Auburn football: Allen Greene optimistic about staying on as A.D.

Just because Auburn football has had two straight six-win seasons and was, in some ways, the laughingstock of the SEC West this past offseason, doesn’t mean that A.D. Allen Greene will be dismissed for it.

Greene met with new Auburn University President Chris Roberts this past week and judging by his comments, it sure sounds like he plans on sticking around.

Of course, rumors of a possible Greene ouster were raised in recent months due to all of the controversies that engulfed Bryan Harsin’s football program, headlined by the AU Board of Trustees allegedly aiming to undermine his tenure and fire him for cause.

Greene sounded too optimistic to be someone that felt he was truly in danger of being fired when his contract runs out on January 23rd, though, showering praise on Roberts and saying that he couldn’t wait to be a part of his tenure during an alumni event in Columbus, Georgia Tuesday:

"“Dr. Roberts, number one, he is a class-act person. And I’ve known that from his time and our interactions when he was the dean of the College of Engineering. Now he’s stepping over into this new role, and just sitting down and getting a feel for his energy and his intellect and his problem-solving ability, it’s really cool to be a part of.”"

Greene would double down on that sentiment of being part of Roberts’ team:

"“He’s got a lot to learn. And there’s a lot of nuance, a lot of change in our industry, and I’m really looking forward to being part of his team as he looks to take Auburn from here to here. That elevation is really important. That’s what we strive for, and locking our arms and doing that in lockstep with him is going to be a really fun journey.”"

The 2022 Auburn football season will be crucial to the optics of Greene’s tenure, with the season ending before a decision on his contract must be made.

Fall below the 5.5 over/under win total, and there could be some difficult conversations between Greene and Roberts to be had.