College and Magnolia has obtained Auburn’s shortlist
Auburn has parted ways with former head coach Bryan Harsin, according to a statement released by the University. New Athletic Director John Cohen will begin his search immediately. Traditionally, hiring a new football coach at a Power 5 school will make or break an Athletic Director’s legacy. This is no different at Auburn - Allen Greene’s legacy is largely defined by his decision to hire Harsin.
National media outlets will soon release a shortlist of potential candidates to replace Harsin. However, those lists will all be incorrect – they aren’t familiar with the way Auburn hires coaches. An ancient prophecy guides the Auburn hiring process. The National Media will ignore this and publish a list of Jimmy Sexton clients, but those reporters don’t recite the Auburn Creed ™ every morning and every evening. So What does the prophecy say? It’s actually in the third stanza of the Auburn Creed™, but I’ll forgive you for not being familiar with this section of George Petrie’s words. Allow me to explain.
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What does every former Auburn head coach (in the last 30 years) have in common? Each fall into one of two categories: a former coordinator with head coach experience or a head coach of an opponent beaten by his predecessor.
Terry Bowden was Samford’s head coach in 1992. Auburn beat Samford 55-0 that season. Pat Dye resigned after the 1992 Iron Bowl and Terry Bowden was hired to replace him.
Fast forward to 1998 and things are not going well for head Coach Terry Bowden. However, he managed to beat Tommy Tuberville’s Ole Miss team 17-0 before resigning midseason. After the completion of the 1998 season, Tuberville was hired as Auburn’s next head coach.
Gene Chizik was Auburn’s defensive coordinator for three seasons. He later became the head coach of Iowa State. After two seasons as the Cyclones’ head coach, Auburn hired Chizik as Tuberville’s replacement.
Gus Malzahn was Auburn’s offensive coordinator for three seasons. He left Auburn to become the head coach of Arkansas State. After the 2012 season, Auburn hired Malzahn away from Arkansas State to replace Chizik.
Bryan Harsin was Arkansas State’s head coach in 2013. Auburn beat Arkansas State 38-9 that season before making their magical run that ended in Pasadena. Harsin was eventually hired to replace Malzahn after the 2020 season concluded.
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As you can see, Auburn Athletic Directors are sworn to uphold the entire Auburn Creed ™, including the lesser-known portions relating to hiring football coaches. Here is the entire list of potential candidates Exclusively obtained by College and Magnolia dot com:
Tom Arth
- Qualification: former head coach of Akron, beaten by Harsin in 2021
- Current Status: Arth is currently serving as the Passing Game specialist for the San Diego Chargers.
- Auburn HC Rating: 1/10
- Justification: Arth’s 3-24 record at Akron speaks for itself.
Donald Hill-Eley
- Qualification: former head coach of Alabama State, beaten by Harsin in 2021
- Current Status: Hill-Eley is currently serving as the Running Backs coach at Georgia Tech
- Auburn HC Rating: 2/10
- Justification: Zero experience in the SEC at any capacity, but at 80 career wins as a head coach, would be the most experienced candidate Auburn has ever hired.
Drew Chronic
- Qualification: Current head coach of Mercer, beaten by Harsin in 2022
- Auburn HC Rating: 2/10
- Justification: In Mercer’s first seven games this season, they lost once: to Auburn. I’m just saying, we could do much worse.
Brent Brennan
- Qualification: Current head coach of San Jose State, beaten by Harsin in 2022
- Auburn HC Rating: 2/10
- Justification: Brennan was able to use the transfer portal to find a serviceable quarterback. He is familiar with the west coast recruiting scene. However, his in-game coaching decisions were kind of terrible against Auburn. Pass.
Shawn Elliot
- Qualification: Current head coach of Georgia State, beaten by Harsin in 2021
- Auburn HC Rating: 4/10
- Justification: You might scoff, but Elliot served as Steve Spurrier’s offensive line coach for years before accepting the head job at Georgia State. An offensive line boost is exactly what Auburn could use. His path is similar to that of Sam Pittman.
Eli Drinkwitz
- Qualification: Current head coach of Missouri, beaten by Harsin in 2022
- Auburn HC Rating: 4/10
- Justification: Drinkwitz has Auburn connections (on staff in 2010 and 2011) and a conference title (2019 Sun Belt) on his resume. His coaching at Missouri has been vanilla at best. If you’re looking for a disappointing yet potentially plausible hire on this list, he’s the guy.
Mike Bobo
- Qualification: Auburn’s offensive coordinator in 2021 and former head coach of Colorado State
- Current Status: Bobo is currently serving as an analyst for Kirby Smart at Georgia
- Auburn HC Rating: 2/10
- Justification: Five whole seasons of head coach experience is a net positive for Bobo, but he was never able to capitalize on his moderately successful start at Colorado State.
Derek Mason
- Qualification: Auburn’s defensive coordinator in 2021 and former head coach of Vanderbilt
- Current Status: Mason is currently serving as the Defensive Coordinator for Oklahoma State
- Auburn HC Rating: 3/10
- Justification: Mason has extensive head coach experience in the SEC, something not everyone on this list can boast about. However, he was unable to achieve a single winning season at Vanderbilt.
Sam Pittman
- Qualification: Current head coach of Arkansas, beaten by Harsin in 2021
- Auburn HC Rating: 7/10
- Justification: After a career as an FBS assistant, Pittman is making the most of his time to shine. He managed to use the transfer portal to navigate Arkansas out of a ravine Chad Morris left them in. Sound familiar?
Ed Orgeron
Qualification: former head coach of LSU, beaten by Harsin in 2021
Current Status: Living the dream
Auburn HC Rating: 8/10
Justification: Ed Orgeron is a national championship winning head coach. He’s recruited premium offensive line talent and a Heisman Trophy Winner. He’s experienced, unemployed (no buyout!), and knows how to cheat recruit effectively. Hopefully he has learned from his mistakes and won’t hire Bo Pelini to coach his defense again.
Lane Kiffin
- Qualification: Current head coach of Ole Miss, beaten by Harsin in 2021
- Auburn HC Rating: 10/10
- Justification: Lane Kiffin is an offensive mastermind. He will be able to recruit immediately, bringing skill position and offensive line talent to Auburn, where it is desperately needed. He has NFL Head Coaching experience (people forget this!) and plenty of SEC head coaching experience. He’s the lone candidate on this list that attended the Nick Saban School for Wayward Coaches. Hire him today.
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According to the prophecy, one of these eleven individuals will be Auburn’s head coach in 2023. In the words of our former head coach, “Just Watch.”
from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2022/10/31/23425187/exclusive-bye-bye-harsin
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