Started By
Message
re: Hiring James Franklin is the easiest decision any AD could make.
Posted on 10/19/25 at 12:45 pm to SamGinn Cam
Posted on 10/19/25 at 12:45 pm to SamGinn Cam
I'm all in on going the young up and comer route myself. enough with the retreads. also, i'd much rather get a defensive minded coach and let him get a damn good OC and get out of the way. would love for us to go after Marcus Freeman. if we have to go back with someone decently established and from the offensive side, i'd rather make another run at Kiffin.
0
Posted on 10/19/25 at 12:54 pm to AU86
quote:We would drag our balls across broken glass to have the results he had at Vandy and Penn State.
Penn State didn't just dish out 40 million to get rid of him for nothing.
quote:Didn't watch it. Don't care.
It is amazing what a sympathy tour on Game day will achieve.
Posted on 10/19/25 at 1:02 pm to TTsTowel
quote:
We would drag our balls across broken glass to have the results he had at Vandy and Penn State.
The fact that you haven't learned by now that "past results" have zero guarantee of future success for a coach that is on the downswing is actually scary.
Just so you guys are aware, Franklin is absolutely on the downswing. The most recent data point on Franklin is an 0-3 run with one blown game, and then two losses against vastly inferior teams despite fielding a team that started the season with a ~Top 3 ranking. This is a "what have you done lately" sport.
I also remember when UCF was praised for hitting an absolute homerun and landing a fired head coach from an SEC program that had multiple 8-10 win seasons and even a National Championship appearance. I mean, surely a guy who wins 8-10 games against elite competition in the SEC will be able to steamroll anyone on UCF's schedule, right? Right?
This post was edited on 10/19/25 at 1:06 pm
Posted on 10/19/25 at 1:05 pm to NewYrkTiger
quote:
Franklin won 10+ games at PSU in 6 of 10 seasons
By beating these teams:
Michigan State
Indiana
Maryland
Rutgers
Illinois
Minnesota
Purdue
Nebraska
Iowa
Wisconsin
Northwestern
Record against Michigan 3-7. Incredibly poor in conference competition.
Weak. Fool's gold. Look at the list.
Posted on 10/19/25 at 4:04 pm to TTsTowel
If he is not good enough for Penn State, he is not good enough for Auburn
Posted on 10/19/25 at 4:36 pm to LRB1967
I can't believe I didn't think of this one, but this is another perfect example for the "James Franklin can't fail" crowd:
Les Miles won a National Championship and had countless 10+ win seasons at LSU. What happened when Kansas hired him off of the basis of his supposedly proven past success? It was complete failure.
Another less successful but still relevant example would be Kevin Sumlin at Arizona. Sumlin was a big splashy name that had won 10+ games twice at Houston and obviously had some success at Texas A&M. He got to Arizona and it was a dumpster fire.
Our own Hugh Freeze is obviously his own example as well, as is Bryan Harsin. Harsin won 10+ games 5 times and had Boise State rolling. Hugh Freeze did in fact win 8, 9, and then 10 games at Ole Miss after inheriting a 2-win program.
To repeat myself again: our guy before Harsin had won 10+ games here and played for a National Championship, and yet he failed so badly at UCF that he went and quit to take an OC job before they could formally fire him. Again, his past success at Auburn didn't do anything to assure UCF a successful tenure.
How about our guy before Chizik? Tubervbille had several years of success here and routinely whipped guys like Saban and Urban Meyer. Then he went and failed at Texas Tech, and afterwards failed at Cincinnati as well. He wasn't even that old when we fired him. He was ~55 so still theoretically in his coaching prime, and only a few years older than Franklin is now. Texas Tech and Cinci are not "harder" jobs to win at than Auburn.
Then you have the more current guys like Luke Ficknell who had massive success and was arguably the hottest name on the market before taking the Wisconsin job. He is now well on his way to getting fired, and it turned out that all his 10+ wins seasons ultimately meant nothing.
This list goes on and on. When you actually analyze it, you quickly see that the success rate of allegedly "proven" or "great" coaches moving to other schools after being fired (or even leaving on their own) is not as high as one would assume.
