Auburn Coaching Search: Casting a Wide Net and Hoping to Land the Big Fish

No matter what your opinion of Tommy Tuberville’s departure, this much we know—the divorce is final.

Both sides agreed that a split was in order. The separation has been made public to family and friends. The alimony payments have been set. Now Auburn is left to live with the departure of one of its all-time great head coaches.

Most agree that of all the current job openings in college football, the Auburn head job is the highest profile, most promising, and likely most lucrative gig to be had. But whom should Auburn target and who will be willing to step into a job where the expectations and competition are so incredibly high?

The SEC is a potential slaughterhouse for head coaches and Auburn is historically a place where expectations run unusually high. This is even more pronounced now as the current fan base is split between the Pro-Tuberville and Anti-Tuberville factions. 

The former is certain that letting coach Tuberville go was a huge mistake and they look to the Auburn administration to hire a winner and make this mess worthwhile. The latter is sure that Tuberville was the problem and just knows that Auburn can do better. Anything less than quick success will be met with serious grumblings in and around the Auburn Nation.  

There are dozens of factors that go into selecting Auburn’s next head coach but this much we can be pretty sure of—the new guy has to be able to keep up with Saban, Meyer, Richt and Co. 

That means being energetic, intense, and a recruiting machine. Like many high-profile college football transitions, several names have already come and gone in the four day old process but here is a list, in no particular order, of “possibles” broken down by type with a bit of analysis on each. 

Group A—“The Household Names”

This list is composed of proven head coaches who would bring instant credibility and cache to the Auburn job, a la Nick Saban.

Jon Gruden, head coach, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Yeas: Young, energetic, intense, and a proven winner in both college and the NFL. Would bring instant credibility to the program.

Nays: Would be a very difficult get. Already turned down one SEC offer at Tennessee. Currently coaching a team that will make the NFL playoffs and could be playing until mid- January or longer.

Odds of becoming Auburn’s 25th head coach:  750 to 1

Bill Cowher, former head coach, Pittsburgh Steelers

Yeas: Like Gruden only with an even longer track record of success.

Nays: Another difficult get. Cowher already turned down a college coaching opportunity at his alma mater, NC State. Plus with a host of NFL jobs opening in the near future, Cowher might wait to return to the pros.

Odds of becoming Auburn’s 25th head coach:  300 to 1

Dennis Erickson, head coach, Arizona State University

Yeas: Proven winner with two national championships at Miami.  Cap’n Dennis is known for being one of the most easily relocated coaches in all of football.  Could be lured in by the kind of paycheck Jay Jacobs says Auburn can provide.

Nays: Has a good thing going at ASU.  May prefer the low stress, low expectation environment in Tempe as opposed to the pressure cooker SEC.

Odds of becoming Auburn’s 25th head coach:  500 to 1

Mike Leach, head coach, Texas Tech

Yeas: Leach is a proven winner and a coach who is used to recruiting players to a smaller, rural school against bigger schools with larger budgets and higher profiles. Leach is also an offensive genius who could revitalize an Auburn offense that has struggled mightily for the better part of three seasons.

Nays: Leach is a bit odd. His eccentricity might not play in the SEC and there is not a lot of evidence that his offensive schemes would be successful against lightning fast SEC defenses.

Odds of becoming Auburn’s 25th head coach:  75 to 1

Steve Spurrier, head coach, South Carolina

Yeas: He’s the Old Ball Coach. Impeccable record. Offensive mastermind. Has done a respectable job with South Carolina despite a lack of resources and talent.

Nays: At times seems disinterested and lacks energy of some of the league’s younger coaches. Would also only come if offered a huge paycheck which could be money wasted in just a few years when Spurrier decides he needs more time to hit the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.

Odds of becoming Auburn’s 25th head coach:  100 to 1

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