Would Auburn firing Gus Malzahn be the wrong decision? One ESPN analyst thinks so.

During an appearance as the guest speaker for the 1st and 10 Club at the Mobile Marriott Monday, Matt Barrie said he doesn’t understand why Malzahn is on the hot seat in the first place and that firing him would be a “mistake,” according to AL.com.

“Look, you have to be so careful, when you’re evaluating where your program is, and what exactly it is you expect every year,” Barrie said. “He comes in, and takes his team to a national championship, and you get to that level so quickly, people are going to expect that year-in and year-out. There’s really only one coach in the country that can do that, and it’s Nick Saban. And (Malzahn) can recruit, he’s had some of the top recruiting classes in the country. He’s still a good offensive mind. … With the talent that’s there, he just needs a break to go his way.”

Barrie also gave his opinion on Auburn’s quarterback situation. The analyst said he’d like to see backup John Franklin III replace Sean White as the Tigers’ starter.

“I’m interested to see how that goes the rest of the year,” Barrie said. “I know there’s a lot of inherent risk with (Franklin) throwing the football, but I don’t know in Gus’ offense, you need to be that good of a thrower. I think you just have to be able to distribute the ball fast, be quick. This is nothing against White, but I would love to see him turn the keys of the offense over to Franklin, just to see what he can do, see if he can ignite them.”

You can read more about Barrie’s appearance with the 1st and 10 Club here.