.  

[AU9377 4,959]

Unfortunately, the current state of college football breeds inconsistency in both players and coaches.  We are literally allowing the sport to rot from within, but that is another discussion for another thread.

[gctiger 934]

45 minutes ago, WFE12 said:

 

 

[Zeek 16,656]

 

I think/hope announcing the co-DC means the head DC should be named soon. 

[TeamZero77 1,784]

4 hours ago, W.E.D said:

Similar to on the field coaching restrictions, the NCAA puts a restriction on recruiters who can visit players off campus.  Usually it is a 1 to 1 of On Field Coaches to recruiting off campus.

I'd guess Kent Austin will not be a designated off campus recruiter.  I'm actually kind of shocked more schools have done this more often as it breaks up responsibilities and a greater focus on both. Players can still video call with position coaches and meet them on campus.  

Thanks. I didn't know about the recruiting restrictions for Trovon before now. I'm glad he can be out recruiting more now. 

When the off the field analyst roles got popular, was there ever a time where the analyst couldn't be on the sideline at games? The reason I ask is because back when Saban hired Butch Jones as an offensive analyst, I thought at that time they were limited to game planning and basically had to stay at the facility and couldn't be at games on the sidelines. But I would always see Butch Jones on the Bama sideline and sometimes he would even have a headset on so it was confusing to me what the actual rules were back then for analysts when coaches first started using them.

[W.E.D 11,070]

17 minutes ago, TeamZero77 said:

Thanks. I didn't know about the recruiting restrictions for Trovon before now. I'm glad he can be out recruiting more now. 

When the off the field analyst roles got popular, was there ever a time where the analyst couldn't be on the sideline at games? The reason I ask is because back when Saban hired Butch Jones as an offensive analyst, I thought at that time they were limited to game planning and basically had to stay at the facility and couldn't be at games on the sidelines. But I would always see Butch Jones on the Bama sideline and sometimes he would even have a headset on so it was confusing to me what the actual rules were back then for analysts when coaches first started using them.

No on follows NCAA rules

[Auburn93 541]

5 hours ago, Zeek said:

It’s really hard to manage coaches off the field issues. They’re adults at the end of the day. 

See Chuck Person.

[Win4AU 4,052]

I’ll push back a little on the DBs in the bowl game.  Auburn was missing a couple starters and I think I read that Auburn didn’t utilize its full practice time which probably would have helped with that.  The defense was actually pretty stout after the first quarter and in my opinion played well enough to win the game if the offense could have gotten anything going.  

[ScotsAU 1,335]

Any thoughts on QB coach? I’ve heard some folks say we may promote Austin. But haven’t heard anything concrete. If it were Austin, I’d think it would be announced by now.