Ellis Johnson out at Auburn

Rama Jama said:

I do agree to some extent, but I do think he will be able to get some talent on the defensive side of the ball going forward. I also think that Spurrier realizes he is short of talent on defense and will be patient enough to let him bring in some recruits and build from there. IMHO, USC would be more patient than say Florida was since the expectations there are not as high which would make it an attractive job.

Auburn is losing a good number of seniors on defense ( aren't Wright and Owens Seniors). Frost is a good LB and will make an impact for them. Mckinzy is good as well if not a little undersized. I am not real sure about their DB's, but just about anyone would be an upgrade. Therezie is good, but who else is there that would make them complete in the defense backfield. Also, Auburn offensive scheme tends to leave the defense in bad positions and tires them out when they inevitably have a few 3 and outs in a row.

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I don't necessarily disagree on what you say on South Carolina -- i.e. that, in time Muschamp could be successful there -- my point is just that Muschamp wouldn't be a quick-fix solution in Columbia and he'd probably need two or three years to really take off. He's not going to show up and put together a top defense next season (and probably not in 2016, either) with the defensive talent they have on hand right now. And, frankly, that kind of has to be a real concern for any DC candidate who looks at a head coach who is turning 70 in April.

On Auburn, lot of attrition coming on the defensive side of the ball, particularly on the DL and in the secondary. Up front they lose Adams, Whitaker, Wright, Blackson, Owens, and Bradley, and on the back end they lose Mincy, Whitehead, Therezie, and Reed. Basically going to be a total rebuild on the defensive line and in the secondary, though LB play may be able to act as a stabilizer with all of the LB corps coming back (including Frost). Return of Lawson from injury will help, and getting Trey Matthews at safety will also give a boost, but it's not a group that is exactly poised for a breakout. They might be able to field a good group if all goes well, but they are going to rely very heavily on new faces and unproven players, and the rising 2015 depth chart looks really thin in a lot of areas.

BigEasyTider said:

I don't necessarily disagree on what you say on South Carolina -- i.e. that, in time Muschamp could be successful there -- my point is just that Muschamp wouldn't be a quick-fix solution in Columbia and he'd probably need two or three years to really take off. He's not going to show up and put together a top defense next season (and probably not in 2016, either) with the defensive talent they have on hand right now. And, frankly, that kind of has to be a real concern for any DC candidate who looks at a head coach who is turning 70 in April.

On Auburn, lot of attrition coming on the defensive side of the ball, particularly on the DL and in the secondary. Up front they lose Adams, Whitaker, Wright, Blackson, Owens, and Bradley, and on the back end they lose Mincy, Whitehead, Therezie, and Reed. Basically going to be a total rebuild on the defensive line and in the secondary, though LB play may be able to act as a stabilizer with all of the LB corps coming back (including Frost). Return of Lawson from injury will help, and getting Trey Matthews at safety will also give a boost, but it's not a group that is exactly poised for a breakout. They might be able to field a good group if all goes well, but they are going to rely very heavily on new faces and unproven players, and the rising 2015 depth chart looks really thin in a lot of areas.

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its hard to imagine the 2015 Auburn defense being decent. I thought the 2013 defense was bad, but the 2014 edition was worse!
the sad part of it all is that Auburn actually recruited well on defense in their last 2 recruiting classes. they have 5* and 4* riddled on their roster. so either they mis evaluated these prospects or the talent on hand is overrated . maybe both.

Adams is only a sophomore, I believe, so he should have a year left. Many of their losses are in name only ... they weren't much good to begin with. And like all college football fans, the AU folks I know are optimistic that incoming kids will be superior to their predecessors.

BigEasyTider said:

I don't necessarily disagree on what you say on South Carolina -- i.e. that, in time Muschamp could be successful there -- my point is just that Muschamp wouldn't be a quick-fix solution in Columbia and he'd probably need two or three years to really take off. He's not going to show up and put together a top defense next season (and probably not in 2016, either) with the defensive talent they have on hand right now. And, frankly, that kind of has to be a real concern for any DC candidate who looks at a head coach who is turning 70 in April.

On Auburn, lot of attrition coming on the defensive side of the ball, particularly on the DL and in the secondary. Up front they lose Adams, Whitaker, Wright, Blackson, Owens, and Bradley, and on the back end they lose Mincy, Whitehead, Therezie, and Reed. Basically going to be a total rebuild on the defensive line and in the secondary, though LB play may be able to act as a stabilizer with all of the LB corps coming back (including Frost). Return of Lawson from injury will help, and getting Trey Matthews at safety will also give a boost, but it's not a group that is exactly poised for a breakout. They might be able to field a good group if all goes well, but they are going to rely very heavily on new faces and unproven players, and the rising 2015 depth chart looks really thin in a lot of areas.

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bamaga said:

Will Bama get the blame for shutting down the Auburn football program?

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Money is not an issue down on the plains. Their football program is a huge moneymaker much like ours is. They can easily afford multiple buyouts.

deliveryman35 said:

Money is not an issue down on the plains. Their football program is a huge moneymaker much like ours is. They can easily afford multiple buyouts.

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This is an area where they have proven talent

Former Oregon D-Coordinator Nick Aliotti is 60. He did fairly well at Oregon and with their offense. He would be worth contacting.

