The Auburn Tigers are still searching for a new coach after firing Gus Malzahn on Sunday.

The move surprised many people, since Malzahn had just danced in the locker room after a win over Mississippi State. Still, a change was made, and there’s no turning back now, especially after the Tigers paid Malzahn a massive buyout.

On FOX’s “Big Noon Saturday,” analyst Brady Quinn said he doesn’t think the Tigers should have fired Malzahn, but he also discussed a pair of interesting candidates for the job:

“They never should’ve fired Gus Malzahn in the first place,” Brady Quinn said Saturday during Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff pregame show. “This team only had nine returning starters this year. Everyone has dealt with COVID. There’s not a lot of time to develop your team and get the most out of them. He was 3-5 during his time vs. Alabama, which historically has had one of the better runs we’ve ever seen. And the buyout? $21 million? None of it made sense.

“All that being said, here’s a couple candidates — Brent Venables, usually you go opposite of an offensive mind, Malzahn more offensive and Venables more defensive. And then Steve Sarkisian, how fun would that be? You take Alabama’s OC right now and plug him in as head coach for next year’s Iron Bowl. Maybe he makes that work.”

Sarkisian is an interesting name, as he’s obviously close with Alabama coach Nick Saban. If Auburn wants to hire either Sark or Venables, though, it might have to wait — both of those teams might make the College Football Playoff.