Jake Holland...

Just a few thoughts on AU's first in-state commitment of 2010. Based on his highlight, this kid looks to be a "football player". The number one thing I see are very good instincts. He gets to the ball very quickly because of his ability to read and react. Those are very important charateristics of a LB. He seems to run really well, but I think his reaction time allows him to be in great position. Speed is very important, but I'll take a 4.7 with instincts over a 4.5 without instincts every time. I also see really good feet and tackling ability. Additionally, he covers ground in space very well. This has become a premium as spread offenses are so commonly used. This bodes well for his ability to cover the middle of the field in a "Tampa 2" look, which is a staple of GC defenses. I'm not sure what he'll be "rated", and don't really care. This kid can play. You need these types of players on your defense. Really good early pickup!

In-State Recruiting...

The importance of in-state recruiting cannot be overstated in my opinion. While AU has traditionally done very well in the surrounding states of Georgia and Florida, the state of Alabama must be a point of emphasis if Auburn is to compete with Alabama for quality in-state players. This starts with building relationships with HS coaches in the state. Those guys have totally opened the door for me, and I'm sure others as well. This is where it starts. Many HS football players rely on their coaches for guidance and/or advice. Therefore, an "open-door" policy for HS coaches is a must.
Auburn battles a lopsided fanbase in state that often makes recruiting certain kids (and areas) difficult. Most coaches in the state are either Auburn or Alabama fans, with the majority being the later. However, despite what most think, most HS coaches want the best for their players. Are there some who routinely "guide" their players to one place or the other? Most certainly. But I don't think it is as wide-spread as some may think.
I totally expect this coaching staff to battle toe-to-toe with Alabama in the state. It will be a point of emphasis. Auburn will not win every recruiting battle. Alabama has far too many "resources" to allow that. However, after getting to know these guys better, I am confident there will be no stone unturned. AU will wins some battles it might not have otherwise. And as all coaches know, it's not all about the X's and O's, but the Jimmy's and Joe's as well. War Eagle!!

Finishing Touches on the Coaching Staff..

Courtesy of JR...

Auburn has gotten lots of positive pub for the recruiting ability of several of the new staff members. Trooper Taylor and Tommy Thigpen in particular, have come in with reputations as outstanding recruiters. Predictably, some mediots have questioned whether anybody on the staff can actually “coach”, or if they can just recruit. I don’t know where the notion that recruiting and coaching are mutually exclusive came from, but it doesn’t hold water. Hard work gets results, whether it’s pursuing great high school athletes, or teaching technique, or game planning. Based on their backgrounds, I think these guys can do it all.
Gus Malzahn is only 4 years into college coaching, but he is a sought-after speaker at coaching clinics around the country. It always seems silly to call a football coach “a genius”, but Malzahn has already proven he is one of the more innovative offensive coaches in the sport. His two years at Tulsa were as productive as any offense in the nation. The fact that his Tulsa offense generated almost 8,000 yards in 2008, averaging 570 per game, is just plain mind-boggling.
I haven’t seen a lot of hype about offensive line coach Jeff Grimes as a recruiter, but his reputation as an offensive line coach is very good in the western half of the country. Grimes has been hired by some of the best offensive coaches in college football, including Dirk Koetter, Ken Hatfield, Dan Hawkins, Gary Crowton, and Bronco Mendenhall. Being sought by and working with those coaches is pretty impressive to me.
The guy coming in with the biggest recruiting rep, at least around the SEC, is wide receivers coach (and assistant head coach) Trooper Taylor. But, can Trooper coach? Well, let’s see what he’s done with wide receivers. At Tennessee, as running backs coach, he had two 1,000 yard rushers in 2004. In 2006, also at UT, he was wide receivers coach, and made an All-American out of Robert Meachem. That year, 3 UT wide receivers combined for over 2400 yards receiving. The following year, in 2007, three NEW wide receivers combined for 2100 receiving yards. Maybe more impressive than his success at Tennessee is the fact that while at Tulane from 1999-2003, Taylor put 4 wide receivers into the NFL, and had a trio in 2001 lead the country with 2,384 yards on 185 catches.
New AU running backs coach Curtis Luper has impressed already with his successful recruitment of Texas high school QB phenom Tyrik Rollison. But can he coach? As running backs coach at New Mexico, he produced the Mountain West Conference’s all-time career rushing leader. At Oklahoma State in 2006, he had 3 running backs combine for 2000 rushing yards, and the OSU Cowboys led the Big Twelve Conference in rushing in both 2006 and 2007.
Tracy Rocker is admired by defensive line recruits for his own accomplishments as a player, having been a two-time All-American, and winning the Lombardi and Outland awards. But he may be a better coach than he is a recruiter. Rocker’s DL at Ole Miss last year led the nation in tackles for loss, and was 4th in the SEC with 39 sacks. Two of his players earned All-America honors in the 2008 season. Prior to following Houston Nutt to Ole Miss, Rocker coached 1st round draft pick Jamaal Anderson, and NFL draft picks Jeb Huckaba and Keith Jackson.
Bottom line, Yes, these guys can recruit. They can also coach, and based on past history, I’m inclined to think they may be better coaches than recruiters. Only time will tell.

