College football insider reveals grim update on Auburn coaching search
The decision by Lane Kiffin to stay at Ole Miss has apparently thrown a curve ball into Auburn's search to find a new head football coach, according to a report.
Looking at the school's continued effort to replace Bryan Harsin, CBS Sports reporter Dennis Dodd says there has been some negative internal feedback against the school's decision makers after not being able to lure Kiffin.
Reports contend that Kiffin was the first choice for the job at Auburn and that important people on the inside are furious that the school wasn't able to convince him to make the move.
"Hearing pushback on Auburn administration now that Lane is staying at Ole Miss," Dodd reported. "Plan A was Lane; Plan B was [Hugh] Freeze. Don't know if Auburn had a Plan C."
Exactly why or how it happened, or on what timeline, isn't exactly known, but Kiffin signed a contract extension to stay at Ole Miss after weeks of speculation that he would leave the school and take the position at Auburn.
And now there's talk that Auburn may not have had much of a plan outside of attracting Kiffin, out of the belief that he would never turn the job down.
Some analysts believe that current Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze is Auburn's latest target, despite his Flames team losing its last three games following a strong 8-1 start to the season.
Freeze acknowledged the Auburn job, but said the school didn't offer it to him.
"I'm not one to tell them something that's not true," Freeze said. "Is the job everyone is talking about one that I would have an interest in talking with? Sure. That doesn't mean they have offered me a job."
Auburn Daily, our sister publisher, reported that some on the inside believe that Freeze would be AU's best option when it comes to using NIL opportunities to lure and keep players at the school..
Whatever direction Auburn finally goes in, it doesn't appear to be the one it originally wanted to, and that people on the inside aren't happy about it.
Update (4:15 p.m.): Auburn has decided to go with "Plan B," and hire Hugh Freeze as head coach, according to multiple reports
(CBS)
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