The Auburn Tigers football program has taken a serious reputational hit over the last few years. To the point where Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde sees AU as on the same level as the Michigan State Spartans, Arkansas Razorbacks, Kentucky Wildcats, and Virginia Tech Hokies.
Forde said it within the context of the Michigan Wolverines firing Sherrone Moore and needing to immediately find a candidate during a hiring cycle where most of the big names have found a new home, or stayed committed to their current ones.
Forde warned that Michigan must act fast. He also didn't write off the Wolverines poaching a recently-hired head coach.
"Athletic director Warde Manuel has to find a coach after several potential candidates have gone elsewhere or agreed to enhanced contracts where they are. Penn State, LSU and Florida made hires at the top of the food chain, with Michigan State, Auburn, Arkansas, Kentucky and Virginia Tech on the next tier. Indiana, Texas A&M, Missouri, Vanderbilt, Louisville, SMU, Georgia Tech and BYU kept their successful coaches," Forde wrote.
"Could any of them change their mind? Maybe. Are there other options, in the college and NFL ranks? Sure. Is this still an A-list job? Undoubtedly.
"But with the transfer portal opening Jan. 2 and QB Bryce Underwood’s phone undoubtedly blowing up—no matter how secure his NIL contract might be—Manuel must both nail the hire and do it relatively quickly."
Auburn's head coaching job isn't what it used to be
Unfortunately, the Auburn job may be a much worse one than Virginia Tech. The Hokies are investing $229 million into their athletics over the next few years. After the Virginia Cavaliers failed to make the College Football Playoff, Virginia Tech may soon be the Commonwealth's dominant football power.
Based on Arkansas and Kentucky's recent hires -- Alex Golesh was the Hogs' preferred candidate before settling for Ryan Silverfield, and the Cats were in the market for the USF Bulls' Golesh replacement, Brian Hartline, besides their eventual hire, Will Stein -- AU is still definitively ahead of them, though both have had success more recently. That was in 2021, to be exact, but neither has seen success like the 2017 Tigers, let alone the 2013/2014 national championship runner-ups or the 2010 title-winners.
Meanwhile, Michigan State is in a very similar boat to Auburn. The Spartans and Tigers are the lesser-grossing secondary schools in their state, stuck playing second fiddle to a recent national champion in the NIL era. They've had to can controversial coaches and said controversial coaches' replacements.
Hugh Freeze and Bryan Harsin undid much of Gus Malzahn and most of his predecessors' progress. AU sits behind the LSU Tigers, Penn State Nittany Lions, and Florida Gators in prestige these days, according to Forde.
Now it's on Golesh to get to work and make Auburn look powerful on the field again.
Being equal to the Georgia Bulldogs or Alabama Crimson Tide would eventually be nice. Getting out of the SEC's gutter with Arkansas and Kentucky, as it pertains to perception, anyway, would be a great start.