Ten Candidates For Auburn Football Coaching Search After Hugh Freeze Firing

When Auburn dismissed Bryan Harsin aft a disastrous tally connected nan Plains, nan Tigers made it a privilege to find personification who had plentifulness of SEC experience, knew really to tally a high-functioning discourtesy and could enlistee pinch nan champion of them fixed that their 2 main rivals, Alabama and Georgia, were operating astatine highest efficiency.

Despite nan evident blowback that was ever going to travel pinch his hire, Auburn opted to bring successful Hugh Freeze because he checked disconnected each of those boxes aft his successful rehabilitation stint astatine Liberty. If you could look past nan off-field issues and investigations that forced him from Mississippi—and nan Tigers definitely did that—then nan prime made cleanable sense. 

The best-laid plans seldom spell arsenic expected successful assemblage shot however—and surely not astatine a spot for illustration Auburn. The schoolhouse lived up to nan program’s estimation for hastiness by dismissing Freeze aft conscionable 3 seasons connected Sunday pursuing a dismal 10–3 nonaccomplishment to Kentucky. The seasoned caput coach wraps up his tenure pinch a 15–19 wide people and, for once, had issues connected nan section lead to his exit aft failing to find a decent backmost and failing to show overmuch of thing offensively.

Now nan Tigers are successful nan marketplace for different caput coach, and it’s a crowded 1 astatine that. Still, location are a big of qualities that make this an charismatic gig, from entree to talent successful authorities and crossed nan authorities borders pinch Georgia and Florida, a passionate instrumentality guidelines consenting to measurement up pinch resources and a somewhat amended aligned management nowadays. Yes location are amended jobs, moreover successful nan SEC, but this is 1 of those schools wherever you tin easy triumph a nationalist title.

What guidance will they spell connected nan Plains? Here are 10 candidates for nan job:

There was a very nationalist flirtation pinch Kiffin a fewer years agone earlier nan schoolhouse moved connected to Freeze, but nan dream will stay live astatine Auburn until Kiffin firmly announces wherever he’s coaching adjacent year. He has amended options, including remaining successful Oxford, Miss., but 1 ne'er knows. 

Rhett Lashlee, SMU caput coach

Lashlee earned a two-year statement hold amid speculation he could beryllium successful play for a number of SEC jobs, including astatine his alma mater of Arkansas. The Auburn gig is astir apt connected nan precocious extremity of what he tin land, and it would beryllium to a spot he knows good arsenic a erstwhile violative coordinator for nan Tigers. Don’t discount nan anticipation of him being capable to bring a number of his SMU players pinch him to nan Plains either.

The only mobility is which SEC gig Sumrall winds up taking arsenic he’s tailor-made to coach successful nan league. He grew up successful nan state, played astatine Kentucky, coached successful nan convention arsenic an adjunct and won large conscionable down nan roadworthy astatine Troy. He sewage nan Green Wave into nan heavy of nan American title race, but his protect inheritance and nan measurement he runs a programme could beryllium cleanable for what Auburn is looking for.

Tulane coach Jon Sumrall is apt to upwind up astatine a bigger occupation during this coaching cycle. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Alex Golesh, South Florida caput coach

Another basking sanction retired of nan American, Golesh will beryllium highly weighted for his expertise to put together a very watchable discourtesy and for turning things astir successful a large measurement successful Tampa. He was a coordinator astatine Tennessee arsenic nan Vols turned around, and his connections successful nan convention footprint would statement up good for a occupation for illustration this.

In what was expected to beryllium a flimsy stepback play for Memphis, Silverfield has kept nan squad correct location successful nan convention race. He’s sewage a wealthiness of acquisition each complete (including nan NFL) and has plentifulness of connections successful cardinal recruiting areas that Auburn targets. He whitethorn not beryllium nan feline who metaphorically wins nan news convention but would beryllium a severely needed big successful nan room for nan Tigers who tin get nan programme pointed successful nan correct guidance to commencement winning large again.

Dan Mullen, UNLV caput coach

Could different ex-SEC coach who is an violative mind switch another? If nan Tigers are smart, they would springiness a look astatine Mullen arsenic Xs and Os person ne'er been nan rumor pinch him and his way records to nan eastbound and westbound of Auburn are astir arsenic bully arsenic could beryllium expected successful a hunt for illustration this. He would request to person a beardown unit broadside successful spot to let him to attraction efforts betwixt nan lines, but acquiring talent hasn’t been nan biggest rumor for nan schoolhouse recently. 

Even pinch Brown’s 2nd play successful New York getting derailed by a backmost injury, he could good get immoderate looks for bigger jobs aft winning 10 games past season. Though he loves being successful nan Northeast, he was 1 of Georgia’s champion recruiters earlier becoming a fiery caput coach.

Jon Gruden, erstwhile NFL caput coach

If ever a schoolhouse didn’t mind immoderate questionable communications and a checkered past, it’s Auburn. Gruden has expressed a desire to return a assemblage occupation and nan Tigers would tick nan boxes disconnected successful position of prestige, location and expertise for nan instrumentality guidelines to bargain in. Key questions would person to beryllium what is his unit and would he support nan existing unit building successful place? Auburn can’t spend to spot this go a Bill Belichick–like circus connected nan Plains.

James Franklin has had occurrence successful nan SEC before, making him an intriguing campaigner for Auburn. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Franklin has spent overmuch of his profession northbound of nan Mason-Dixon Line but nan 1 clip he ventured south, he coiled up winning 18 games successful 2 years astatine Vanderbilt (without a Diego Pavia to do truthful either). This would beryllium nan astir experienced, accomplished coach that Auburn could prosecute and you cognize he would beryllium excited to dive correct successful astatine a spot for illustration this if he tin overcome nan questions astir nan extremity of his Penn State tenure.

Jimbo Fisher, erstwhile Texas A&M caput coach

Fisher has danced astir nan Auburn occupation a fewer times, having played astatine Samford and past coached quarterbacks nether Terry Bowden for a very successful stretch. Could he person nan Tigers that he’s changed arsenic a caput coach aft reliable endings astatine Texas A&M and Florida State? If he has, this could beryllium nan large sanction that nan schoolhouse would easy beryllium capable to land.

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