And today he doled out grades for the coaching hires this offseason. Keep in mind that very few schools got good, if passable, grades. But he reserved his harshest comments for Auburn.
If you are squeamish, you might want to avert your eyes:
Auburn. The hire: Chizik. The grade: F.
Chizik needs to begin every morning by reciting the Lou Gehrig speech: "Today-today-today, I consider myself-myself-myself, the luckiest man on the face of the Earth-Earth-Earth." The fact that he somehow parlayed a 5-19 record at Iowa State into a job at one of the better programs in the country is astounding -- and reflects the glorious dysfunction that is Auburn athletics. Understand this: Auburn could have kept Tommy Tuberville and his 85-40 record (Resignation? Right.) but went with a guy who opened his tenure in Ames with losses to Kent State and Northern Iowa. Auburn could have gone after Leach, who knows something about winning in a brutal division, but instead hired a guy who went 2-10 in league play in the softer Big 12 North. Auburn could have landed the red-hot Gill, whose Buffalo team has won six of its past seven games, but instead embraced a guy on a 10-game losing streak. Maybe Chizik will be the next Bill Parcells -- he went 3-8 in his first year as a head coach, at the Air Force Academy in 1978 -- before turning out all right. But until that happens, this has the makings of the worst hire in SEC history.
4 comments:
I guess I just don't understand why everyone continues to focus on his record at Iowa State. Why is that the most important damn thing in the world?
Once again, if Auburn had landed Will Muschamp, would anybody criticize? I think not. And Muschamp is far less decorated or proven as a defensive coach than Chizik. Iowa State is a tough place to recruit to.
Because wins and losses are what get you hired and fired. You get raises and contract extensions based on wins. If Auburn was 9-3 this year would Tubby have been on the hot seat? Look at Ron Prince, Phil Fulmer, Ty Willingham. You think those guys would've been canned from their gigs if they'd had winning seasons last year? Why is it so many people are hung up on his defensive skills? My problem with Muschamp would've been the same with Chizik--a guy with expertise on the side of the ball we didn't necessarily lack this past year.
I'm sure it's tough to recruit at Iowa State, but Cincinnati ranked 5 spots behind the Cyclones and they won the Big East. Northwestern was 73rd last year and they won 9 games. Tulsa was 75th and the won 10 games, losing at Arkansas by a TD. East Carolina was 81st...won 9 games. Boise St was 88th...undefeated. Buffalo was 109th and they won 8. Navy was 188th--they won 8. And sure, some of those places aren't horrible. But have you ever been to Tulsa or Buffalo? If Ames is an armpit, Tulsa and Buffalo might be competing for the other pit...
I'm really hoping I'm wrong and that we win. Otherwise, it's not going to be a pretty offseason next year.
Worst hire in SEC history award goes to Mississippi State when they hired Croom. Not because of his skin color, but because he was not qualified.
RJ, I wonder how the Lane Kiffin hire will go. Ed Orgeron didn't turn out well--I think Croom had at least a winning record although his tenure wasn't pretty. The guy coming after Spurrier was going to be a bad fit although I think Zook did a good job of recruiting and maintaining the talent level.
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