Auburn fires Gus Malzahn

Petitioning to change this thread title to “Malzahn shitcanned”

 

18 hours ago, DFW Horn said:

I doubt the Auburn AD has more than two.

Well, it is Alabama.

17 hours ago, taybo20 said:

I mean you can say all that but having conviction is necessary. Maybe auburn made a bad choice, and time will tell. But they felt the need to change the trajectory of the program and pulled the trigger. I don’t see conviction in the Texas AD or boosters and that’s a problem.

What is the difference between bravery and stupidity?  ND stuck with Kelly and that dude lost to Charlie Strong's team and now they have an opportunity to enter the CFP.  A carousel of coaching changes is not a path of success and getting another wrong guy for the sake of change is not a good strategy, but is is a strategy.  It is also the strategy that removed Mack Brown for Charlie Strong and Rick Barnes for Shaka Smart.   Getting the next wrong guy just kicks the can down the road for a few more years.   I am fine with Tom Herman staying if the options are lateral or bigger question marks.  Our coordinators seem rather solid and another year to get going should help.  Our defense improved a bit and the o-line looks like it has some decent options returning.  WR is a question mark still, RB game is very good, QB is a question mark with Card/Thompson but should be alright especially with the improved run game.   I know it was KSU, but Sterns understudy looked to be an improvement.   

This isn't the same as Charlie Strong's tenure where the team looked like a bunch of dudes pulled off the streets of Kabul that looked clueless to the game of football.   That warranted an immediate kneejerk reaction.  

19 hours ago, TommyGufano said:

Was curious to see what high worth individual attended Auburn.

Tim Cook went to Auburn?!?! Wut? Doubt he gives a fuck about football, but I had him pegged (😬) as a coastal university kind of guy

The Yella Fella AKA Jimmy Rane Owner of YellaWood is the big board member, the one who much of their money comes from.  Maybe Milton McGregor left a bunch of his bingo-sino money to Auburn. The Auburn players used to get cash cards from his operation.

Auburn thinks they are getting Cristobal.  Who lost to California and Oregon State this year.  I don't know why they want him but he's just leveraging Auburn's interest into a long term contract with Oregon after a crappy year.  Auburn's not going to get an established coach. Nobody is going to want to leave a good gig and go to a place where the main rivals are Bama, Georgia, and LSU.  Malzhan did a great job there, and held his own recruiting against those guys, at least until this year, which is a dumpster fire.

Auburn will be stuck getting some hot coach from a small school or an assistant, somebody like Billy Napier or Tony Elliot. We know those hires always work out.

The juxtaposition of viewpoints on this is fascinating.  Feels like half the posters think this was a genius move by Auburn, mostly because it fits the narrative to fire Herman.  Meanwhile, the other half think this was a stupid move by Auburn because Gus wasn’t that bad and the chances of hiring someone better are pretty low.

25 minutes ago, Landomatic said:

The juxtaposition of viewpoints on this is fascinating.  Feels like half the posters think this was a genius move by Auburn, mostly because it fits the narrative to fire Herman.  Meanwhile, the other half think this was a stupid move by Auburn because Gus wasn’t that bad and the chances of hiring someone better are pretty low.

I don't think it was a genius move by Auburn. However, it does continue to show that the complacent way we manage our football program is not how the most serious football schools are doing it.

We will see how this offseason, well pending the Cheeze-it Bowl, goes.

I only wish I could have been there at Kansas State to throw Cheeze-its on the field to celebrate our bowl season.

40 minutes ago, Landomatic said:

The juxtaposition of viewpoints on this is fascinating.  Feels like half the posters think this was a genius move by Auburn, mostly because it fits the narrative to fire Herman.  Meanwhile, the other half think this was a stupid move by Auburn because Gus wasn’t that bad and the chances of hiring someone better are pretty low.

Auburn and shitty coaching decisions. Name a better pair.

