Auburn football: 2 Big Ten schools seen as more likely Matt Rhule landing spots

Auburn football fans want nothing to do with recently fired Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule to replace Bryan Harsin when he is eventually (and inevitably) handed his walking papers to step away from the Plains.

With that in mind, Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon’s latest piece, titled ‘Best Landing Spots for Matt Rhule in Potential Return to College Football’ should make the Tigers fanbase happy, given Auburn’s place in his countdown.

Kenyon views Rhule’s long-haul recruiting/coaching style as a poor fit for Auburn football fans who weren’t big on patience during Gus Malzahn’s six successful (in hindsight) seasons and the B/R writer’s drawn parallels to Rhule’s Panthers’ situation should scare the Carolina coach away from even considering the job in the first place.

According to Kenyon, there are two Big Ten schools who are seen as better fits for the New York City-born NFL and college coaching veteran — those being the Wisconsin Badgers and Nebraska Cornhuskers roles.

Here was the case he made for making way to Madison:

"“Strictly from an on-paper perspective, Wisconsin is an ideal destination for Rhule to implement his style.”“He doesn’t attract a stream of top-25 recruiting classes. He needs time to develop players for his system. His offenses are physical and efficient but are not overwhelmingly explosive. That basically describes what Badgers fans are accustomed to, right?”"

And here’s what he had to say about the prospects of coaching in Lincoln:

"“Money is a question at Georgia Tech. Appeal is an unknown at Auburn. Availability is a complication at Penn State and Wisconsin.”“Nebraska, however, strikes a balance with all three issues.”“Resources will not be a problem. Practically the entire state is devoted to the Huskers, and the school is committed to having a competitive football team.”"

What Auburn football has to offer Matt Rhule or any other coaching candidate

Kenyon offered several positives that the Auburn football program offers to any prospective head coaching candidate. Those positives, estimated to be in the many millions, all involve the almighty dollar.

“There certainly isn’t a lack of financial support from boosters,” said Drake. “Meddling is a problem, but there are many, many, many millions of dollars poured into AU.” The B/R writer made the point that Auburn could compete with the NFL when it comes to contract value, which is something a handful of schools in the country can also claim.