Good evening, Bunk.
This is my third attempt at writing this piece. I have made significant changes to what I want to say in this space twice already today, but the sun is down and it’s time for an update.
This is where I am:
This has been a difficult day for Search Watchers like me. When it comes to reporting news, there’s rarely a big delta between WHAT WE WRITE and WHAT WE THINK. When Carnell says the offensive line played well and the tailbacks were tough, well, we agree. That’s what we saw as well.
When BP says Wen Green needs to be more careful with the ball, and he has 8 turnovers, yeah. We agree.
Coaching searches are different. John Cohen knows The Truth and Chris Roberts probably knows most of The Truth. Rich McGlynn has some idea as well. Many more people SAY they know The Truth. Maybe they believe that or maybe they’re just trumpeting their own horn in a search for relevance. It’s difficult to truly know.
Today is one of those days where what I WRITE TO YOU is different than what I ACTUALLY THINK.
So here’s what I WRITE TO YOU:
Auburn‘s dalliance with Lane Kiffin throttled down a bit today. This could be due to a number of factors — some signaling that Kiffin is “on board” with the Tigers and some signaling some other rationale. The dramatic increase in KIFFIN TO AUBURN chatter/speculation during the past 36 hours or so has yielded interest from some coaches whom Auburn hadn’t yet considered. Some of the names I’ve heard are big. A couple of them are Playoff/BCS veterans. Good coaches. Guys that any rational observer would consider good coaches.
Cohen, as chief steward of Auburn’s football program, now is taking his time to consider these “new” possibilites. Though he’s only a week or so away from really needing to have someone in the bag, so to speak, the reality is that Cohen has a little time right now to talk with other candidates and gauge both their real interest in Auburn and their value to Auburn.
I’ve heard some version of that scenario a few times today.
Still, here’s what I ACTUALLY THINK:
Lane Kiffin is the primary target. He is the guy Auburn really wants. Cohen already has a good idea what it would take to land Kiffin, but he’s still checking his math and the possibilities within. I think this talk about parallel candidates is a smoke screen to take the heat off Kiffin. He doesn’t want to be pressured right now; he’s got games left to coach and he’s not negotiating this deal through the media.
Now, look: Cohen has backup options and he’s smart to spend some time making 100 percent sure where he’d turn if a deal with Kiffin couldn’t be consummated. He’s doing that, too. He’s doing his homework.
Kiffin, after all, approaches his career in some unusual ways. He likes money. We all like money. With that said, money doesn’t appear to be the primary concern when it comes to Kiffin. He values sovereignty more highly; he wants to be left alone to manage his program as he sees fit. That’s very important to him. We’re also in an NIL era and the top programs allocate a lot of money toward NIL pursuits. That’s important to him as well.
More than most hugely popular coaches, Kiffin’s candidacy could sour or soar at a moment’s notice. If he hears what he likes, it’s on. If he doesn’t hear what he likes, it’s off. He’s analytical. It’s almost like a flowchart. IF YES, THEN X. IF NO, THEN Y.
With all that said, I remain steadfast in my belief that this is (or will be) Kiffin’s job to take. I’ve heard nothing today to change my view there.
Thank you for reading and for subscribing to AuburnSports.com.
This is my third attempt at writing this piece. I have made significant changes to what I want to say in this space twice already today, but the sun is down and it’s time for an update.
This is where I am:
This has been a difficult day for Search Watchers like me. When it comes to reporting news, there’s rarely a big delta between WHAT WE WRITE and WHAT WE THINK. When Carnell says the offensive line played well and the tailbacks were tough, well, we agree. That’s what we saw as well.
When BP says Wen Green needs to be more careful with the ball, and he has 8 turnovers, yeah. We agree.
Coaching searches are different. John Cohen knows The Truth and Chris Roberts probably knows most of The Truth. Rich McGlynn has some idea as well. Many more people SAY they know The Truth. Maybe they believe that or maybe they’re just trumpeting their own horn in a search for relevance. It’s difficult to truly know.
Today is one of those days where what I WRITE TO YOU is different than what I ACTUALLY THINK.
So here’s what I WRITE TO YOU:
Auburn‘s dalliance with Lane Kiffin throttled down a bit today. This could be due to a number of factors — some signaling that Kiffin is “on board” with the Tigers and some signaling some other rationale. The dramatic increase in KIFFIN TO AUBURN chatter/speculation during the past 36 hours or so has yielded interest from some coaches whom Auburn hadn’t yet considered. Some of the names I’ve heard are big. A couple of them are Playoff/BCS veterans. Good coaches. Guys that any rational observer would consider good coaches.
Cohen, as chief steward of Auburn’s football program, now is taking his time to consider these “new” possibilites. Though he’s only a week or so away from really needing to have someone in the bag, so to speak, the reality is that Cohen has a little time right now to talk with other candidates and gauge both their real interest in Auburn and their value to Auburn.
I’ve heard some version of that scenario a few times today.
Still, here’s what I ACTUALLY THINK:
Lane Kiffin is the primary target. He is the guy Auburn really wants. Cohen already has a good idea what it would take to land Kiffin, but he’s still checking his math and the possibilities within. I think this talk about parallel candidates is a smoke screen to take the heat off Kiffin. He doesn’t want to be pressured right now; he’s got games left to coach and he’s not negotiating this deal through the media.
Now, look: Cohen has backup options and he’s smart to spend some time making 100 percent sure where he’d turn if a deal with Kiffin couldn’t be consummated. He’s doing that, too. He’s doing his homework.
Kiffin, after all, approaches his career in some unusual ways. He likes money. We all like money. With that said, money doesn’t appear to be the primary concern when it comes to Kiffin. He values sovereignty more highly; he wants to be left alone to manage his program as he sees fit. That’s very important to him. We’re also in an NIL era and the top programs allocate a lot of money toward NIL pursuits. That’s important to him as well.
More than most hugely popular coaches, Kiffin’s candidacy could sour or soar at a moment’s notice. If he hears what he likes, it’s on. If he doesn’t hear what he likes, it’s off. He’s analytical. It’s almost like a flowchart. IF YES, THEN X. IF NO, THEN Y.
With all that said, I remain steadfast in my belief that this is (or will be) Kiffin’s job to take. I’ve heard nothing today to change my view there.
Thank you for reading and for subscribing to AuburnSports.com.
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