Gene Chizik Auburns new coach

**Husker36** · 12-13-08, 11:40 PM

I don't understand the hiring and firing in college football. While I'm not a fan of Frank Solich he was fired from Nebraska after a 9 win season?!?! Then they bring in Callahan who completely destroyed Nebraskas pride and tradition. I'm glad we found a good coach now and hopefully he will stay. We may only win 6 games next year with a very YOUNG team...... so I hope the fans don't call for his job next year.

I was happy to see Notre Dame is sticking with Charlie Weise. It's college football. You are not going to win a National Championship every year. Colleges are quick to fire a coach after a losing season.

Phil Fulmer was fired from UT this year. Really? He was COACH OF THE YEAR in 1998 and won a national championship with UT. So now he is a BAD coach?

I dont know. Tom Osbourne coached at Nebraska from 1973-1994 before he won a National Championship. 21 years! Then went 60-3 over his last 5 seasons and won 3 Championships.

Everyone is looking for the QUICK fix these days.....

**Husker36** · 12-13-08, 11:44 PM

OH and BTW..... in 1997 Nebraska and Michigan SPLIT the National Championship. Nebraska beat Peyton Manning and the Vols 42-17..... Michigan beat RYAN LEAF! HA! And Washington St 21-16.

Is it fair to say that Nebraska was a better team???

**pags11** · 12-14-08, 12:57 AM

I'm not sure I quite understand this hire either...what did Chizik do at ISU that warrants a good SEC coaching job after two years?...

**JRS21386** · 12-14-08, 01:00 AM

The most ridiculous hire of this decade... Auburn will be terrible for the next 10 years... Unproven, Not good for recruiting at all..

**poetwarrior41** · 12-14-08, 01:49 AM

5-19 at Iowa State......Love the SEC, this cat will be run out of town after 1 season. Should have hired Turner Gill, guarantee he would have out recruited Saban.

**Husker36** · 12-14-08, 02:25 AM

NEWS FLASH!!! TURNER GILL is BLACK!

No way Auburn hires a black coach. It's too bad..... he could use some more experience before he comes back to Huskerland.

**Doc JS** · 12-14-08, 12:28 PM

Originally posted by pags11

I'm not sure I quite understand this hire either...what did Chizik do at ISU that warrants a good SEC coaching job after two years?...

pags,
I think you know the answer...the answer is he did NOTHING at ISU to warrant this hire.

There was a faction at Auburn who wanted TT gone. They couldn't get rid of him when he was winning big. He has one bad year and they can him...

Then Auburn finds that they can't give the job away. Turned down by Muschamp and Jimbo Fisher. Interviewed Turner Gill. But let's face it, Auburn didn't fire TT because they had a hard-on for improving the minority hire rate in NCAAF.

So, they wind up giving it to someone who would take it and that they knew from his stay as Auburn's defensive co-ordinator.

But anybody who thinks Auburn has signifantly upgraded their head coach is OFTFM! And they got exactly what they deserved!!!

Doc

**purecarnagge** · 12-14-08, 12:32 PM

Gene is a good coach that got left with no talent, and that isn't his fault. ISU has terrible facilities, and anyone that would want to play there heads to nebraska normally...

He was under Mac Brown from Texas for the longest time. This guy knows what he is doing, he just wasn't given a very good job for his first experience.

I think he'll do fine at auburn but he's not going to set the world on fire. What better options did you have?

**EBone** · 12-14-08, 01:05 PM

Originally posted by purecarnagge

Gene is a good coach that got left with no talent, and that isn't his fault. ISU has terrible facilities, and anyone that would want to play there heads to nebraska normally...

He was under Mac Brown from Texas for the longest time. This guy knows what he is doing, he just wasn't given a very good job for his first experience.

I think he'll do fine at auburn but he's not going to set the world on fire. What better options did you have?

I thought I had read that Tuberville resigned on his own. Didn't the Auburn AD say he was "shocked" to receive Tuberville's resignation and had no plans to fire Tuberville? Now, having said that, I am sure there were other strong pressures that made him make a decision to resign.

To me, Tuberville is a motivator of men. Yes, I think he made a grandiose mistake in the firing of OC Franklin at mid-season. My assessment is that Tuberville wouldn't totally commit to Franklin's offense, hence the lack of direction on the offensive side of the ball. So, Tuberville should have not hired Franklin at all or fully committed to the offense.

I would think that some of these coaching vacancies should have Tuberville as one of the 1st on their lists. I really believe that he is a solid coach. He made some mistakes this season but, all-in-all, he's solid.

E

**purecarnagge** · 12-14-08, 01:20 PM

Originally posted by EBone

I thought I had read that Tuberville resigned on his own. Didn't the Auburn AD say he was "shocked" to receive Tuberville's resignation and had no plans to fire Tuberville? Now, having said that, I am sure there were other strong pressures that made him make a decision to resign.

