With Auburn football set to finish off the regular season against Alabama in the Iron Bowl — hosted this year within the confines of Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa — the coaching carousel has become a full-on roller coaster ride.
After watching Lane Kiffin rumors consume Ole Miss alive over the past month, it appears as though the Rebels head coach is leaning towards staying in Oxford. Some fans in the ‘Sip may not even be happy about that anymore following a painful Egg Bowl loss, though.
Sources: Lane Kiffin's Auburn candidacy had significantly cooled in the last 48 hours. The pull of his family wanting to stay in Oxford had become an obstacle for both sides in Kiffin becoming the next Auburn coach. https://t.co/X4IO95PqMt
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 26, 2022
Elsewhere, Hugh Freeze has emerged as a frontrunner to be named the head coach, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel:
Sources: Auburn has been in discussion with Hugh Freeze for weeks about him becoming Auburn's next coach. They won't make a formal offer until after the Iron Bowl, but they've informally discussed contract and numbers with him for more than week.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 26, 2022
Carnell “Cadillac” Williams should be named head coach with an Auburn football win in the Iron Bowl
If Lane Kiffin isn’t coming, then AU should move on from external options. Kiffin sticking with Ole Miss appears externally to be a sign that the times sure are changing, but Auburn football keeping Carnell “Cadillac” Williams as the associate head coach, per Kiffin’s contract language, could have been a reason why Jimmy Sexton didn’t want his client to sign on the dotted line.
Hugh Freeze is an unexciting alternative after Liberty’s losses to Virginia Tech and UCONN in recent weeks, and while he would have a superior talent base on the Plains, his past is one that has already turned off a large portion of the Tiger fanbase.
Since Cadillac just flipped Carver product Darron Reed from Columbus away from SEC West champion LSU, it’s clear he can recruit. A win in the Iron Bowl as a three-touchdown underdog should have John Cohen offering Cadillac as soon as the clock strikes 0:00 in the fourth.