The Auburn football coaching search is largely dominated the minds of fans as the end of the 2022 season gets closer. Though new life was certainly inject into the program after the firing of Bryan Harsin and the naming of Cadillac Williams as interim head coach, the program won’t truly be able to turn the page on this chapter until the next guy is hired.
For a long time now, current Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has been the fan favorite, and there has been a lot of attention on his potential move to the Plains. Rumors spread that Kiffin has already accepted a deal with Auburn football to be announced after the Egg bowl, while others claim that Kiffin isn’t even the #1 candidate currently under consideration.
A move to hire the next head coach must be made quickly following the Iron Bowl for recruiting purposes, but Athletics Director John Cohen still has some time and is working to carefully vet all options before making his final decision.
According to multiple sources, two new names have been recently added to the mix and are trending up in Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell and Penn State head coach James Franklin.
Fickell played football at Ohio State and spent 15 years on the staff before replacing Tommy Tuberville at Cincinnati in 2016. During his time as the Bearcats’ HC, Fickell has a 56-17 record, and led the team to two consecutive conference championships and prestigious bowl games, even getting the undefeated Bearcats into the College Football Playoffs last year. While Fickell may not be the #1 choice right now, he’s certainly trending up.
The next new addition to the search is Penn State HC James Franklin, who has led his team to victory over Auburn football two years in a row. Last season, there were rumors that Franklin had interest in the USC job, but ultimately he leveraged the situation into a new contract with the Nittany Lions.
While all eyes are still on Lane Kiffin at this point, it’s important to note that Cohen is considering all his options in this coaching search and nothing is set in stone just yet.