As everyone knows, shortly after the Iron Bowl, Gene Chizik was fired from his position as the head coach of the Auburn Tiger football team. It was really no surprise, considering the final score of the Iron Bowl and the fact that folks had been calling for his head since the Arkansas/State/Vandy stretch.
So what's happened since then...We've hired a new head coach, defensive coordinator and offensive coordinator. As I'm typing this, I think those are the only three confirmed positions.
I'm hesitant to make any judgment calls as to how successful I think the new coaches can be. However, I will share a bit about the coaches and some pros and cons of each. Bear with me.
Gus Malzahn - Malzahn was offensive coordinator at Auburn during the 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons. He left to serve as head coach for Arkansas state and was there for just one season. The team finished 9-3. Initially, I was unhappy with the decision to hire Malzahn. He doesn't have much head coach experience and I felt that we needed someone more of a hard-nosed disciplinarian. I would have loved Petrino without the baggage. As time goes on, I'm feeling more confident in Malzahn due to some of the staffing choices that he's made.
After Malzahn was hired, he chose to first hire coordinators and then let them choose their assistants. This caused a great deal of uproar about all of our current coaches being let go. Have no fear, there is still a chance that they could return. I, for one, like this plan, as I think it gives each assistant a greater sense of accountability. They not only have to be accountable to Malzahn, but also to their coordinator.
Also of note is that Malzahn's wife might be certifiably nuts.
So, who are the coordinators?
Ellis Johnson - The first thing I read about this guy was that he coached at Southern Miss last season and led them to finish 0-12. Ummm, what? While he's clearly not an amazing (or maybe even decent) head coach, he's proven to be a very successful defensive coordinator in the past, putting up top 15 defenses in his three years at South Carolina. I've also heard that he's old, crotchety, and loves bourbon. Perfect.
Rhett Lashlee - This guy is 29 years old. Can you even imagine? I read somewhere that his current yearly salary is less than what Chizik makes in two weeks. Lashlee worked under Malzahn at Auburn in 2009 and 2010. He was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Samford in 2011. When Malzahn took the position as the Red Wolves head coach in 2011, Lashlee joined him as the offensive coordinator. I'm a little worried about his age, but I'm sure he knows Malzahn's offense like the back of his hand. There's something to be said for that.
Sidenote: His wife has a blog, Team Lashlee. I looked at it yesterday. They have two cute twin boys. Today, my access was denied. They've switched it to invited users only. Go figure.
Who won't be coming back? We know that Kevin Yoxall, the strength and conditioning coach, will not be retained. Since it was announced, Twitter has been buzzing with players in support of "Yox". I've read that he was a great guy and a friend to many of the players. We don't need a friend, we need strength and conditioning and clearly we're lacking in that area.
As of this morning, word on the street is that Trooper Taylor will not be returning either. See ya Reuben Foster. I know that Trooper was a great recruiter, but I've also heard him termed a "cancer" to our football program. I think it's best to start with a clean slate. I have a feeling that we'll come out better in the end without him.
Names being tossed around as potential coaches/assistants: Tracy Rocker (former Auburn defensive tackle and current Tennessee Titans defensive line coach), Ryan Russell (graduate assistant on the strength and conditioning staff at Auburn in 2005-2006) and Kodi Burns (former Auburn wide receiver and current graduate assistant at Arkansas State). I'd love to see Rocker and Burns back on the field.
All in all, I'm happy with the changes. For now, I guess I'll sit back and see what sort of attrition we have due to new staff, and how many other recruits we'll lose. I'll also continue to hope that one day I wake up and Jay Jacobs has been replaced.
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