Lets also not forget the two most recent "huge name splash hires" of Brian Kelly to LSU and Lincoln Riley to USC. Neither one is meeting expectations, and LSU fans are about done with Kelly already. Lincoln Riley had three straight 12-win seasons at Oklahoma, on top of a 10-win season as well to round out 10+ wins in 4 of his 5 seasons there. He hasn't come even close to that at USC. And he isn't even an old coach.
Les Miles won a National Championship and had countless 10+ win seasons at LSU. What happened when Kansas hired him off of the basis of his supposedly proven past success? It was complete failure.
Another less successful but still relevant example would be Kevin Sumlin at Arizona. Sumlin was a big splashy name that had won 10+ games twice at Houston and obviously had some success at Texas A&M. He got to Arizona and it was a dumpster fire.
Our own Hugh Freeze is obviously his own example as well, as is Bryan Harsin. Harsin won 10+ games 5 times and had Boise State rolling. Hugh Freeze did in fact win 8, 9, and then 10 games at Ole Miss after inheriting a 2-win program.
To repeat myself again: our guy before Harsin had won 10+ games here and played for a National Championship, and yet he failed so badly at UCF that he went and quit to take an OC job before they could formally fire him. Again, his past success at Auburn didn't do anything to assure UCF a successful tenure.
How about our guy before Chizik? Tubervbille had several years of success here and routinely whipped guys like Saban and Urban Meyer. Then he went and failed at Texas Tech, and afterwards failed at Cincinnati as well. He wasn't even that old when we fired him. He was ~55 so still theoretically in his coaching prime, and only a few years older than Franklin is now. Texas Tech and Cinci are not "harder" jobs to win at than Auburn.
Then you have the more current guys like Luke Ficknell who had massive success and was arguably the hottest name on the market before taking the Wisconsin job. He is now well on his way to getting fired, and it turned out that all his 10+ wins seasons ultimately meant nothing.
This list goes on and on. When you actually analyze it, you quickly see that the success rate of allegedly "proven" or "great" coaches moving to other schools after being fired (or even leaving on their own) is not as high as one would assume.
Lets also not forget the two most recent "huge name splash hires" of Brian Kelly to LSU and Lincoln Riley to USC. Neither one is meeting expectations, and LSU fans are about done with Kelly already. Lincoln Riley had three straight 12-win seasons at Oklahoma, on top of a 10-win season as well to round out 10+ wins in 4 of his 5 seasons there. He hasn't come even close to that at USC. And he isn't even an old coach.
This post was edited on 10/19/25 at 4:39 pm
Posted on 10/19/25 at 5:12 pm to metafour
Franklin could not deliver in a conference that traditionally had two big power teams. He couldn't beat them. What do people think he would do in an SEC schedule again SEC powers?
He failed miserably against ranked teams. How many ranked teams would he face in a single year in this conference?
Plus he was at a program that wasn't exactly starved of resources. He could never get over the hump there. It reminds me of the Mark Richt situation with even less success against ranked opponents.
Let him go to Arkansas or if the Missouri coach leaves let him go there. Maybe he would fit in at Wisconsin when they fire Fickle or even UCLA.
I also remember the issues when he bolted from Vandy.
He failed miserably against ranked teams. How many ranked teams would he face in a single year in this conference?
Plus he was at a program that wasn't exactly starved of resources. He could never get over the hump there. It reminds me of the Mark Richt situation with even less success against ranked opponents.
Let him go to Arkansas or if the Missouri coach leaves let him go there. Maybe he would fit in at Wisconsin when they fire Fickle or even UCLA.
I also remember the issues when he bolted from Vandy.
Posted on 10/19/25 at 7:23 pm to SamGinn Cam
quote:
I’m with meta. Conduct a thorough interview process (not smoke and mirrors) hire a young, energetic coordinator/assistant who’s at and observed how a successful head coach at a larger P4 school runs a program.
I would be with Meta, too, if I thought for one second our administration/PTB were capable of hiring an, "up and coming," coach that wouldn't be a complete trainwreck.
They've shown through multiple attempts that they're incapable of making legitimate evaluations by consistently hiring failures.
The concerns Meta raises are legitimate, and the record against UM/OSU, worry me, as does the record versus ranked opponents
Gun to your head, with your life on the line, who do you think gets you more wins, next year? The guy our PTB likes/hires, or James Franklin?
That given, I'd be fine with giving Hartline a chance, but, right or wrong, SEC experience is going to be a knock on him. I'm beginning to doubt anyone, of note, wants the job, Franklin included
I'm just tired of our team playing like luke warm arse. The Fans/Students/Alumni all deserve better.