They have Little Brother Syndrome and Saban is reeling off NC's while they are firing decent coaches. The irony is that they'll probably get someone as average as Gus and then bitch when they finish with 9 wins every year. 

But SEC, SEC, SEC.

I'm struggling to see who they are going to get who will nail this recruiting window and have them winning natties next year.

 

This feels a lot more like A&M guaranteeing $75m to keep averaging 8 wins.

Maybe they'll lure Jimbo away from aggy.  $15m/year.

2 minutes ago, Liquor and Poker said:

Maybe they'll lure Jimbo away from aggy.  $15m/year.

You just harelip every aggy.

20 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

Add it to the list of coaches fired after losing to aggy the past 2 seasons. 

That must be why CDC is keeping Herman - he's never lost to aggy!

This is setting up nicely for Jimbo. Auburn and LSU both trending downward, Ole Miss and Miss St still more than one year away from doing any damage and that's if all things fall into place for Joey Freshwater and the Pirate. Arkansas and South Carolina aren't ever going to be trouble for a semi-competent Aggie corch.

If he can manage to keep his hot DC from getting poached, and upgrade his QB room, he may be unquestioned #2 to Bama. We're #2! We're #2! hey... that's as good as #1 in any other conference. Especially as you see us backing into the playoffs! ;)

So now we wait for Saban to retire. We, as in the whole damn college football world other than Bama. :D

 

41 minutes ago, PHLaggie said:

This is setting up nicely for Jimbo. Auburn and LSU both trending downward, Ole Miss and Miss St still more than one year away from doing any damage and that's if all things fall into place for Joey Freshwater and the Pirate. Arkansas and South Carolina aren't ever going to be trouble for a semi-competent Aggie corch.

If he can manage to keep his hot DC from getting poached, and upgrade his QB room, he may be unquestioned #2 to Bama. We're #2! We're #2! hey... that's as good as #1 in any other conference. Especially as you see us backing into the playoffs!

So now we wait for Saban to retire. We, as in the whole damn college football world other than Bama.

 

 

 

That’s a big ‘if’.

 

Auburn is a good job in some ways but a bad job in others.  They're committed to winning (duh), good money, and great recruiting grounds.  However, their boosters are deranged and quite frankly unreasonable.  They think they're a 11 win per year team and they're not.  They're more like 8/9 with once every four years making a good push.  They play Bama, LSU, and Aggy every year.  Arky plays them close when they're serviceable and then you're playing Georgia every year.  Yet, Boosters still think a national title every year is the norm.

Boosters are also wheels off.  

Gus Bus.

9 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Auburn is a good job in some ways but a bad job in others.  They're committed to winning (duh), good money, and great recruiting grounds.  However, their boosters are deranged and quite frankly unreasonable.  They think they're a 11 win per year team and they're not.  They're more like 8/9 with once every four years making a good push.  They play Bama, LSU, and Aggy every year.  Arky plays them close when they're serviceable and then you're playing Georgia every year.  Yet, Boosters still think a national title every year is the norm.

Boosters are also wheels off.  

True story - Aubarn is the AL aggy for crissakes!

How many Cam Newtons can they expect to push them over the top?

1 hour ago, Hurtlocker said:

I'm struggling to see who they are going to get who will nail this recruiting window and have them winning natties next year.

 

This feels a lot more like A&M guaranteeing $75m to keep averaging 8 wins.

Hmmm

 

8 minutes ago, DFW Horn said:

True story - Aubarn is the AL aggy for crissakes!

How many Cam Newtons can they expect to push them over the top?

Auburn may be delusional, but there is no way they can be aggy delusional because they've actually accomplished something.

I have this feeling that GM might end up at TCU

he and GP kind of look the same and they both have that over the top sideline emotion

he would fit perfect with the GP style of "let the offense do whatever the fuck it wants" while I coach defense

it would be like having two head coaches that take turns for their side of the ball

if thinks go well eventually GM takes over

58 minutes ago, Gene Parmesan said:

Auburn may be delusional, but there is no way they can be aggy delusional because they've actually accomplished something.

