JetGateās Tommy Tuberville on Bob Stoops reports: āThis is typical Auburnā
If there is anyone who knows what itās like to be Auburn coach Gus Malzahn this week, itās Tommy Tuberville.
Reports Auburn
āpowerbrokersā met with former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, first reported by
Josh Moon, bring back memories of the infamous JetGate.
The year was 2003, and after dropping three straight SEC games, then-Auburn booster Bobby Lowder, Auburn President William Walker and athletic director David Housel flew to Louisville to gauge then-Cardinals coach Bobby Petrinoās interest in the Auburn job. The meeting took place prior to the 2003 Alabama game, which Auburn won.
Fast forward to 2018 and now reports surface that representatives have reached out to
Stoops, which the former Sooners coach denies.
Tuberville joined me and Lee Shirvanian during āThe Opening Kickoffā on WNSP-FM 105.5 to discuss the headlines of the past 24 hours at Auburn.
āUnbelievable, isnāt it?ā Tuberville asked.
He said he had heard three weeks ago that there āwas someoneā visiting Stoops, but said it was not a credible source. āIt was just kind of rumor.ā
Thatās not to say he dismisses it.
āThereās problems in Auburn,ā said Tuberville, who led the Tigers to an undefeated season in 2004. "Thereās always been problems in Auburn. And, for some reason, they will continue to be problems in Auburn.
"That being said, the things Iām hearing out of Auburn is if they do pay Gus Malzahn $32 million (for a buyout), they want to have somebody in place that can settle the troops down.
āItās a complete mess, to be honest with you. There are too many people up there trying to make a decision. Obviously, they donāt have a clue what they are doing.ā
Tuberville isnāt necessarily bitter. He āsurvived the stormā as he put it, running off six straight wins against Alabama. Still, the week leading up to the 2003 Iron Bowl was no picnic. He has a pretty good idea what Malzahn is going through this week.
āYou feel like youāre out on an island,ā he explained. "Thereās no boat. Thereās no life preserver to get to a safe place. Youāre just there. No one is talking to you. You have your assistants, but theyāre out on the road. He probably doesnāt have anyone really talking to you.
āWhen I had my JetGate it was during the week of the Iron Bowl. I couldnāt get people I talked to 24 hours before on the phone or into their office. ... Youāre closed out.ā
Tuberville made it clear that he has no idea what the future holds for the Auburn head coaching position. He simply can relate. In addition, he isnāt sure who wants to step into the current situation on the Plains.
āI donāt know anyone out there that wants to get into this mess,ā Tuberville said. "Do you think Bob Stoops wants to get into this mess? He dropped a better job than this.
āJeff Brohm would be my first choice. He could get the job done. Is it good enough to catch the runaway train in Georgia and Alabama? No, because no one is going to catch them.ā
Tuberville insists you donāt necessarily have to compete with Saban and Smart, you just have to make Auburn the best it can be.
āYou want somebody to come in and run Auburn like it needs to be run,ā he explained. "Get people on your side. Help raise money. Make Auburn the best you can make it. And, if you can beat the people you need to beat, then you beat them.
āYou canāt beat them with everyone trying to add their own ingredient on how they think things ought to be run. You canāt do it.ā
JetGateās Tommy Tuberville on Bob Stoops reports: āThis is typical Auburnā