Posted on 10/19/25 at 7:38 pm to michaeldwde
The guy just lost to a coachless UCLA team and Northwestern with his cost no object, hand-picked offensive and defensive coordinators.
Posted on 10/19/25 at 7:53 pm to Woodrow Wilson
quote:
Woodrow Wilson
quote:
Tony L. Elliott - U of VA. Should have hired him years ago.
Posted on 10/19/25 at 7:54 pm to TTsTowel
James Franklin has something in his contract that says he must get hired fast. Bet the percentage of buyout is based on speed.
Odd, but Penn State got dragged through the mud previously.
Odd, but Penn State got dragged through the mud previously.
Posted on 10/19/25 at 8:20 pm to pdfield34
They lost a huge game, in overtime, to Oregon, and the team fell apart. That's on the coach, but I'm not ready to flush the guy's entire career over a three game losing streak.
I get it, y'all think he's a shitty coach who only won because he was in a weak conference.
I don't care who they hire, as long as they're a decent human, and they fricking win.
In the end, nobody I like ever gets the job, anyway, so, the idea of Franklin is already toast.
I get it, y'all think he's a shitty coach who only won because he was in a weak conference.
I don't care who they hire, as long as they're a decent human, and they fricking win.
In the end, nobody I like ever gets the job, anyway, so, the idea of Franklin is already toast.
Posted on 10/19/25 at 8:46 pm to metafour
Since you're so good at telling us who the bad coaches are why dont you go ahead and spill the beans on who the good coaches are?
Posted on 10/19/25 at 9:04 pm to SouthEasternKaiju
quote:Did you still cheer for POS Freeze?
I refuse to cheer for Auburn if they hire Franklin. Don't care. He's a POS and I'll have nothing to do with him. Period.
Posted on 10/19/25 at 9:27 pm to au4you
I said from day 1 that discount
Gus would be lucky to get 7 wins. 8 max. I was not a fan.
Gus would be lucky to get 7 wins. 8 max. I was not a fan.
Posted on 10/19/25 at 10:40 pm to SouthEasternKaiju
Freeze went to the portal and signed two backup QBs. That is a loser mentality. Mendoza went to Indiana. Pavia Vanderbilt. Haynes King GT. Terrible evaluator of talent. Do we not pay scouts? I don’t get it. The QB should be part OC if they are worth anything. I don’t know what Thorne or Arnold do well. I feel like both liked to hold the ball and scramble as their staple play. Which is not going to work. QB spy ruins that. Arnold has more runs than Cobb most games, and he’s not a better runner. Every team we play has a better QB. Most of the time other teams backup is better. We act like we don’t have a backup that is even able to take a snap.
Posted on 10/19/25 at 11:11 pm to metafour
Meta, who is on your shortlist?
Posted on 10/19/25 at 11:27 pm to AUX3
quote:
Arnold has more runs than Cobb most games, and he’s not a better runner
He’s not Nick Marshall but HF acts like he is.
Posted on 10/19/25 at 11:44 pm to AUCom96
quote:
Maybe. And if he gets us to 7-8 wins while still losing to UGA, bama and any other SEC team with a pulse then we’ve gone from Dooley to Jones and are still treading water.
Better than drowning at this point.
Posted on 10/20/25 at 8:04 am to TTsTowel
1st- Meta for poster of the year. Guy has been killing it all over these threads.
This is the same f-ing argument as morons were making for Hugh. The shine is off Franklin, and he wasn't super shiny to begin with. We would be Kansas, hiring Les Miles or UCF hiring Gus.
The AU powers that be seem completely incapable at hiring a good coach, so I completely expect a coaching retread that half of this board will be trying to convince the other half of this board it was a good hire. See Freeze. Back here in 3 years.
This is the same f-ing argument as morons were making for Hugh. The shine is off Franklin, and he wasn't super shiny to begin with. We would be Kansas, hiring Les Miles or UCF hiring Gus.
The AU powers that be seem completely incapable at hiring a good coach, so I completely expect a coaching retread that half of this board will be trying to convince the other half of this board it was a good hire. See Freeze. Back here in 3 years.
Page 3 of 6
Latest Auburn News
Popular
Back to top
Follow SECRant for SEC Football News