To me, Tuberville is a motivator of men. Yes, I think he made a grandiose mistake in the firing of OC Franklin at mid-season. My assessment is that Tuberville wouldn't totally commit to Franklin's offense, hence the lack of direction on the offensive side of the ball. So, Tuberville should have not hired Franklin at all or fully committed to the offense.

I would think that some of these coaching vacancies should have Tuberville as one of the 1st on their lists. I really believe that he is a solid coach. He made some mistakes this season but, all-in-all, he's solid.

E

what does you quoting my post have to do with your response?

**dle** · 12-14-08, 01:51 PM

So we measure a guy by what he can't do at Iowa State and forget what he did with defenses at Texas & Auburn?

**EBone** · 12-14-08, 01:53 PM

purecarnagge,

No reason and my mistake.

I suppose I actually should've have quoted the original poster, bama22. My initial point was that, if Tuberville had wanted to return, he could have according to the public comments of the Auburn AD but, as was stated in the thread, the Auburn alumni must be sum-bitches to deal with.

E

**CaneDawg** · 12-14-08, 01:54 PM

Love the hire

GO DAWGS

**EBone** · 12-14-08, 02:04 PM

This hire is kinda like betting the Detroit Lions today. If the Lions cover, then you say, "man those guys must have known what they were doing". If the Lions don't cover, then you say "what in the world were they thinkin'".......A sorta feast or famine mentality.

I have to say though: I don't think Turner Gill would have been the answer for Auburn for a multitude of reasons. I do think Turner Gill could be the answer for someone in the Northeast (recruiting purposes) or the Big 12 North (heritage, tradition and recruiting purposes). Turner Gill to Iowa State, anyone???????

E

**bigboydan** · 12-14-08, 02:09 PM

Chizik was a hot head coaching candidate last year, so I can understand this hiring.

**dle** · 12-14-08, 02:23 PM

Originally posted by EBone

I have to say though: I don't think Turner Gill would have been the answer for Auburn for a multitude of reasons. I do think Turner Gill could be the answer for someone in the Northeast (recruiting purposes) or the Big 12 North (heritage, tradition and recruiting purposes). Turner Gill to Iowa State, anyone???????

Pretty much, you're saying racism is an issue in the South. Yet whenever people say it's a problem it's laughed at or dismissed.

**bama22** · 12-14-08, 05:51 PM

Auburn took what they could reel in. They couldnt get a winning/proven coach because of the boosters who that actually make the calls down there. Bobby Louder is the Al Davis/Jerry Jones of Auburn. If he dont like it you can bet your ass it is changed to his liking. They can promise all day long that Louder doesnt make the calls but that just isnt true. This AD is a puppet and will be the fall guy when all this comes crashing down in 2years. Until Louder is gone Auburn will never have a WOW hire. No coach will accept this job with not having complete control. Chizik should have stayed in Iowa St where he can lose and get paid.

**EBone** · 12-14-08, 11:46 PM

Originally posted by dle

Pretty much, you're saying racism is an issue in the South. Yet whenever people say it's a problem it's laughed at or dismissed.

Maybe racism is too harsh of a term. Let's say "tradition" would be one of the "multitude of reasons" I posted earlier plus I think recruiting is a very, very big deal. If you don't have some connections in the SE for big time athletes, I would think that, starting from scratch, would not be a good career move for Gill and it sounds like Auburn's expectations are skewed by the power base. I do think that the Iowa State job is a good fit for Gill.

I think bama22's last post makes a whole lot of sense. Auburn, in my opinion, should command a higher profile name than Chizik simply because of the conference they play in. If what is posted is true and I have no reason not to believe that, then Auburn is going to start having some real problems in the foreseeable future. bama22, is it your take that Tuberville was forced to bring in Franklin by guys like Louder or was Franklin forced out by guys like Louder or was it simply a mistake by Tuberville as is my perception?

E

**ZBOIZ** · 12-15-08, 12:01 AM

Plain and simple!!

A very bad hiring!

**The Seer** · 12-15-08, 12:02 AM

Originally posted by poetwarrior41

Should have hired Turner Gill, guarantee he would have out recruited Saban.

no way, Saban is a proven name and recruiter

**ZBOIZ** · 12-15-08, 12:04 AM

Some coaches are great coordinators but not great head coaches. Chizik will not do anything for that program. You heard it first hear. Alabama is about to mop up all the recruits in Alabama

**The Seer** · 12-15-08, 12:05 AM

Auburn is out in the middle of nowhere. They needed a big name there. Chizik was the D coordinator on the undefeated team a couple of years ago that got snubbed by the BCS but alot of kids don't remember that.

