Auburn coaching candidate trending as fans are doing what they can to prevent his potential hire
As Auburn’s coaching search continues in an effort to replace Gus Malzahn, reports have continuously surfaced that defensive coordinator Kevin Steele may be in line to take over as Auburn’s head coach.
Auburn fans don’t seem to be in agreement with this move.
The Twitter hashtag #StopSteele has surfaced, as fans hope for a more accomplished hire to replace Malzahn.
Steele has certainly done an excellent job as Auburn’s defensive coordinator, and has the respect of college coaches across the country, but his only head coaching experience was a miserable stint at Baylor from 1999 to 2002 in which Steele went 9-36.
Steele made an appearance at a press conference on Wednesday to discuss Auburn’s 12 signees during the early signing period, and the hashtag made a quick appearance on one of the first replies.
It is abundantly clear that Kevin Steele is not the preferred choice for the majority of the Auburn faithful.
There is a reason you never heard Steele’s name come up in any head coaching openings in the last 4 years.
Auburn is going to punk itself if they don’t open their eyes to what everyone else clearly sees #DontHireSteele #StopSteele @AGreeneIV @AuburnFootball @AuburnU
— Auburn Memes (@AuburnMemes) December 16, 2020
NO STEELE, YOU WILL LOSE THE AUBURN FANBASE IF YOU DO THIS@AGreeneIV @KirkHerbstreit @davidpollack47 @TheAthleticCFB @DesmondHoward @CollegeGameDay @ESPNCFB @SECNetwork @BoJackson pic.twitter.com/n6d10hbQUL
— Jason Smith (@JasonSm39679259) December 16, 2020
The hashtag #StopSteele is trending on Twitter so things are going well at #Auburn #WDE
— Adam Gorney (@adamgorney) December 16, 2020
Auburn needs a real Head Coach! #stopsteele #Auburn pic.twitter.com/zms9vnrXan
— Todd Gantt (@JABA_WDE) December 16, 2020
Hire Tubs
Fire him
Hire his DC
Fire him
Hire Gene's OC
Fire him
Hire Gus's DC?#StopSteele @AuburnFootball @AGreeneIV— Auburn Reddit (@AuburnReddit) December 16, 2020
@yellawood this should be our first ,and only candidate for Head coach @AuburnFootball not Kevin Steele #stopsteele pic.twitter.com/61bHwxpK59
— Kevin J (@wishbone32) December 16, 2020
Do not do this Auburn. You have a chance to not screw this up. And hiring Steele would be the DEFINITION OF SCREWING UP!!!!! #StopSteele
— Wes Richards (@WesRichards7) December 16, 2020
Wow!
Ditto Wow! I dont see how this is what you do after firing an unpopular YET winning coach.
Looking like Tennessee all over again.
Actually other than Hugh Freeze. I think Steel is the PERFECT ONE TO GO WITH!!! He will keep the current team together. Probably rehire the right staff guys while cutting dead weight. And under him as soon as you get some more recruits. YOU’LL HAVE A SOLID DEFENSE!!!! Defense always gives you a shot with ANYBODY!!!!!
Then he can go hire an offensive coordinator. Kirby Smart did. Look how everything looks with the right QB!!! The reason UGA looks on par with Alabama all the sudden is because THEY ARE!!!!! Always have been. UGA was voted as THE MOST TALENTED ROSTER IN AMERICA AND THEY WERE BEFORE INJURIES AND OPT OUTS!!! I’M LOOKING AT YOU JAIME NEWMAN!!!!
BUT A FULL STRENGTH UGA, IS THE TRUE DEATH-STAR, of the SEC EAST. Not that bunch of LUCKY ORANGE SHOE TOSSERS AND SHOE SNIFFERS!!! It’s a covid season and the following could be done. If enough people wanted it.
THE REAL UGA VS 3 LOSS FLORIDA. IN THE COCKTAIL PARTY PART 2, THIS SEASON!!!!!! PLAYED EITHER IN FLORIDA OR GEORGIA!!!!!
PS. But the shoe sniffer himself Dan Mullen would have to accept it. HE IS A COWARD! He refused to play a real team last season in the bowl. He sure ain’t playing UGA again. ESPECIALLY NOT FULL STRENGTH!!!!!!
King Negan
Feel like the fanbase missed the perfect #stopthesteele opportunity, but yeah, this one works too… lol
If he gets the job people in Alabama are probably going to say the hiring process was rigged and he stole it because they didn’t want him..
