Opening statement regarding the Auburn job
There’s nothing to talk about. I mean, Auburn’s a great place. I’ve always had such respect for it and I’ve loved my time there, but there has never been any contact from my aspect to Auburn or Auburn’s aspect to me, or with my agent. And it’s a moot point. I mean, I have a lot of respect for them and all that, but there’s nothing … everyone kept asking me down in Tallahassee, ‘Why don’t you make a statement?’ Well, you don’t make a statement when there’s nothing there. There’s no statement to make. And I wish them their best on their endeavors of where they’re going for a head coach, because it’s an outstanding program Like I said, there’s a lot of people I care about and a lot of good friends I have there. They’ll make a good choice, I know.

So you you can’t envision any scenario where you would be Auburn's coach in 2009?
"That has nothing to do with me. (laughs) I am very content to be at Florida State. I’m happy to be at Florida State. We’re a program that’s on the rise. We’re recruiting well. We improved from last season. I’m really looking forward to being there next year."

Would you listen if they contact you?
"I’m locked in to Florida State. I’ve got a job at Florida State."

How much longer will it be until you're a head coach?
"That’s a good question. It can be 1 to 2 years. When Coach Bowden wants to. You never know. Coach Bowden feels well. He’s very spry. He’s sharp as he ever was when you talk to him. That’ll be when he decides to step down."

Do you have conversations with Bobby Bowden about when you'll take his place?
"We really don't. We really don't. At times, he'll say, every now and then, 'Hey, I'm a little tired,' but we really haven't just sat down and had that conversation. And, I don't think it's appropriate for me to have that conversation with him, really. He's earned that right and I knew the circumstances going into the situation, so..."

Have a lot of people from Auburn been calling you?
"Oh yeah, a lot of people because they hear the same reports that everyone else does. And it's flattering. It really is to have a program that's as outstanding as Auburn with people thinking that, and your friends are saying they wish you'd come back. But that's always that way. Like I said, I've got a lot of very good friends of mine that still live in Auburn or are connected to Auburn. That was a great seven years that I was able to be there. Or was it six? It was seven. I don't even remember how many it was. That's a bad sign. I'm getting old already."

Is the head coach-in-waiting becoming more popular?
"I tell you what, it seems to be a hot topic. I've answered this before, I think a lot of that comes from when you actually go out and you start looking for a head coach, some people are either tied up contractually or people may not be what you see as the fit for your school and different things. When you go to interview a guy – I've always said this to be a head coach – if he hasn't been there before, you don't have the prior connection, how well do you really know him? How well do you really know that guy? I think what schools are seeing are that if they have an assistant that has the promise, that they can bring along, that knows the university, they know his values and principles and the things he believes, and you're with him on a day-to-day basis and you really know him, why would you not go ahead and mark him as the guy for the future and do it. For schools, it's actually the smarter thing and, a lot of time, it saves you money. Because a lot of times it keeps staff continuity. You don't have as many staff changes. When a new guy comes in and has no connections to the staff, it's rare that they keep many guys because they just aren't his people. So you have to pay those guys off, bring another group in. Now I think it's a thing in the future that ADs and presidents are going to see, it's a smart move. There's a lot of upsides to it"

When you scheduled this speaking engagement, did you realize how relevant it would be?
"This was made eight to 10 months ago. The timing of things is very ironic sometimes. I didn't even think about it until, I guess, the other day when they made the statement. When I was getting my schedule for this week, I saw I was going to speak in Montgomery and I said, 'Oh, this is going to go over really well.' It's always good to be popular. What do they say in Hollywood? 'It doesn't matter if it's good or bad as long as you're in the news?' It's very ironic that the timing of the whole thing worked out the way it did."

What was your reaction to Tommy Tuberville's departure?
"Sad. Because, I thought he did a really good job there, they've been successful there. But, you know, change is always inevitable. Today's time -- it's very much like kids. I mean, we all the quick fix and we want things to be right, and we want change for change sometimes. It's our society, and that's what we have to deal with. You get into coaching and now that there's large sums of money, things have changed, you're not going to have the patience. People ask me (about) Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno -- you'll probably never see that again. That's probably because of how much money and the way things are going in this business, and the way sports are going. And it's sad. I think Tommy did a good job. I've never known Tommy. They did a good job, and obviously it was very good for Auburn, but Auburn people thought it was time for a change. That's the way this business goes."

How do you feel about the support you've received from FSU's president and athletic director?
"Very good. It's very good because you'd rather be wanted than wanting you outta here (laughs). That's one thing Ive always tried to do in this business is be able to look people in the eye and tell them the truth, whether it's good or bad. That's what it means. Right now I'm very happy at Florida State and that's the way it is. It's very flattering to have your president and your head coach there to say we don't want him to go anywhere."

To ask again, are you interested in the Auburn job?
"I said there's nothing to be interested in, because I haven't made contact and they haven't made contact. I'm very happy at Florida State. That's where we plan to be."

You're still stopping short of saying no?
"You're reading way too much into it. I'm very happy here at Florida State. I'm very happy. "