http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/05/those_recent_auburn_coaching_h.html
Those Auburn coaching hires continue to pay off
Maybe Jeremy Foley can take a lesson from Jay Jacobs.
Not that long ago, thinking that thought, let alone writing those words, would've gotten you laughed out of the room, but look at it this way.
At Florida, Foley went from Urban Meyer to Will Muschamp to Jim McElwain in football, from Billy Donovan to Michael White in basketball. In other words, in their marquee sports, the Gators have replaced proven multiple national champions with promising but unproven up-and-comers.
Jacobs has gone the other way at Auburn.
The Tigers went from Gene Chizik to Gus Malzahn in football and from Tony Barbee to Bruce Pearl in basketball. Anyone who tells you that's not an upgrade of massive proportion in each case should be forced to turn in his fan card and go watch croquet.
Don't give me 2010. What was suggested then has been proven since. While Chizik did a quality job of helping the Tigers navigate the Cam Newton storm, Auburn simply wouldn't have won the BCS championship that season without Malzahn as the offensive coordinator.
In two years as the head coach, Malzahn has led the Tigers to an SEC title and come up one stop short of a national championship. Don't be surprised if they're back in contention in November again this season.
All Pearl did in his first year on the Plains, with a makeshift roster, was drive Auburn to three wins at the SEC Tournament for just the second time in school history. Don't be shocked if the Tigers make noise during the regular season next year.
Jacobs has been on a roll when it comes to hiring coaches, and it goes beyond football and basketball.
Sunny Golloway already knew the way to Omaha and the College World Series when Auburn hired him as its baseball coach two years ago. His second Auburn team has all but locked up an NCAA Tournament bid and still may have an outside shot at playing host to a regional despite Friday's home loss to Alabama.
Clint Myers was a multiple national champion when Auburn hired him two years ago as its softball coach. His second Auburn team has finished second in the SEC in the regular season, will play for the school's first SEC Tournament title tonight and has pretty much assured itself of a national seed with a legit shot to reach the Women's College World Series for the first time in school history.
It wasn't a good thing that Auburn had to fire four head coaches in rapid succession not that long ago, but it's clear now that Jacobs and company located and secured a better coach in each of those sports.
That doesn't make him a better AD than Foley, who's long been considered the gold standard among SEC athletics directors, and rightfully so. Look at the overall.
The Florida gymnastics team just won its third straight national championship, the Florida softball team has a shot to defend its national title and the Florida baseball team is a likely No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
Things still look pretty sunny in Gainesville despite the mix of hope and uncertainty in football and basketball moving forward.
There's also a lot more to running an athletics department than hiring coaches, but that is the most visible measure of how the man in charge of a lot of people, sports and money is doing his job.
On that front, of late, Jacobs has gotten the job done.
Those Auburn coaching hires continue to pay off
Maybe Jeremy Foley can take a lesson from Jay Jacobs.
Not that long ago, thinking that thought, let alone writing those words, would've gotten you laughed out of the room, but look at it this way.
At Florida, Foley went from Urban Meyer to Will Muschamp to Jim McElwain in football, from Billy Donovan to Michael White in basketball. In other words, in their marquee sports, the Gators have replaced proven multiple national champions with promising but unproven up-and-comers.
Jacobs has gone the other way at Auburn.
The Tigers went from Gene Chizik to Gus Malzahn in football and from Tony Barbee to Bruce Pearl in basketball. Anyone who tells you that's not an upgrade of massive proportion in each case should be forced to turn in his fan card and go watch croquet.
Don't give me 2010. What was suggested then has been proven since. While Chizik did a quality job of helping the Tigers navigate the Cam Newton storm, Auburn simply wouldn't have won the BCS championship that season without Malzahn as the offensive coordinator.
In two years as the head coach, Malzahn has led the Tigers to an SEC title and come up one stop short of a national championship. Don't be surprised if they're back in contention in November again this season.
All Pearl did in his first year on the Plains, with a makeshift roster, was drive Auburn to three wins at the SEC Tournament for just the second time in school history. Don't be shocked if the Tigers make noise during the regular season next year.
Jacobs has been on a roll when it comes to hiring coaches, and it goes beyond football and basketball.
Sunny Golloway already knew the way to Omaha and the College World Series when Auburn hired him as its baseball coach two years ago. His second Auburn team has all but locked up an NCAA Tournament bid and still may have an outside shot at playing host to a regional despite Friday's home loss to Alabama.
Clint Myers was a multiple national champion when Auburn hired him two years ago as its softball coach. His second Auburn team has finished second in the SEC in the regular season, will play for the school's first SEC Tournament title tonight and has pretty much assured itself of a national seed with a legit shot to reach the Women's College World Series for the first time in school history.
It wasn't a good thing that Auburn had to fire four head coaches in rapid succession not that long ago, but it's clear now that Jacobs and company located and secured a better coach in each of those sports.
That doesn't make him a better AD than Foley, who's long been considered the gold standard among SEC athletics directors, and rightfully so. Look at the overall.
The Florida gymnastics team just won its third straight national championship, the Florida softball team has a shot to defend its national title and the Florida baseball team is a likely No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
Things still look pretty sunny in Gainesville despite the mix of hope and uncertainty in football and basketball moving forward.
There's also a lot more to running an athletics department than hiring coaches, but that is the most visible measure of how the man in charge of a lot of people, sports and money is doing his job.
On that front, of late, Jacobs has gotten the job done.