Agreed. 2010 MNC is slightly more 'something' than the 1939 MNC.

talking about Auburn's grandiose plans... Pat Forde makes an interesting comparison with UT. Sorry if already shared.

https://www.si.com/college/2020/12/14/forde-yard-dash-auburn-texas-coaching-decisions

 

5 hours ago, Nivek said:

What is the difference between bravery and stupidity?  ND stuck with Kelly and that dude lost to Charlie Strong's team and now they have an opportunity to enter the CFP.  A carousel of coaching changes is not a path of success and getting another wrong guy for the sake of change is not a good strategy, but is is a strategy.  It is also the strategy that removed Mack Brown for Charlie Strong and Rick Barnes for Shaka Smart.   Getting the next wrong guy just kicks the can down the road for a few more years.   I am fine with Tom Herman staying if the options are lateral or bigger question marks.  Our coordinators seem rather solid and another year to get going should help.  Our defense improved a bit and the o-line looks like it has some decent options returning.  WR is a question mark still, RB game is very good, QB is a question mark with Card/Thompson but should be alright especially with the improved run game.   I know it was KSU, but Sterns understudy looked to be an improvement.   

This isn't the same as Charlie Strong's tenure where the team looked like a bunch of dudes pulled off the streets of Kabul that looked clueless to the game of football.   That warranted an immediate kneejerk reaction.  

I’m not taking anything from KSU. That team had just been decimated by ISU and had nothing left to give and had a true freshman QB. The defense was also weakened substantially. There are coaching issues and if changing all the coordinators and most of the assistants doesn’t show you that, then you are confused. Herman has yet to prove anything except that he loses games he needs to win... 1-3 vs TCU, 1-4 vs Ou, 2-2 vs isu and OSU. Sometimes a spade is a spade

3 hours ago, Js1 said:

Hmmm

 

Come for the plains, stay for the rapin?

Posted this in the Coaching Carousel thread:

 

Kevin Steele is Peak Auburn. Average coach who will never win more than 10 games and will get a 25 million dollar buyout. Rinse. Repeat.

4 minutes ago, Cheeseweasel said:

Kevin Steele is Peak Auburn. Average coach who will never win more than 10 games and will get a 25 million dollar buyout. Rinse. Repeat.

Wasn’t he the architect of that Baylor goal line stand that resulted in points for the opposing team? The 99 miracle.

Steele rumor may just be a smokescreen to buy more time since Oregon now playing against USC in PAC12 Championship this weekend.

 

Also, Gus says fairwell to Auburn fans....

16 minutes ago, LTtxfan said:

Steele rumor may just be a smokescreen to buy more time since Oregon now playing against USC in PAC12 Championship this weekend.

 

Wonder if Steele's camp leaked it?

16 hours ago, Nivek said:

What is the difference between bravery and stupidity?

 A big money donor to foot the bill.  ND might very well have canned Kelly after 2016 if they hadn't signed a big extension in 2015.

Steele rumor may just be a smokescreen to buy more time since Oregon now playing against USC in PAC12 Championship this weekend.

Are you referring to Cristobal?

Didn't he just sign an extension, like in the last 48 hrs?

Has Urban declined interest in the Auburn job yet?

They should go after Elliott or Venables

Edited December 15, 2020 by dcar00

Auburn making us look good. Multiple factions developing...from an SI article:

Another camp likes defensive coordinator Kevin Steele (34). That quickly gained traction Monday afternoon, and that also would be the Auburn-est hire imaginable. Would a school pay more than $21 million to buy out a coach only to hire his assistant? A guy who had a 9-36 record as a head coach at Baylor—including a 1-31 conference record? One school might.

Wow Kevin Steele. That takes me back.

 

Yeah, Kevin Steele ain't happening.  They want Cristobal, but he's just playing them for a new contract at Oregon. Once they finally figure that out, they'll hire Napier.

What a shitshow.  Kudos to them for doing it before signing day though.  They will likely regret that.

