Epic Fail by Auburn

[IBGPN]

Why on Earth would you fire Tommy Tubberville and then hire a guy that is 5 and 19 in the Big XII? I know he was Defensive Coordinator at Auburn for a couple of years, but damn what a huge mistake they made!



ESPN.com news services

Gene Chizik Hired As Auburn's Head Coach

Iowa State coach Gene Chizik has been hired as the next football coach at Auburn, Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard said in a statement.

"Gene [Chizik] confirmed for me today that he is accepting the head coaching position at Auburn, Pollard said "I'm disappointed for our Iowa State fans and student-athletes that he has chosen to leave our program after only two seasons.

"I understand that it [Auburn] is a dream job for him, but the timing and the way it played out has been hurtful and disappointing. Although this is a significant set back, we will get through the challenge because the Iowa State University athletics program is far greater than one person."

A former Auburn defensive coordinator, Chizik will succeed Tommy Tuberville, who resigned following 10 seasons. The hiring was first reported by several media outlets, including AuburnUndercover.com, the Birmingham News and the Mobile Press-Register.

Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs has not confirmed the hiring.

"I think that if everything continues to go well in the next few days, we'll have the process narrowed down pretty well," Jacobs told reporters after landing in Auburn on a university jet. "We'll just go from there."

Asked if he had hired Chizik, Jacobs said: "We're just still working through the deal."

Jacobs was on the plane with university President Jay Gogue and other athletic department officials, reportedly returning from a trip to Memphis, where Chizik's agent, Jimmy Sexton, is based. A couple of dozen fans greeted the plane and some of them heckled the Auburn officials for apparently choosing a coach with a losing record.

An Auburn spokesman said no announcement was scheduled and an Iowa State spokesman also said he couldn't confirm the reports. Sexton declined to comment. Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard was out of town and unavailable for comment, spokesman Steve Malchow said.

Chizik made $1.05 million in base salary and guaranteed pay last season under a six-year deal and would owe Iowa State $750,000 if he takes the Auburn job.

Auburn was paying Tuberville an average of $3.3 million a year and agreed to give him $5.1 million to buy out his contract despite calling his departure a resignation. He stepped down after a 5-7 season and the Tigers' first loss to rival Alabama in seven years, a 36-0 rout that was the final blow for a team that was predicted to win the Southeastern Conference Western Division.

Chizik is 5-19 in two seasons at Iowa State after stints running the defenses at Auburn and Texas. He coached the nation's top scoring defense in 2004 in his third and final season with the Tigers. That defense allowed just 11 points a game and Auburn went undefeated.

Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard had acknowledged on Friday in a statement that he was aware Chizik had met with Auburn officials and was a serious candidate for the job.

Before coming to Iowa State to replace Dan McCarney, Chizik was one of the hottest defensive coordinators in the country. He led teams at Auburn and Texas to a 29-game winning streak over two-plus seasons before losing in 2006 to Ohio State while at Texas. He was Frank Broyles national award winner in 2004 and served as the coordinator on Texas' 2005 national championship team.

But he's gone just 5-19 in two seasons at Iowa State -- including a 2-10 mark in 2008. The Cyclones went winless in Big 12 play this season, and their win total has dipped in each of the past three seasons.

Chizik's defense regressed in every major statistical category this season. The Cyclones worsened from 65th to 111th nationally in total defense, 93rd to 110th in scoring defense, 44th to 95th in rushing defense and 91st to 115th in total defense.

Their struggles were particularly apparent in the Big 12 game, which has become one of the nation's highest-scoring conferences in the last several seasons. The Cyclones allowed at least 28 points in every conference game this season and at least 422 yards of total offense. Iowa State also had allowed 28 points in 14 of 16 conference games under Chizik.

Iowa State currently has a 10-game losing streak which ranks tied for the second longest in FBS football with SMU. Washington has the longest at 14 games.

But the Iowa State program has traditionally struggled in the latter stages of the Big Eight and Big 12 conferences. The Cyclones had 17 non-winning seasons in a 19-year period before Dan McCarney took them to five bowl games during a span of six season from 2000-05. McCarney was let go after a 4-8 record in 2006.

Iowa State has never notched an outright conference championship in the 117-season history of the progam. The Cyclones shared Missouri Valley Championship titles as co-champions in 1911 and 1912.

Information from ESPN.com's Chris Low, Mark Schlabach, Tim Griffin and The Associated Press was used in this report.

[Lilred36]

Well my guess is with that offense tradgedy this year, there going back to the power running game.

[IBGPN]

But he was a Defensive Coordinator at Auburn and Texas, nothing Offensive about his coaching style. Just doesn't make any sense to me at all.

[Lilred36]

well it does start with defense, you can bet they will bring in a cordinator "offense" that will please the boosters, heck maybe one of them will run the offense.

[IBGPN]

Fired their OC this year too. I bet the booster are going to implode faster than that team! Be paying themselves to coach soon.

[Lilred36]

Yeah that new scheme, spread wasn't it? that was immpressive, they were near the bottom of college football in all offensive categorys.