Again, to compete against the best, you need to recruit better than the #52 class. Steele is at least partially responsible for that. You cannot hire the guy as head coach and expect better results. The next head coach must be an incredible recruiter or you paid $21M for nothing.
Didn’t Steele just through saying what a great job ,yeah it was a laugh, he and the others did to get the 12 players signed and The rest is up to the new coach? If he is going to be the new coach he should be recruiting his butt off right now and not giving news conferences about a bunch of 3*s.
Guess y’all will have to hire Kevin Sumlin, then (if you need “an incredible” recruiter).
Just who the frig do y’all think you’re going to hire? The zombie apocalypse version of Knute Rockne? Bear Bryant? Luke Lea?
You idiots have messed in your (ergo our) mess kits!
You Aubies have weakened the conference and division.
There is NO ONE with whom to replace Gus Malzahn who is even remotely comparable to Gus Malzahn!
GD. As my pappaw used to say (before he died), “I’ve seen some thangs, but…”
Look at the defensive players who have committed to Auburn over the last 4 years. Steele is responsible for that … not for the mess that Gus made of the offense.
Our defense is fine, our offense is not.
Agreed. I would love for Steele to come back to Bama and replace Golding as DC. Defense isn’t the problem at Auburn.
If that doesn’t work out, Muschamp’s available. He’s not so good at being HC, but he’s pretty sharp at handling defense.
It’s a tough job. A school that has a history of a quick trigger that has to play Bama, LSU, Georgia, a rising A&M, and typically a tough OOC game. Ten win seasons are the only thing that are going to satisfy the fan base. You have four teams that you play annually that are recruiting at a very high level so you are going to need to at worse split those games every year with teams with more talent or best case scenario equal talent (if the hire is a great recruiter). And you can’t lose to anyone outside of those four teams.
Cristobal can recruit like no other. However, his decision making during games is suspect. His last two games against PAC 12 bottom feeders were not a good look. If you’re going to poach a PAC 12 coach then go after Chip Kelly. He has UCLA headed in the right direction. He just needs a couple more classes of his own recruits. He was in his 4th year with Oregon in 2010 (2nd as HC), so he had recruited almost his entire offense at that point.
They don’t want Steele, sounds like they want recycled plastic that’s made the rounds and been through the grinder a few times.
I kinda like #ThouShaltNotSteele…
If you guys hire Kevin Steele it will 99% likely backfire on you guys. Would y’all rather have him or Gus who at least won his share of big games?
Gus no question.
Dad gum it.
Y’all sold the house without having a place to move into, didn’t you?
Didn’t you?
…and now we’re all having to walk past you sleeping in your car every night on our way home…
Geeeeeezus, Auburn. Geeeeeezus.
What really unexpected is if Tennessee doesnt fire Pruitt (could be waiting until the class is signed maybe?), and Auburn elevates Steele, then I would think Freeze stays at Liberty for another year. Some have mentioned Michigan but I dont think Freeze will go up there.
AU is doing their best to be AU. You are going to fire a guy because the program was getting stagnant and they were not winning enough. Then you are going to hire a 62 year old guy with ONE HCing stop 20 years ago, and he won 9 games in 4 years? You are just trying to be the laughing stock.
Oh, Auburn.
48-11
31-22-1. Four natties. Try to catch up.
This will be our fourth coach since 2008.
Just get it right for once. Somebody’s we can all get behind and will excite all the fan base
A 62 year old retread ( while a good DC) with a 9-36-1 record from 20 years ago is not that. If so, why is waiting until NOW to want to be a HC again?? And why no other offers until now ( if he has one)?
Whole thing stinks. Yet , I wait with such high expectations for the powers that be at AU to tell me this is our best fit. Even after a national search with 2 committees helping our AD.
This is so AUBURN it isn’t even a joke anymore.
I have Covid right now. Its hard to say what’s making sicker: Covid or this coaching search.
I don’t think Malzahn was the answer at Auburn, and I stand by that. But how a coach is replaced is just as crucial as moving on from a coach when things have stagnated and show no real signs of improving. The timing on this was bad, and the optics are bad, and there appears to have been zero forethought. Auburn needed to act in a professional and business-minded manner in order to turn the corner on the narrative established by the departures of Terry Bowden, Tommy Tuberville, and Gene Chizik (Bowden and Tuberville resigned, but after much politicking against them, e.g. JetGate, while Chizik was fired), and instead this move feeds right into the ‘Auburn is Hell to coach at’ stereotype. I am used to Auburn politics, but given how many times that has blown up spectacularly, I can’t believe how this has been handled. Is nothing ever learned?
