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Auburn coaching search: ESPN insider names top candidates
By Crissy Froyd
Published:
Amid some big matchups like the one between LSU and Alabama and the battle between Georgia and Tennessee for the determinant of who truly is the best team in the SEC. But one of the hottest topics across the college football landscape doesn’t directly have to to do with on-the-field action.
Auburn recently parted ways with Bryan Harsin in the midst of a lost season and there are several big names rumored to be in the mix to assume his former position. ESPN’s Pete Thamel recently named his top candidates, saying to expect Auburn to “go big-game hunting.”
“Expect Auburn to go big-game hunting in this coaching search to replace Bryan Harsin,” Thamel said. “One of the attractions of this job to John Cohen is he feels Auburn has the resources to win a national championship. That could include paying more than $10 million for a coach. Expect the Auburn search to be focused on these five names. It’ll start with former NFL coach Matt Rhule. It’ll include Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, Kentucky’s Mark Stoops, Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, and Liberty’s Hugh Freeze. Expect the pitch to these coaches to be a simple one; come in, build up Auburn, and as Nick Saban eventually retires, you have the program in place to potentially rise up in the SEC West and fill that power void that Alabama has occupied for so long.”
There’s no question that Auburn will be looking for a major upgrade after Harsin failed to last 2 seasons with the program, positing a disappointing 9-12 overall record.
Crissy covers SEC football news for Saturday Down South.
