The Chizak Bomb Has Exploded at Auburn, Now We're Seeing The Fallout

Ok, the bomb has exploded.  Everyone has reported on it.  Most have been shocked by it.  Everyone seems to have an opinion of it.  Gene Chizik was hired as the new head coach at Auburn.

Though nothing will match the shock and awe of the initial explosion, the fallout will be interesting to watch.  It has already begun.

First there was the now infamous YouTube footage of a the fan who showed up to welcome the plane back to Auburn.  The fan heckled.  Loudly and persistently.  Not a good first sign for a first impression.  You could hear no cheers from anyone, just the heckler.

Then there was the absolute meltdown on the Auburn boards where fans did everything but but cut their wrists and sit in ashes in sackcloth.  Their comments were entertaining, unless you were an Auburn fan.

Then there was the beginning of the fallout from the Iowa State backers.  It was a resounding sigh of relief to be rid of him. 

Paul Clark of the CycloneReport.com said, "I must admit, even I am surprised at the bizarre turn of events whereby he failed miserably at Iowa State and still got to jump on the very first opportunity that came along to move back south. What the hell Auburn is thinking is anybody's guess. And who cares. Because it just unburdened Iowa State of its most unprepared, over matched and incompetent head coach of the modern era."

Then of course the national media weighed in. Dave Curtis of The Sporting News says, "Can Chizik win? The track record says no, and that Auburn might be in for even more disorganization than last season's internal meltdown."  In fact a Sport News headline read, "Auburn Has Become Job Nobody Wants."

Of course, none of the current Tigers at Auburn had apparently never heard of him, despite the fact that some fifth year seniors may have gotten a call from him at one time.  Current Auburn quarterback Kodi Burns summed it up with, "Who?  Is that a real person or are you kidding with me?"

And cornerback Walt McFadden, who was recruited to Auburn by Chizik, said, “First we were wondering, who’s this guy?  He came in and everybody just calmed down and it was a big relief that we finally got somebody..."  Ah, such respect.

Speaking of players, the ones Auburn were hoping to sign are jumping ship like passengers on the Titanic.  One one recruit has said he is still solidly an Auburn man no matter who coaches.  Again, another sounding clap of respect for Chizik.

Lastly there is the fallout to come from the administration itself.  Some has already happened.  Only invited guests and selected members of the press will be allowed to partake in the "official" press conference today.  They are trying to keep out people like the airport heckler and press people who may ask the question everyone is wondering, "What the hell were you thinking when you hired this loser?"

Fallout inside the administration will be coming for a while.  Auburn A.D. Jay Jacobs will undoubtedly sink along with Chizik if the ship does indeed go down after Gene's turn at the wheel.

So there you have it.  Except for the Auburn administration, the fans, the Auburn players, the Iowa State players and administration, the majority of the press corps, the students and former players all agree that the fallout is FAR from over.

Grab a seat, preferably one with a seat belt, and hang on.  This is going to be a fun ride with some possible secondary explosions and a lot more fallout.