No way Phil Knight lets Cristobal leave for an Under Armour school unless he's totally out on the guy. Steele rumors may be to keep recruits on board. Would be a crazy hire.

Think it comes down to Freeze and Napier, maybe Sark. Freeze is the choice if they can stomach the off field history.

On 12/14/2020 at 9:17 AM, Landomatic said:

The juxtaposition of viewpoints on this is fascinating.  Feels like half the posters think this was a genius move by Auburn, mostly because it fits the narrative to fire Herman.  Meanwhile, the other half think this was a stupid move by Auburn because Gus wasn’t that bad and the chances of hiring someone better are pretty low.

Good initiative; bad decision making.

14 minutes ago, Tex-19 said:

No way Phil Knight lets Cristobal leave for an Under Armour school unless he's totally out on the guy. Steele rumors may be to keep recruits on board. Would be a crazy hire.

Think it comes down to Freeze and Napier, maybe Sark. Freeze is the choice if they can stomach the off field history.

Auburn isn't  going to hire Freeze.  They have enough NCAA trouble with Pearl.  Sarkasian maybe, ugg. 

At this point it wouldn't shock me if they ended up hiring Malzhan

Just now, JohnLocke said:

Auburn isn't  going to hire Freeze.  They have enough NCAA trouble with Pearl.  Sarkasian maybe, ugg. 

what does ncaa trouble even mean these days? a couple of bad headlines?

Just now, Hurtlocker said:

At this point it wouldn't shock me if they ended up hiring Malzhan

they could probably get him cheap since he is already being paid with the buyout from his last job

16 minutes ago, JohnLocke said:

Auburn isn't  going to hire Freeze.  They have enough NCAA trouble with Pearl.  Sarkasian maybe, ugg. 

If they're willing to hire Cristobal, I don't think they're too concerned about NCAA rules

Malzahn is a good coach; he went head to head with Georgia, Alabama, LSU, and Florida in recruiting and brought in top ten classes every year.  Only place he screwed up was O line recruiting. Sound familiar?   This year, however, was a mess. Recruiting fell apart for the first time. I'm surprised he didn't get another year, but once that spiral starts, it is hard to reverse without a change. 

Just now, Tex-19 said:

If they're willing to hire Cristobal, I don't think they're too concerned about NCAA rules

It's not so much that they are concerned about them.  More that they don't want to invite the NCAA to scrutinize them. Which would happen with Freeze hire.

Freeze is the choice if they can stomach the off field history.

Come on. This is Auburn here.

Auburn isn't  going to hire Freeze.  They have enough NCAA trouble with Pearl.  Sarkasian maybe, ugg. 

See above ^^^

1 hour ago, Tex-19 said:

Auburn making us look good. Multiple factions developing...from an SI article:

Another camp likes defensive coordinator Kevin Steele (34). That quickly gained traction Monday afternoon, and that also would be the Auburn-est hire imaginable. Would a school pay more than $21 million to buy out a coach only to hire his assistant? A guy who had a 9-36 record as a head coach at Baylor—including a 1-31 conference record? One school might.

It's almost like that's how it works at the vast majority of big schools and Texas fans just like to cry a lot because they care too much about "what will everyone think of us?!?"

5 minutes ago, JohnLocke said:

Malzahn is a good coach; he went head to head with Georgia, Alabama, LSU, and Florida in recruiting and brought in top ten classes every year.  Only place he screwed up was O line recruiting. Sound familiar?   This year, however, was a mess. Recruiting fell apart for the first time. I'm surprised he didn't get another year, but once that spiral starts, it is hard to reverse without a change. 

recruiting tanked because the bagmen stopped paying players so they could get rid of Gus.

19 hours ago, Hurtlocker said:

Wonder if Steele's camp leaked it?

6 minutes ago, The Dog said:

recruiting tanked because the bagmen stopped paying players so they could get rid of Gus.

possibly. What happened to Herman this year.