The Head Coach Hot Seat Rankings for 2024.

[bamamc1]

Granted you have to take preseason picks with a grain of salt. But, I really had to scratch my head at the ones picking auburn to win 10 plus games and make a run at the playoffs this season. Even in the best case scenario, they were not going to be there in year 2 of the rebuild. This such a different era from 2010 or 2013. Could Freeze get it going? It's possible. But to expect that in only the 2nd season of rebuilding from the ruins of Gus and Harsin is quite a reach.

Looking back at CNS, he improved in year two from 7-6 to 12-2. He inherited a dumpster fire and turned it around in a flash. Also, that was done without the aid of the portal. Truly remarkable.

 

[CrimsonCleanse]

Looking back at CNS, he improved in year two from 7-6 to 12-2. He inherited a dumpster fire and turned it around in a flash. Also, that was done without the aid of the portal. Truly remarkable.

Their fan base looked at the Saban template and thought they could be a serious contender in year 2 under Freeze. Or, that they were simply due for another 2010/2013 kind of season, just according to auburn history. Time will tell with Freeze. I get the feeling that even if/when he has them competing again, it won't look anything like one of their magical years from the past.

 

[arthurdawg]

Granted you have to take preseason picks with a grain of salt. But, I really had to scratch my head at the ones picking auburn to win 10 plus games and make a run at the playoffs this season. Even in the best case scenario, they were not going to be there in year 2 of the rebuild. This such a different era from 2010 or 2013. Could Freeze get it going? It's possible. But to expect that in only the 2nd season of rebuilding from the ruins of Gus and Harsin is quite a reach.

I thought Auburn's ceiling was 8-4... Maybe 9-3 if every single thing fell there way and the Indian Burial Ground Voodoo was at a millenial high.

Those estimates are dropping quickly.

The world is very different from the one Saban entered in 2008. Tough defense and a conservative running game meant most of what we had to do was get our guys into shape and play hard nosed football. That approach isn't likely to win 12 games in this era.

 

[bamamc1]

I thought Auburn's ceiling was 8-4... Maybe 9-3 if every single thing fell there way and the Indian Burial Ground Voodoo was at a millenial high.

Those estimates are dropping quickly.

The world is very different from the one Saban entered in 2008. Tough defense and a conservative running game meant most of what we had to do was get our guys into shape and play hard nosed football. That approach isn't likely to win 12 games in this era.

Putting elite defenders on the field with a strong running game will work in any era. If you just ran for 8 yards and the next play is a play action, it gets everyone’s attention. Michigan proved that last Saturday afternoon. People like Lincoln Riley are fools gold. You have to stop the run first. If not, it’s going to be a long day. We’re not playing Madden. RTR

 

[4Q Basket Case]

Through random happenstance, I had Jox 94.5 on the car radio this evening when the Rev was at his hypocritical best during the barn analogue to Hey, Coach.

Goes on a Biblically based rant on perseverance through adversity, faith in times of trial, etc., etc., etc., ad infinitum. Several references to books and people of the Bible, specific verses, etc.

This after I got a clear read of several instances of lip-flap on the sideline Saturday. Lots of references to sexual activity, Lord’s name in extreme vain, questioning of animal parentage, yadda, yadda, yadda.

I get it. Christians fall short. Church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.

Just don’t insult my intelligence or eyesight by cursing to make a sailor blush, then turn around and wrap yourself in Biblical teachings as though you yourself actually follow the Bible to the extent that you’re qualified to lecture others on it.

He’s a charlatan of an epic order. Karma inevitably catches those guys. It’ll happen to him (again!) soon enough.

Late Add: I didn't hear this on the radio, but read the quote from an article in today's Al.com. Freeze apparently said that if they played Arkansas nine more times, the barn would win all nine of them. Not exactly indicative of being focused on how to improve his team. More like being focused on woulda-coulda-shoulda.

I'm reminded of a quote from Wallace Wade.

It was immediately after his Alabama team upset Enoch Bagshaw's Washington Huskies 20-19 in the January 1, 1926 Rose Bowl (after the 1925 season).

Meeting at midfield for the customary handshake, Bagshaw told Wade that his Huskies would have beaten Alabama 9 times out of 10. Wade replied, "We didn't come all the way out here to play no damn see-rees."