Was this seriously the plan? Pay Malzahn’s buyout in order to elevate 62-year-old Kevin Steele? How does this improve Auburn’s issues with recruiting, offensive woes, etc? Kevin Steele is not a definitive upgrade over Malzahn, nor would his elevation be an investment in the future of the program. It would instead be a stopgap measure that comes at the cost of Malzahn’s buyout, and possibly defensive regression if Steele hands over the defensive reins to a new DC. I did hope Kevin Steele would remain on as defensive coordinator under a new head coach, as I doubt a new head coach could find a better candidate for DC at this juncture, and keeping Steele would offer some needed stability. But Steele as head coach? No way. Steele is not cut from the same cloth as Ed Orgeron, and people need to stop making that comparison.
If Kevin Steele is named head coach, heads need to roll. AD, BoTs, etc. There needs to be a sea change at Auburn; I thought the hiring of Allen Greene might have possibly been a step in that direction, but I guess not.
The firing and search process thus far has done (further) damage to Auburn’s credibility, but it can be somewhat salvaged if there is hire worth the circus. But if this keeps heading down the road it currently appears to be on, it has the potential to seriously set the program back.
Prior to COVID, I wasn’t expecting Auburn to pull the trigger until Malzahn’s buyout was <= $10,875,000, due to the optics (do a web search for the article "An Analysis Of College Football And Basketball Coach Buyouts" published earlier this year by Athletic Director U). Once COVID hit, I thought Malzahn would actually make it to the end of his contract, but that his contract wouldn't be renewed. When Auburn ended up pulling the trigger, I assumed they must have a definitive upgrade waiting in the wings in order to justify the timing, optics, and cost. Was I ever wrong.
Also, out of curiosity, if Auburn had waited until January 1, 2021 to fire Malzahn instead of December 13, 2020, as per his contract, wouldn't Malzahn's buyout have dropped to $16.2 million (instead of the $21.45 million he's getting)?
I'm tired of how poorly things have been handled in recent memory when pushing Auburn football coaches towards the door, as well as the knee-jerk pay raises some have gotten during happier times. It's an intense pendulum. Gus Malzahn should have never received his $49 million contract (let Arkansas poach him if they really wanted him that badly), but the way his firing and replacement have been handled thus far are just as embarrassing. Whatever coach comes next will probably want a similarly structured buyout to Malzahn's (regardless of what they are paid per year), although Steele may agree to some concessions if campaigning for the job. I wouldn't be surprised if external candidates want and arm and a leg in compensation regardless of their coaching abilities and the overall market demand for their services, just due to the environment here.
Dang that was a novel (OK not a novel but at least a short story)…
I feel your pain, old man and the sea. I feel your pain.
Daniel, any speech giver should know “Keep it short” or they lose interest quickly. That had the inklings of a “Queen Megan” type story that nobody has time to read.
You nailed it. It appears there was little foresight. I thought for sure that had Freeze lined up or they wouldn’t have pulled the trigger on Malzahn. At least wait until after signing day.
Wow! Look at this one! If it’s more than a few sentences I scroll by.
Watch Auburn blow out their bowl opponent and then make Chad Morris their head coach.
Will Muschamp’s available…but it’ll cost you another huge buyout $$$.
Oh great, spewed coffee on the keyboard when I read that one!
lmfao
Our frustration with Gus was wild swings in consistency. We played our only complete game this past year against LSU. The team appeared not to really show up to play against UGA and Bama. Beat at home vs. Tenn in 2019? I don’t really care who they hire as long as the team shows up and competes every week. Not just the random weeks that folks point to as his high points. Even the fan base has no idea what magic he worked to get that result on those days. Especially when we can get trounced the following week to a team we should beat easily.
All of Gus’ big wins have names attached because they required some kind of miracle play or circumstance to happen. I agree with you, the consistency was certainly an issue. The big money people have too much influence, but I guess if they are paying the bills that is how it works. Lowder and YellowWood run the show.
You’re right. It seems that people outside of Auburn couldn’t refer to Malzahn unless the term “rabbit’s foot” was also used in the sentence.