[IBGPN]

HAHA! Yep, great scheme they just did not have the players for it. They are losing recruits real fast now, future does not look bright AU.

[Lilred36]

YUP, you don't think they'll be lining up to play for that coach either eh?

[targetguy1]

not to sure if this was a wise choice

[Lilred36]

Nope to many stud coaches there, if ya gonna win in SEC you gotta be able to recruit! Mister that takes a Stud coach, Auburn will get some local talent, but there going be playing some great teams.Alot folks don't realize the SEC has some very young teams.we got 8 in bowl games this year, and the future looks bright.So you better have a coach kids wanna play for, sorry auburn gets an f for this.

[IBGPN]

Gene Chizik, ladies man...looks like Louder's entire payroll turned out:

Chizik arrives to cheers
Posted by Evan Woodbery, Press-Register December 14, 2008 6:29 PM
Categories: Football
New Auburn football coach Gene Chizik arrived on the Plains at about 6 p.m. About 200 cheering fans and supporters were there to greet him. If any unhappy folks were present at the Auburn/Opelika Robert G. Pitts Airport, they didn't say anything.

Chizik's first (and to this point, only) words to the local media:

"First of all, I am very, very overwhelmed. I'm back home. What can I say? I'm back home. I feel very blessed. My family, myself, this is a dream come true for us. And this is going to brief, but I'll tell you this -- these people of Auburn University and the Auburn family is what I got into coaching for. And I left it with a dream to one day come back to it, and today I'm living that dream and I want to thank you guys. And War Eagle."

Auburn mayor Bill Ham presented Chizik with some sort of memento as he got off the plane (I couldn't tell what). The crowd was a who's who of athletic department personnel. Many recruiting hosts and hostesses were there. Aubie and the team's cheerleaders also made an appearance.

Fans yelled "Warrr..." as the university jet approached and "Eagle!" as it touched down on the ground.

[DirtyRiver79]

You know how Auburn can help me out? Hire Patrick Nix as their OC. PLEASE. Get that clown out of Miami. He is a joke and by reading this post, he would fit in quiet well back at Auburn.

[Lilred36]

Hey your not a razorback fan? Sounds to me like you have some strong feelings towards Auburn.

[IBGPN]

Yeah I am a Razorback fan, but between TN with Kiffin, and now AU doing this the Hogs will be sitting pretty soon. I am not the only one that thinks this was the dumbest move ever, just have a look at this booster welcoming Jacobs back... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8dxvwG5BVY

[Lilred36]

Seen it!! thought it was great!I really feel kinda bad for Phil at Tenn. put alot of years in there.

[IBGPN]

What him taking no pay now? I can not believe they did that to him, he built that program to what it was and will be again after Kiffin is done.

[IBGPN]

And the joke on Auburn just got a little bit sicker....


Iowa native Paul Rhoads, defensive coordinator at Auburn this past season, has been hired as the new head football coach at Iowa State, a prominent booster told The Des Moines Register this morning.
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Richard Stark of Fort Dodge said Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard phoned him at his Florida residence this morning to tell him of Rhoads’ hiring.

“He’s also sent a text message to the players,’’ Stark said.

Stark said he had a good idea last night that Rhoads, an Ankeny native, would be Pollard’s choice.

“I think this is one of those hires that will not raise a lot of eyebrows, but I think it’s a helluva hire,’’ Stark said. “He’s a smart guy, a charismatic guy, an Ankeny guy. I think he’s a helluva pick.’’

Later this morning, Iowa State confirmed the hiring and said Rhoads will be introduced to fans during the men’s basketball game tonight against Jacksonville State in Ames.

Iowa State officials said Rhoads agreed to a five-year deal worth $5.75 million — or $1.15 million per years — with incentives available to increase that total.

Rhoads grew up in Ankeny and was valedictorian for his high school class. He played football at Missouri Western as a defensive back.

He spent eight seasons as a defensive coordinator at Pittsburgh, before taking the same job at Auburn in 2008.

The 41-year-old father of two was also an assistant at Iowa State earlier in his career, coaching linebackers and the secondary.

Rhoads got his start in college coaching as a graduate assistant at Utah State in 1989-90. He was then a graduate assistant at Ohio State for a season before joining the staff at Pacific in 1992.

From there Rhoads went to Iowa State, where he coached linebackers in 1995 and the secondary from 1996-99 before moving on to Pittsburgh.

Iowa State cornerback Leonard Johnson said the hiring brings relief.

Johnson, who will be a sophomore, talked to his new coach early this morning.

“I just got a call from him. It made me feel good,” Johnson said. “I was just happy to have somebody in charge.”

Johnson said last week he would consider transferring, but when asked if he felt better about his future as a Cyclone, Johnson said, “You could say that.”

He is in his native Florida, so won’t be at today’s press conference, but Johnson expects to be back on campus Jan. 12.

Read continuing coverage at DesMoinesRegister.com throughout the day — and find more in tomorrow's Sunday Register.