RTR91 said:

Former Oregon D-Coordinator Nick Aliotti is 60. He did fairly well at Oregon and with their offense. He would be worth contacting.

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Yeah, BUT...

He was coaching against those patsy PAC-10/12 offenses. I mean, how hard can it be to tackle a fairy princess?

There ain't no fairy princesses running the football or running routes in the SEC.

I think if Auburn gets a big hire at DC it will be Pelini. I think Gus wouldnt take to kind for Muschamp stealing his Tv exposure for sideline antics, and from what Ive heard there are issues between Boom and Jay Jacobs. Pelini would actually be a good hire for Auburn, but I hope they get someone like Roof again so we would hang 50 on them on a yearly basis.

GulfCoastTider said:

Yeah, BUT...

He was coaching against those patsy PAC-10/12 offenses. I mean, how hard can it be to tackle a fairy princess?

There ain't no fairy princesses running the football or running routes in the SEC.

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you sure about that?

I recommend Carl Torbush as Ellis Johnson's replacement.

sanjosecrimson said:

its hard to imagine the 2015 Auburn defense being decent. I thought the 2013 defense was bad, but the 2014 edition was worse!
the sad part of it all is that Auburn actually recruited well on defense in their last 2 recruiting classes. they have 5* and 4* riddled on their roster. so either they mis evaluated these prospects or the talent on hand is overrated . maybe both.

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It's not at all hard to imagine, at least provided a few key bounce-backs and some decent injury luck to mask the lack of depth. Lawson and Adams could be legitimate stars on the DL, ditto Frost at LB, and I think the general consensus is that Matthews -- for all of his off-field issues -- will give them high caliber play at safety. With solid play at a few more spots, that could be a pretty good unit.

Obviously a ton of "ifs" in the above, and it may not at all pan out, but the basic formula has worked many times before. Look at Ole Miss this season, for example, they basically had one of the best defenses in the league using the same basic formula. Same thing could also be said for our 2005 defense. You can generally go a long way defensively with a few true standouts and some good injury luck.

Good grief. Who's the nurse?

92tide said:

you sure about that?

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BigEasyTider said:

I don't necessarily disagree on what you say on South Carolina -- i.e. that, in time Muschamp could be successful there -- my point is just that Muschamp wouldn't be a quick-fix solution in Columbia and he'd probably need two or three years to really take off. He's not going to show up and put together a top defense next season (and probably not in 2016, either) with the defensive talent they have on hand right now. And, frankly, that kind of has to be a real concern for any DC candidate who looks at a head coach who is turning 70 in April.

On Auburn, lot of attrition coming on the defensive side of the ball, particularly on the DL and in the secondary. Up front they lose Adams, Whitaker, Wright, Blackson, Owens, and Bradley, and on the back end they lose Mincy, Whitehead, Therezie, and Reed. Basically going to be a total rebuild on the defensive line and in the secondary, though LB play may be able to act as a stabilizer with all of the LB corps coming back (including Frost). Return of Lawson from injury will help, and getting Trey Matthews at safety will also give a boost, but it's not a group that is exactly poised for a breakout. They might be able to field a good group if all goes well, but they are going to rely very heavily on new faces and unproven players, and the rising 2015 depth chart looks really thin in a lot of areas.

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USC is not as devoid of defensive talent as the stats would suggest, they are just devoid of anything resembling a D1 defensive end, arguably the most important position against today's spread offenses. The secondary is young but talented and the LB corp is solid. Things can be turned around quicker than you'd think as USC is only a year removed from being a pretty good defense (3rd in SEC last year, 4th the two years before that). Conversely auburn and TAM had similarly bad defenses to USC's this past season, but were also at or near the bottom of the SEC the previous 3 seasons, so 4 straight years of bad defense versus 3 good years and one bad year - the potential for the quickest turnaround on defense among these three is arguably at USC. USC was hammered by unexpected early departures last season, kids who had no business testing the nfl waters and who are dotting nfl practice rosters.

Spurrier has already said he's coming back and plans on coaching a few more years, so while I have no idea if it's doable, I wouldn't totally discount Muschamp to USC just yet.

USC only loses 4 seniors off of defensive 2-deep, 3 of those starters. The list of 2015 commitments is heavy on defensive linemen (7) and defensive backs (5). Add to that the fact that the SECE is not nearly as competitive as the SECW and a quick turnaround in Columbia seems even more realistic than one at auburn or TAM.

That's to be expected. I didn't know Texas A and M already offered him money and on top of that NFL is offering him position... If i was him, i would go to NFL... It'll be good for him, to get out of college football for a while and then come back refreshed... Bill Clark.. I didn't think abou tthat. He would be good for Auburn.

AUDub said:

Muschamp has a formal offer according to auburn.rivals.com

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AUDub said:

Muschamp has a formal offer according to auburn.rivals.com

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Dub, considering what was a widely reported "split" between he and Jay Jacobs when he left for Texas, what do think the chances are that the fences can be mended enough for him to come back?

That would be good for him. SS said hes coaching two more years...

crimsonaudio said:

I suspect Muschamp has severe offers already. If USC offers, that might be a good spot - work under SOS for a couple of years then take over...

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