I have picked up a couple things lately that are worth sharing. I got calendar the same way I got The List. Because of that, I am sure it’s circulating among People Who Matter.
Important Dates
9/1/22 through 11/26/22: NCAA recruiting evaluation period with 6 available evaluation days per prospect
10/10/22: Rhule fired by Panthers; contact Trace?
10/22/22: Auburn BYE week. Cincy plays SMU, Liberty plays BYU.
10/29/22: Auburn home game versus Arkansas; important date for official visitors to be on campus. Only two remaining home games after this one. Cincy plays UCF.
11/5/22: Away game at Mississippi State. Liberty at Arkansas.
11/12/22: Home game versus Texas A&M. Can host official visitors on campus. One more home game remains for 2023 recruits.
11/19/22: Home game versus Western Kentucky. Last opportunity for 2023 prospects to see Auburn in person. Final regular season game for Jackson State.
11/24/22: Final regular season game for Ole Miss.
11/25/22: Final regular season game for Cincy and Baylor.
11/26/22: Iron Bowl and final regular season games for Liberty, Kentucky, Marshall, and OK State.
11/27/22: NCAA recruiting contact period reopens
12/3/22: AAC, SWAC, SEC, Big12, etc. Championship Games. Auburn can host on-campus visitors this weekend.
12/4/22: Transfer notification window opens ***Note: NCAA has waived the 25-man rule for ’23 and ’24 classes. Just need to stay under the 85 scholarship limit. Auburn should have nearly 30 available for ’23 class and transfers based on expected attrition. There are 10 total HS commits for the ’23 class currently.
12/10/22: Auburn can host official visitors this weekend.
12/15/22: NATIONAL SIGNING DAY. This is the one that matters, not February. Almost all of the top 200 players in the country will sign on this date.
12/18/22: NCAA recruiting quiet period
12/19/22 through 1/12/23: NCAA recruiting dead period
1/13/22: NCAA recruiting contact period reopens
1/11/22: Auburn spring semester begins
1/18/23: Transfer portal closes until May 1; also the last day to add a class at Auburn, so all transfers have to be enrolled by this date.
2/1/23: Late signing day for whoever is left.
Stuff I heard: As of last last Friday, People Who Matter planned to let CBH finish out the season, but he created (and is being held to) the JUST WATCH standard. The mood among People Who Matter tilted when they sat through a 4-hour CBS infomercial showing how low Auburn Football has sunk compared an equal program. When People Who Matter learned about players asking for redshirts so they can transfer while preserving eligibility, “injuries” forcing guys out for the season, and so on, things picked up.
One group of People Who Matter want a change so they can be open about the job being available. Several other People Who Matter believe getting him out the door will be addition by subtraction. People in those groups (and in the “let it play out” group) who have bigger things to do during their day jobs are getting educated about the reality of the 2023 roster, the transfer portal, and why making a change sooner rather than later is in Auburn’s best interests. That’s presumably why the calendar was circulated.
Auburn-Ole Miss is the only SEC game in the early window. Fortunately, two other games will keep national eyes off Auburn. But Auburn People Who Matter will JUST WATCH. If Ole Miss gets out of hand, don’t be surprised if the mood shifts quickly to fire CBH before the bye week. There will be a lot of time after the end of the game Saturday for people to get on calls and make decisions, but the wind is already blowing. It could turn into a storm pretty quick. And it could make landfall by Sunday night. I’ve heard people in the Admin have made it clear they want to be fair to whoever has to take over if a change is made before the Iron Bowl. So two weeks of prep before Arkansas is the window people can agree on. The Arkansas game is looking more winnable each week and it matters to at least one group that they steal this one and not finish last in the West.
Apparently most People Who Matter are not concerned the Boise Boys will jump ship or sabotage things if CBH gets fired before the Iron Bowl, but one group thinks OCEK has to go if the team is going to get a dead cat bounce from firing CBH. Firing/”reassigning” two coaches would mean two off-the-field guys move to on-the-field or to countable recruiter roles. Hartline (as QBs coach and playcaller if OCEK has to go) could move on the field, and Trovon seems most likely to get a bump to countable coach so he can recruit off campus. TBD if he would take a position group or just recruit based on who takes the interim HC role. Bellatoni and Zac are the two most likely to be named interim HC, but as an act of kindness some People Who Matter don’t want to hang this team around Zac’s neck. Others want to give him the profile bump even because of his Auburn Man status, and are making the case that he’s ready. They want the team to fight for the rest of the season and they think Zac teaching them about the AU on the side of the helmet might be the best motivator.
