Former Heisman winner Robert Griffin III, who won the award the season after Cam Newton did for Baylor, endorsed Deion Sanders as the next Auburn football head coach following the firing of Bryan Harsin on Halloween day.
Harsin’s two-touchdown loss to Arkansas this past Saturday was the nail in the coffin for his time on the Plains — a time many fans are likely going to drink themselves to forget while simultaneously celebrating tonight — and opens up the second coaching search in three years.
Sanders’ name is undoubtedly one of the most popular names for the AU job among fans across the college football world, though Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin is currently seen as the top name in the team’s search according to 247Sports’ Brandon Marcello.
Griffin III is one of the aforementioned fans across the college football world, and his given his hardware, is one that holds value. Here was his suggestion to new AU AD John Cohen on how to approach negotiations with ‘Prime Time’:
Auburn should give Deion Sanders an offer he can’t deny.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) October 31, 2022
SEC experience is the only excuse for Auburn football not going hard after Deion Sanders
If SEC experience (or lack thereof) is the reason Deion Sanders doesn’t get an offer, then either the lesson Bryan Harsin’s tenure tried to impose has scared John Cohen, or Bo Jackson is correct in wondering whether or not Auburn football is ready for ‘Prime Time.’
Should that be a prerequisite in the next head coach hire, that makes Lane Kiffin and Hugh Freeze the top 2 candidates. Paul Finebaum named those 2 when talking about the next possible head coach.
Truthfully, that excuse would be arbitrary and is entirely unnecessary. Sanders has had more than enough recruiting success at an FCS school to justify any Power Five program handing him a large long-term contract — let alone a school an hour and a half out of Atlanta, the same city he was a star for in two different professional sporting leagues.
It’s the only excuse that could be given that wouldn’t cause a social media revolt from Auburn football fans, though, and would need to be justified with Kiffin, Freeze, or another name with SEC experience being hired.