 

[arthurdawg]

Putting elite defenders on the field with a strong running game will work in any era. If you just ran for 8 yards and the next play is a play action, it gets everyone’s attention. Michigan proved that last Saturday afternoon. People like Lincoln Riley are fools gold. You have to stop the run first. If not, it’s going to be a long day. We’re not playing Madden. RTR

Mind you, not saying running the ball and controlling the LOS isn't important along with a great defense, just that you have to be ready to outscore the other team these days. We saw that plenty of times in the last half of CNS era.

Although... It is harder to judge given that we let Pete stick around for 4 years...

 

[bamamc1]

Mind you, not saying running the ball and controlling the LOS isn't important along with a great defense, just that you have to be ready to outscore the other team these days. We saw that plenty of times in the last half of CNS era.

Although... It is harder to judge given that we let Pete stick around for 4 years...

Pete never controlled the LOS or had a great defense. The two worst Bama losses in the CNS era occurred when we lost at Auburn on the kick 6 and the debacle against LSU in 2019. When you score 40 plus and lose, that’s a problem. I feel good about Saturday because self haircut has always had problems defending a mobile QB and a super fast wideout. We have them right now. RTR

 

[Padreruf]

Through random happenstance, I had Jox 94.5 on the car radio this evening when the Rev was at his hypocritical best during the barn analogue to Hey, Coach.

Goes on a Biblically based rant on perseverance through adversity, faith in times of trial, etc., etc., etc., ad infinitum.

This after I got a clear read of several instances of lip-flap on the sideline Saturday. Lots of references to sexual activity, Lord’s name in extreme vain, questioning of animal parentage, yadda, yadda, yadda.

I get it. Christians fall short. Church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.

Just don’t insult my intelligence or eyesight by cursing to make a sailor blush, then turn around and wrap yourself in Biblical teachings as though you yourself actually follow the Bible to the extent that you’re qualified to lecture others on it.

He’s a charlatan of an epic order. Karma inevitably catches those guys. It’ll happen to him (again!) soon enough.

Eventually the players will catch on that he has no integrity and then they will "subconsciously" quit on him. Football is a tough game and if you don't believe in the head coach then you will be unable to make the effort necessary to win. They may have already...

 

[arthurdawg]

Eventually the players will catch on that he has no integrity and then they will "subconsciously" quit on him. Football is a tough game and if you don't believe in the head coach then you will be unable to make the effort necessary to win. They may have already...

I suspect this is in progress... Takes a strong coach to pull together a team in this position and Freeze is not the guy who will protect his players and keep them working as a team.

 

[4Q Basket Case]

I suspect this is in progress... Takes a strong coach to pull together a team in this position and Freeze is not the guy who will protect his players and keep them working as a team.

That may be. The list of guys with tire tracks on their backs grows with each game.

I don't think the phrase, "That's on me," occurs to Freeze except as a token statement, most often uttered immediately after blaming everybody in sight other than himself.

Can you imagine the following coming out of Hugh Freeze's mouth:

"We didn't play Auburn football today. Way too many mistakes and we lost our poise in pressure situations. I'm not sure we had true focus on the play in front of us. All that's on me. I'm not getting my ideas across to the coaching staff or the players. After some reflection by myself this evening, I'll start tomorrow morning to fix that."

I can't.

 

[NoNC4Tubs]

Through random happenstance, I had Jox 94.5 on the car radio this evening when the Rev was at his hypocritical best during the barn analogue to Hey, Coach.

Goes on a Biblically based rant on perseverance through adversity, faith in times of trial, etc., etc., etc., ad infinitum. Several references to books and people of the Bible, specific verses, etc.

This after I got a clear read of several instances of lip-flap on the sideline Saturday. Lots of references to sexual activity, Lord’s name in extreme vain, questioning of animal parentage, yadda, yadda, yadda.

I get it. Christians fall short. Church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.

Just don’t insult my intelligence or eyesight by cursing to make a sailor blush, then turn around and wrap yourself in Biblical teachings as though you yourself actually follow the Bible to the extent that you’re qualified to lecture others on it.

He’s a charlatan of an epic order. Karma inevitably catches those guys. It’ll happen to him (again!) soon enough.

Late Add: I didn't hear this on the radio, but read the quote from an article in today's Al.com. Freeze apparently said that if they played Arkansas nine more times, the barn would win all nine of them. Not exactly indicative of being focused on how to improve his team. More like being focused on woulda-coulda-shoulda.

I'm reminded of a quote from Wallace Wade.

