From what Iām told, the deal has not been finalized. President Jay Gogue still must give his final approval. If he does it, heāll do it under fierce opposition and it will divide Auburn people to such a degree that it will be very difficult to recover.
The main problem they all face is Chizikās record at Iowa State. He was a huge success as defensive coordinator at Auburn and at Texas. Iowa State is a terrible job. But a 5-19 record in two seasons is hard for anyone to overlook. This season, Iowa State went 2-10 despite a schedule that did not include Oklahoma, Texas or Texas Tech, the three best teams in the league.
If Chizik comes to Auburn, he will come on a 10-game losing streak. Has that ever happened at a major football school?
In the end, sources close to the search say, the two finalists were Chizik and Buffalo coach Turner Gill. And the nod, at least for now, has gone to Chizik.
Itās unfortunate, not because Chizik isnāt good enough but because Auburn had an opportunity to make a statement, to turn the negativity surrounding the departure of Tommy Tuberville after 10 seasons into something very positive. Alabama had a similar opportunity, chose Mike Shula over Sly Croom, and paid the price.
Other than the past two dreadful season, Chizik has very good credentials. Gill, who took over another down-and-out program at Buffalo and won a championship in three seasons, has similar credentials if not better. It became obvious days ago, before Chizikās name surfaced, that Gill was the favorite of most fans.
Would Gill win more at Auburn than Chizik? There really is no way to say. But what is obvious today is that, fairly or unfairly, Chizik would be the most unpopular choice in modern Auburn history.
And under those circumstances, it will be very difficult to succeed.
