Everything was seemingly going smoothly for Auburn and its athletic director, John Cohen, just a month and a half ago. Fresh off a trip to the Final Four and an SEC regular-season title, Bruce Pearl was returning for his 12th season in charge of a basketball program that had reached heights never imagined.
On the football end, the Tigers were 3-0 with an impressive road victory at Baylor to start the season. Hugh Freeze, who entered the year on the hot seat after two disappointing seasons to begin his tenure on the Plains, seemed to have the quarterback and the answer to what plagued the Tigers.
It's November 2nd, and things aren't as shiny for Cohen and the athletic department. On Sunday, Freeze was relieved of his head coaching duties after an embarrassing loss to Kentucky on Saturday night in Jordan-Hare. The Tigers mustered only three points against a Wildcats' defense that isn't exactly the 1985 Chicago Bears.
It spelled the end of Freeze, but what happened behind the scenes with the basketball program, and we might never know the truth, was more concerning.
With Pearl's age and perhaps some interest in politics emerging, it was assumed that the 65-year-old head coach wouldn't be coaching for many more years. But at the end of September, Pearl decided to retire, leaving the job to his son, Steven. Fair enough, but the younger Pearl has not been a head coach at any level, let alone the SEC, and he's taking over for a man who had spent the previous 11 years building Auburn into a powerhouse.
The basketball coach had all the goodwill built up from the very top, and wanting to get his son the chance to follow in his footsteps, pushed for Steven to get the job. He did.
We don't know how that will work out. It might take a few years for anyone to see what Steven Pearl is like as a head coach who is in control of every aspect of the program. This year, he has a team that his father built with the help of Steven and the other assistants. Next year, it will be all on him.
But back to football. Cohen's first hire was a crucial one, and that came in the form of Freeze. That didn't work out, but his next hire for the Auburn football program will be make-or-break for his very own tenure at Auburn. Hiring a successful coach, and everything is cheeky again. Blow it, and he might be looking for another job.