Is Pete Roussel effing retarded?

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Outside of names like Jimbo, Kirby, and Petrino, here's a list of 'outside the box' candidates that could be successful at Auburn.

Rich Rodriguez (Arizona - head coach): Rodriguez would bring a totally different philosophy and schemes that Auburn's rival, Alabama. That would give Auburn a leg up on certain recruits that believe they 'fit' more into what Rodriguez does with a spread offense and 3-3 stack defense. Rodriguez came close to taking the Alabama job when he was enjoying a great run at West Virginia. His ability to recruit Louisiana and Florida would be an advantage.

Greg Roman (San Francisco 49ers - offensive coordinator): A coordinator in the NFL told me last week that he has no doubt that Roman will soon have NFL head coaching opportunities. Jim Harbaugh has publicly stated that Roman was the true architect of the Stanford offensive philosophy and schemes. Roman wants to be a head coach and if Auburn called, it's hard to imagine he wouldn't listen. He is sharp, real sharp. He has a great presence and the Auburn fan base would really like him. The 49ers are likely to make a run in the NFL playoffs, but that didn't discourage Penn State a year ago from hiring Bill O'Brien. It didn't discourage Tulane from hiring former New Orleans Saints wide receivers coach Curtis Johnson. (Read how Tulane AD Rick Dickson told CoachingSearch.com he handled hiring an NFL coach)

Manny Diaz (Texas - defensive coordinator): It's not just about the head coach. It's about 9 quality assistants and because of his personality and professionalism, great assistant coaches would be lining up to work under Diaz. He experienced great success at FSU, NC State, and as the coordinator at MTSU and Mississippi State. At Texas, his defense has struggled this season somewhat, but most college coaches that I talk to believe part of the reason is out of Manny's control. Diaz would give Auburn a fresh start, a new personality.

Willie Taggart (Western Kentucky - head coach): Taggart has experienced success at Western Kentucky despite losing a number of assistant coaches due to significant pay raises. He has the 'Jim Harbaugh blue-print,' having worked for Harbaugh at Stanford. The one thing about Willie Taggart is that he does not back down to anybody in recruiting. He's extremely persistent. He has a totally different style than Nick Saban, which could appeal to certain recruits. After a 2-10 first season, he has posted consecutive 7-5 seasons at Western Kentucky.

None of these coaches may get involved with the Auburn coaching search. Or maybe they will. Sometimes these searches end up with coaches that people don't expect.

I do know that likeability is underrated to many athletic directors. Auburn fans, for the most part, didn't 'like' Gene Chizik. Some of them didn't give him a chance from the beginning. Roman, Diaz, and Taggart are extremely likeable people. Rich Rod, maybe not so much, but he's been there and done it.

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