**BadNina** · 12-15-08, 01:06 AM

Ebone, according to TT's mother he was fired. She has spoken out since the AD's story. Of course she was shut up after that but she never recanted what she said.

**ImmaBammer12** · 12-15-08, 01:31 AM

It's obvious the wheels have completely come off the cart down in Auburn. I thought it was a joke when I heard it on ESPN last night. They were talking Muschamp and Spurrier taking and being offered the job on Friday. Of course both were just wild speculations too.

As Bama22 said it's not really about football in Auburn it's about power and what the trustee's say. Bobby Lowder and Jimmy Rane(The Yellow Fella for Yellow wood commercials) are probably the two leading problems at Auburn.

They have had 7 rumored interviews in a week and a half of prominent, winning coaches including Turner Gil, Gary Patterson, Paul Johnson, and Skip Holtz. None got the job or took it and you end up Gene Chizik. So you go from a proven coach who in his first really bad season in 9 years goes 5-7 and take a coach who went 2-10 this season, his team is ranked 111th out of 119, and his past two years recruiting classes are ranked 60th, and 67th. What sort of slide rule did these people use for this to ever make it seem like this was a sensible hire???

The whole excuse that Chizik had bad recruits and facilities at Iowa St doesn't fly with me because Dan McCarney before him had a better record the year that he got fired of 5-8 and in two years he can't even get close to that. Like ZBOIZ said some coaches are just better Assistants and not head coaches. I mean I'm sure when you look at a team that goes 13-0 one season and you do it with what turn out to be 4 top NFL draft picks the following year any position coach is going to look good. Such was Auburn in 2004 and was when he left and went to Texas.

All I know is I'm thankful for the early Christmas present Auburn has given us Bama and SEC fans. Watch and see Auburn will be the next Miss. St. of the SEC. I mean that pre-Dan Mullen. Now, Bama goes after bettering that 9 game winning streak we had over Auburn back in the 70's and 80's.

**pags11** · 12-15-08, 02:52 AM

wow, what a mess...

**l7ustin** · 12-15-08, 05:52 AM

i like chizik, solid coordinator but definitely not a good move

**EBone** · 12-15-08, 09:59 AM

Originally posted by BadNina

Ebone, according to TT's mother he was fired. She has spoken out since the AD's story. Of course she was shut up after that but she never recanted what she said.

Thanks for the info, BadNina. Was not aware...... My take is that TT's mother is either senile or 100% on the button.

E

**Boy Jeenyus** · 12-15-08, 10:38 AM

Originally posted by EBone

purecarnagge,

No reason and my mistake.

I suppose I actually should've have quoted the original poster, bama22. My initial point was that, if Tuberville had wanted to return, he could have according to the public comments of the Auburn AD but, as was stated in the thread, the Auburn alumni must be sum-bitches to deal with.

E

They must have done something to impress Auburn in that big win over South Dakota St.

I think there is a lot of truth to that last sentence in the quote above. I wondered what in the hell TT was doing hiring Franklin before the season began. There was no way they would make a change in the offensive scheme click like that without investing a few years to recruit appropriate personell. When I think of successful Auburn teams, I think of punishing running attacks with the likes of Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown. They were one of the most successful programs in the SEC in the 6-7 years before this season and now you bring in a guy that wants his QB to just take a couple of steps back and zing it to a receiver doing a quick out? The only real success that Franklin could boast was the Kentucky teams in the late 90's that could move the ball well with Tim Couch at QB. What most people don't realize is that Hal Mumme used 2/3 of his scholarships on the offense, which was probably a good reason why the defense frequently gave up 40+. You look at Mumme's record at New Mex St before he got canned recently and they couldn't keep anyone from scoring, even with Woody Widenhofer & Joe Lee Dunn as DC's.

That being said, at least TT realized his mistake and tried to correct it around midseason. I'm sure it was embarassing to fire a new OC hire that soon, but he made the tough decision and did what he thought best for the program. I was under the impression that he quit voluntarily and could have returned next year if he wanted. Still, he had a good run at Auburn and there must have been something there to make his life unpleasant-probably booster-related.

I remember back in the 90's Terry Bowden had a good run there. He inherited a team on probation and went undefeated his first season. The next year he had a good season which included an upset win at Gainesville. He had one bad season and was canned.

It appears this program has gotten a bad reputation for having pressures from boosters making life miserable for head coaches. They keep it up and they will find it getting harder and harder to hire high-profile up-and-comers who think they can get a better deal elsewhere.

**BadNina** · 12-15-08, 11:54 AM

Tubby said he wanted to make the change to the spread cause he didn't think Auburn could go toe to toe with Bama any longer. The boosters wanted to get rid of him several years back. So I wasn't surprised.