Official Visit...

This past weekend, I was invited to Auburn as a part of the weekend activities. We arrived Friday afternoon around 5pm. We ate a really nice dinner with the coaches, recruits, tiger hosts, and hostesses. I immediately recognized a difference in the atmosphere. This staff is very talkative and outgoing. Some of them are plain "nuts". I can see why a high school recruit would love these guys. Each walked up to me, introduced themselves, and began to talk. We talked about football, recruiting, and life in general. I enjoyed sitting down at dinner with a particular coach and his wife. He was extremely humble, even stated he'd love to "pick my brain" for ideas about defense "if I didn't mind". I thought to myself "are you kidding"? A few of the wives are already in town, and they were great as well. Coach Chizik is building a real family atmosphere around Auburn. And the word "family" was stressed the entire weekend. Saturday consisted of academic meetings, position meetings (including a meeting with Coach Chizik), and the evening festivities. More on that later. Coach Chizik and his wife were great, speaking with us for about 30 minutes. My guy received the offer during this meeting, and he lit up!! It was a great moment. These are the reasons we coach. As a coach, when you feel a kid has worked to become a great player and person, nothing makes you happier than to see the kid given an incredible opportunity. Classic moment! That evening, we went to dinner at the stadium. Another coach came and sat down with us. He and I talked for 30 minutes about Auburn and the Big 12. I picked his brain about Big 12 teams. He picked mine about Auburn. He even asked me what I thought of the returning players at Auburn. These guys are established college coaches, and they are picking my brain about football. It was a great feeling. Saturday night was wonderful for the kids. They went into the locker room, put on jerseys (with their numbers), and went onto the field. It was great. The players were having a blast. Pictures were plentiful. A really big deal was made of this for the players. They were all smiles. Sunday morning was pretty much a "wrapping up" of the visit. However, remember the coach from Friday night at dinner (with his wife), he again asked to sit with us for breakfast. We talked for while before leaving Auburn. Let me say this. It was a great experience. It was first class. We were treated special. You can't ask for more than that. I can honestly say I would want my son to play for those guys. They are energetic, personable, and generally interested in you as a person. That is what it takes to get things done at this level. I firmly believe Auburn is headed in the right direction. I think the pieces are coming together for a great run. If last weekend is any indication, this should be the start of something special. God Bless and War Eagle!!

Coaching Staff

The next few weeks are very important to the future of Auburn football. Not only for the upcoming recruiting class, but for the coaching staff hires made by Gene Chizik. As you have seen over the last year or so, the ability to "get along" is a critical part of building a harmonious staff. Chiz must go after not only the best coaches and recruiters, but the best people as well. Egos can be a big problem in coaching. Most good coaches have one to some extent. The ability to mesh egos into one coaching staff is a vital part of buying into a system. And as we have seen, if the coaches don't "buy in", the players won't. When this happens, teams expecting to contend for titles finish 5-7. So those Auburn fans who simply want the best recruiters on staff? Sit back and allow Coach Chizik to interview, get feedback from those in the business he trust, and hire the best STAFF he can put together. Will some be disappointed he didn't hire "so and so"? Of course. However, if current staff hires are any indication, I think Coach Chiz is moving in the right direction.

Introduction...

The last few months have been interesting for Auburn football to say the least. As we have seen, the coaching profession can often be cut-throat and unpredictable. Tommy Tuberville had a successful ten year run on the plains. However, after a sub-par season in which Auburn was expected to contend for the overall SEC title, Auburn and Coach Tuberville (depending on how you see it) decided it was time to move on. What went wrong this season? What does the future hold for Auburn football under Gene Chizik? Which position(s) must step up in the off-season? What are the most critical aspects of building a coaching staff? These are just a few of the questions that will be answered in the coming months. We would like to provide some of the answers from our point of view. Contributing writers will give you a look at Auburn (and other SEC teams) from a coaching standpoint. Will we always be right? Of course not. However, we will attempt to provide analysis based on our years of coaching experience. We hope this will be an interesting and frequent read for you. War Eagle!