Important Dates
9/1/22 through 11/26/22: NCAA recruiting evaluation period with 6 available evaluation days per prospect
10/10/22: Rhule fired by Panthers; contact Trace?
10/22/22: Auburn BYE week. Cincy plays SMU, Liberty plays BYU.
10/29/22: Auburn home game versus Arkansas; important date for official visitors to be on campus. Only two remaining home games after this one. Cincy plays UCF.
11/5/22: Away game at Mississippi State. Liberty at Arkansas.
11/12/22: Home game versus Texas A&M. Can host official visitors on campus. One more home game remains for 2023 recruits.
11/19/22: Home game versus Western Kentucky. Last opportunity for 2023 prospects to see Auburn in person. Final regular season game for Jackson State.
11/24/22: Final regular season game for Ole Miss.
11/25/22: Final regular season game for Cincy and Baylor.
11/26/22: Iron Bowl and final regular season games for Liberty, Kentucky, Marshall, and OK State.
11/27/22: NCAA recruiting contact period reopens
12/3/22: AAC, SWAC, SEC, Big12, etc. Championship Games. Auburn can host on-campus visitors this weekend.
12/4/22: Transfer notification window opens ***Note: NCAA has waived the 25-man rule for ’23 and ’24 classes. Just need to stay under the 85 scholarship limit. Auburn should have nearly 30 available for ’23 class and transfers based on expected attrition. There are 10 total HS commits for the ’23 class currently.
12/10/22: Auburn can host official visitors this weekend.
12/15/22: NATIONAL SIGNING DAY. This is the one that matters, not February. Almost all of the top 200 players in the country will sign on this date.
12/18/22: NCAA recruiting quiet period
12/19/22 through 1/12/23: NCAA recruiting dead period
1/13/22: NCAA recruiting contact period reopens
1/11/22: Auburn spring semester begins
1/18/23: Transfer portal closes until May 1; also the last day to add a class at Auburn, so all transfers have to be enrolled by this date.
2/1/23: Late signing day for whoever is left.
Stuff I heard: As of last last Friday, People Who Matter planned to let CBH finish out the season, but he created (and is being held to) the JUST WATCH standard. The mood among People Who Matter tilted when they sat through a 4-hour CBS infomercial showing how low Auburn Football has sunk compared an equal program. When People Who Matter learned about players asking for redshirts so they can transfer while preserving eligibility, “injuries” forcing guys out for the season, and so on, things picked up.
One group of People Who Matter want a change so they can be open about the job being available. Several other People Who Matter believe getting him out the door will be addition by subtraction. People in those groups (and in the “let it play out” group) who have bigger things to do during their day jobs are getting educated about the reality of the 2023 roster, the transfer portal, and why making a change sooner rather than later is in Auburn’s best interests. That’s presumably why the calendar was circulated.
Auburn-Ole Miss is the only SEC game in the early window. Fortunately, two other games will keep national eyes off Auburn. But Auburn People Who Matter will JUST WATCH. If Ole Miss gets out of hand, don’t be surprised if the mood shifts quickly to fire CBH before the bye week. There will be a lot of time after the end of the game Saturday for people to get on calls and make decisions, but the wind is already blowing. It could turn into a storm pretty quick. And it could make landfall by Sunday night. I’ve heard people in the Admin have made it clear they want to be fair to whoever has to take over if a change is made before the Iron Bowl. So two weeks of prep before Arkansas is the window people can agree on. The Arkansas game is looking more winnable each week and it matters to at least one group that they steal this one and not finish last in the West.
Apparently most People Who Matter are not concerned the Boise Boys will jump ship or sabotage things if CBH gets fired before the Iron Bowl, but one group thinks OCEK has to go if the team is going to get a dead cat bounce from firing CBH. Firing/”reassigning” two coaches would mean two off-the-field guys move to on-the-field or to countable recruiter roles. Hartline (as QBs coach and playcaller if OCEK has to go) could move on the field, and Trovon seems most likely to get a bump to countable coach so he can recruit off campus. TBD if he would take a position group or just recruit based on who takes the interim HC role. Bellatoni and Zac are the two most likely to be named interim HC, but as an act of kindness some People Who Matter don’t want to hang this team around Zac’s neck. Others want to give him the profile bump even because of his Auburn Man status, and are making the case that he’s ready. They want the team to fight for the rest of the season and they think Zac teaching them about the AU on the side of the helmet might be the best motivator.