I’m willing to bet that people are confusing StoptheSteal with StopSteele … I doubt that many Auburn fans are upset about this that they’re posting on Twitter in such numbers that it is trending…
Anyway, here are the options, Auburn fans:
Hire an outsider for head coach: fine, but who? Cristobol isn’t coming. Neither is Freeze. Meyer won’t go to Auburn. So … who?
-PJ Fleck? He’s never coached college ball south of the Ohio River.
-Brett Venables? He ain’t leaving Clemson for Auburn.
-Bill Clark or Billy Napier? The former has never coached at a Power 5 program while the former has bounced around from program to program (like Malzahn a decade ago).
-Steve Sarkisian? You really think he’s gonna flip from Alabama?
-Lane Kiffin? Ha! He’s part of the reason Tennessee is still in turmoil.
Or, you hold on to Steele. Yeah, he’s not a flashy pick, but he’s a stable pick.
You keep him, you keep your defensive staff intact. All you need now is to hire an offensive coordinator, which is easier to do than a head coach. Listen, Auburn has the parts to be a good team … but the offense, man oh man, the offense needs work. And the lack of smart recruiting on that side of the ball (look at the offensive line) has been a major problem I’ve had with Malzahn.
That’s all Auburn needs … actual changes to the offense. You see, with the coming and going of various OCs under Malzahn, there was never any change, because Malzahn was still calling the shots. He was a one-trick pony. Get in some fresh ideas, some smart ideas, and Auburn will be fine.
I say give Steele the job.
Since Steele got to run the D free if interference, Auburn should go with co-head coaches. Let Morris have the same thing with the offense. Make it a total split in the locker room. Be brave, Auburn, or at least be funny.
Auburn Leadership: Let’s replace an inconsistent coach with a consistent failure. At least we won’t have any hope to lose.
If you want to stop the steel..don’t hire Sidney Powell…she never wins anything. Her Kracken died!!
He is the only Steel to stop…fake fraud!
Get ready for a run on the mattress stores in Auburn a-la-Tennessee.
I appreciate the entertainment Auburn is giving us.
As a 40 year resident of Auburn and life long fan, I too am growing tired of our own fans in this situation. We are about to let your big opinionated mouths run a good D.C. out the door. If Steele is the new man, I dont see the rush to get Gus fired before signing day, bowl season, or even COVID season at all. If it was to salvage recruiting, I dont think Steel will have a major impact on that this year. I think we set out eyes on Cristobal and that backfired so Steel will be the man until we find someone else. If we pulls a coach O then great, if not they will let him go next year or the next when more choices are avail.
… I still want Bob Stoops for one, but if he is reading how our fans are talking, he may be running for the hills. We are certainly not making the job look very appealing for any brave soul…..
“We are about to let OUR big opinionated mouths”
They always do, don’t they? The always do.
The Prayer in Jordan Hare (or is it AT?), The KICK SIX…
Auburn is, if nothing else, ALWAYS entertaining.
Stop the Steele. Even non auburn or non football fans have been saying that a lot lately.
Personally, I think it is a great hire for Auburn and I fully support it. I also love USC’s HC hire and I support Tennessee giving Pruitt more time to build his program.
Gary Pinkel or Les Miles
This again confirms that Auburn fans hate everybody and everything. How miserable. Feel sorry for whoever they sucker to coach there…they gone in 4 yrs!
Maybe. Gus had 8 years and Tommy had 10 years. That’s two of their last three. 4 years isn’t a trend or average for them.
UK Class rank on 247 sports: 39
Auburn: 41
If that doesn’t underline in bright glowing neon red how badly this firing was timed and how badly recruiting has gotten for Auburn (and how much UK has improved since it used to linger in the 60’s), I don’t know what does.
Firing Gus in and of itself isn’t the mistake. Firing him without the replacement lined up was a mistake. Firing him in the middle of early signing is also a mistake. Doing both is a colossal blunder which will most likely hurtle Auburn to the back of the SEC West pack and give Tennessee someone to laugh at for making the same mistake.
The back of the SEC West? I was going to question if you were including Arkansas then I remembered seeing the Razorbacks get downright cheated out of that W. Auburn is ALREADY behind Arky.
Agree.
All joking aside I agree.
Auburn is currently, presently, definitively behind Arkansas.
Wow…how did journalists write articles before Twitter came along? I guess all they had to do was reach out and actually try to CONTACT people directly. Any school that bases their decisions on Twitter knuckleheads are as lazy as journalists.