For some reason, top veterans name continues to pop up on lists of potential replacements for Auburn’s recently fired head coach. Hugh Freeze was dismissed Sunday afternoon following a disappointing 10-3 loss to Kentucky at Jordan-Hare Stadium the night before.
Freeze’s exit once again proved that hiring coaches who’ve already struggled in the SEC is rarely a winning strategy. Yet somehow, national outlets are floating — who went just 27-21 in conference play at Texas A&M — as a possible candidate for the job.
Mark Pszonak of Mike Farrell Sports urged Auburn to avoid making the same mistake twice before overzealous boosters push too hard for the 60-year-old.
“Some programs have a special talent for shooting themselves in the foot. Auburn might already be one of them, but hiring Jimbo Fisher as their next head coach would make it official,” Pszonak wrote.
“Hopefully, for Auburn fans’ sake, this is nothing more than an internet rumor. But if boosters are really behind it, the school’s leadership needs to shut it down fast. The inmates can’t run the asylum — no matter how big their donations are — and that’s exactly what college football has turned into.”
Auburn athletic director John Cohen, meanwhile, has made it clear that the coaching search will be his call — not that of wealthy donors.
“I am the committee,” Cohen said. “I’ll listen to input and gather as much information as I can, but ultimately, I’ll make the decision. I know how special this fan base is — I grew up in Alabama. Every morning I wake up thinking, ‘We’ve got to get this done’ — for everyone from the fans in the upper deck to those in the suites and on the field.”
Cohen’s stance is the right one, especially after the Freeze experiment. Now, he just needs to follow through — and steer far clear of Fisher or anyone cut from the same cloth.