It was immediately after his Alabama team upset Enoch Bagshaw's Washington Huskies 20-19 in the January 1, 1926 Rose Bowl (after the 1925 season).

Meeting at midfield for the customary handshake, Bagshaw told Wade that his Huskies would have beaten Alabama 9 times out of 10. Wade replied, "We didn't come all the way out here to play no damn see-rees."

He's a car salesman/preacher with a head coaching position. Man, that dude could sell ice to the eskimos...

He's by far the sleaziest thing crawling the sidelines that you could find in all of football...at any level.😎

 

[JamieSPC]

There’s little that AU won’t do to try and compete with Alabama, especially in regard to major sports. Look at whom AU has hired to coach its two major athletic programs: Hugh Freeze and Bruce Pearl. No more unseemly a pair exists in the SEC. The two most disgraced HCs in the conference.

Alabama passed on both Pearl and Kiffin and wouldn’t hire Freeze even as a coordinator, though Saban wanted him but Byrne told him no, iirc. It was not Sankey.

You explained anecdotally the perfect institutional response... Sure, Saban wanted Freeze, but the institutional backstop said NO. It worked like it was supposed to work.

When Freeze came to Auburn, it was on the heels of multiple Title IX issues with Liberty, some of which were related to the athletic department. Liberty being private, the availability of Title IX records is sketchy, and Auburn being on the record as a non-reporter at the same time was a very bad look (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...ix-sexual-misconduct-data-secret/10761735002/).

Sometimes optics matter... sometimes optics are just that, surface appearance. But for a public university, these things are bigger than one person and his/her personal path to redemption... in my opinion.

 

[NoNC4Tubs]

You explained anecdotally the perfect institutional response... Sure, Saban wanted Freeze, but the institutional backstop said NO. It worked like it was supposed to work.

When Freeze came to Auburn, it was on the heels of multiple Title IX issues with Liberty, some of which were related to the athletic department. Liberty being private, the availability of Title IX records is sketchy, and Auburn being on the record as a non-reporter at the same time was a very bad look (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...ix-sexual-misconduct-data-secret/10761735002/).

Sometimes optics matter... sometimes optics are just that, surface appearance. But for a public university, these things are bigger than one person and his/her personal path to redemption... in my opinion.

Our resident barn lurker didn't even want him. Predictably, he has changed his tune and now comes here to defend him (part of his job). 😎

He defended the hiring of Harsin as well...

 

[BamaInBham]

You explained anecdotally the perfect institutional response... Sure, Saban wanted Freeze, but the institutional backstop said NO. It worked like it was supposed to work.

When Freeze came to Auburn, it was on the heels of multiple Title IX issues with Liberty, some of which were related to the athletic department. Liberty being private, the availability of Title IX records is sketchy, and Auburn being on the record as a non-reporter at the same time was a very bad look (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...ix-sexual-misconduct-data-secret/10761735002/).

Sometimes optics matter... sometimes optics are just that, surface appearance. But for a public university, these things are bigger than one person and his/her personal path to redemption... in my opinion.

Agree regarding optics but do not believe that AU was interested in anyone’s personal redemption saga, they just thought that Freeze was the best shot to beat Alabama/Saban. Saban whose defensive schemes when not executed perfectly are vulnerable to Freeze’s offense, retired.

CKW’s defensive scheme is much better suited to stopping AU’s and several other SEC offenses (UTn, UTx, LSU, OM, Mizz) according to others who should know.

In summary, AU swung for the fences and apparently missed, though Rane’s money is dragging in the 5-7 best class in the SEC. It does not look like CHF has been able to maximize the talent but it is early.

 

[Krymsonman]

Looking back at CNS, he improved in year two from 7-6 to 12-2. He inherited a dumpster fire and turned it around in a flash. Also, that was done without the aid of the portal. Truly remarkable.

And that's why CNS is the G.O.A.T.

 

[Rocky Mtn Bob]

... Wallace Wade.

It was immediately after his Alabama team upset Enoch Bagshaw's Washington Huskies 20-19 in the January 1, 1926 Rose Bowl (after the 1925 season).

Basket, did you have season tickets for that '26 season?

 

[4Q Basket Case]

Basket, did you have season tickets for that '26 season?

No. My personal memory of Alabama football starts with Joe Namath being called short on 4th and goal in the Orange Bowl against Texas.

My parents hosted a game-watching party, and by that time in the game, the crowd was oiled up.

Learned a whole new vocabulary that night.