Recruiting Forum Football Talk III

[InVOLuntary]

Here's what's going to happen: they're going to keep Pruitt this year. HB is going to be really good, so next year we are going to be very improved next year on offense. We'll go 7-5 or 8-4. We will keep Pruitt. And then we'll see what happens after that.

But he would only have one year left on his contract (I think) so wouldn't you have to extend him for recruiting purposes?

 

[Bassmaster_Vol]

I understand your hesitation with Gus and I'm not going to try to sway you, but the textbook complaint on Rick Barnes at Texas was that he wasted talent and couldn't win anything noteworthy.

Look, I get the reason why people would be fine with Gus. After what we have been through, consistently going 8-4 to 9-3 would be much better. But I want to go 9-3 every year with hope going into the season that we're going to compete for a title, not just resolved to, well, here's to another 9-3, hope we beat one of our rivals this year! We can do better than settling for Gus.

 

[InVOLuntary]

He just got a 2 year extension before this season started. Doesn't he have like 4-5 years left on his contract already?

And recruits know that these extensions ultimately don't mean much. Auburn is paying $21m within 30 days to make their coach, who had something like 5 years left on a contract, go away. Plus coaches leave for other jobs all the time.

I think after next year he would have only one, maybe 2 years left.

 

[Bassmaster_Vol]

But he would only have one year left on his contract (I think) so wouldn't you have to extend him for recruiting purposes?

Yep

 

[VolInDayton]

In all seriousness, if the keep Pruitt and let's say he win 7 next year, you either have to fire him or extend him, No?

Why would we have to do either? Pruitt's contract is through 2025. Why would it need to be extended in 2021?

 

[Jimmy Football]

Look, I get the reason why people would be fine with Gus. After what we have been through, consistently going 8-4 to 9-3 would be much better. But I want to go 9-3 every year with hope going into the season that we're going to compete for a title, not just resolved to, well, here's to another 9-3, hope we beat one of our rivals this year! We can do better than settling for Gus.

We definitely can. We never do.

I think that’s why a lot of us would breathe a sigh of relief if we hired Gus. Because our history says we’ll hire from the bottom half of Kingston’s list.

 

[InVOLuntary]

Why would we have to do either? Pruitt's contract is through 2025. Why would it need to be extended in 2021?

If that's the case then you don't, I was thinking he was only good through 2022.

 

[05_never_again]

The whole "took Ole Miss to heights never achieved" is inaccurate. For some reason, you keep ignoring Cutcliffe's time there. I'm assuming because it doesn't fit your narrative.

My biggest problem with Hugh Freeze is he's a sloppy cheater. I'm not against cheating, so don't come at me with the "everybody cheats". Not everyone gets caught. He was sloppy, and it cost him. I worry that he'd be sloppy here as well. I want to win titles that aren't taken away. Call me greedy, but I want to be able to cheat like Bama and the Barn and get away with it, and keep any titles earned.

If Freeze were to cheat at Tennessee (or any big program), he'd be more insulated and removed from it because we have more of an infrastructure here.

Ole Miss does not have the sophisticated booster system like an Alabama, Auburn, or Tennessee have. When you recruit kids to big time programs, the apparatus swoops in and just takes care of it. Ole Miss isn't as sophisticated, so they have to do things like getting the coaches themselves involves directly in payments. It's why SMU got busted but none of their biggest SWC rivals (like Texas and Texas A&M, who were doing the exact same things) did.

 

[VolInDayton]

If that's the case then you don't, I was thinking he was only good through 2022.

He was extended through 2025 in September this year.

 

[Weezer]

Just so everyone is clear.

Gus did not win a National Championship as Auburn head coach. He did so as an OC with Cam Newton.

He has a National Championship game appearance, which he lost to Florida State.

While both of these plays absolutely count, because they happened, let us not forget this season was when the famous "Pick Six" kick return vs Alabama and the "Prayer at Jordan-Hare" tipped TD pass against UGA happened. Both are considered in football, "miraculous" and statistically, this season was insanely closer to being a 3 loss Auburn team than a team that played for the NC.

Just so we have that clear.

We needed luck to win our NC, so that's not really a negative IMO. But I'm not on the Gus bus either, just stating a fact. Imagine if Arky hadn't fumbled in '98....

 

[i2amavol]

Yes

...and will have us in hot water with the NCAA before he sniffs an SEC East Title?

 

[05_never_again]

I think after next year he would have only one, maybe 2 years left.

His new contract goes through 2025. So after next year he's got 4 years left.

Tennessee’s Pruitt gets contract extension through 2025.

 

[Kingston Vol]

Look, I get the reason why people would be fine with Gus. After what we have been through, consistently going 8-4 to 9-3 would be much better. But I want to go 9-3 every year with hope going into the season that we're going to compete for a title, not just resolved to, well, here's to another 9-3, hope we beat one of our rivals this year! We can do better than settling for Gus.

I legitimately think his ceiling his higher here in an easier division and if/when he gets a QB who fits his system.

Auburn and Tennessee are pretty close in terms of program quality, and he went 45-22 in his first 5 years there. If he does that here, we will be unbearably happy.

Things grew stale at Auburn, there's no way to dispute that. And they've wanted to fire him for like the last four years. But my opinion is a change of scenery plus a win-starved fanbase will invigorate him and the program.

We had this discussion before about Pruitt and whether or not we thought he'd ever win the division or the conference. I said no. I am willing to bet that if Gus were hired, we're making it to Atlanta within the first 5 years.

 

[SweetasSoda]

Have to realize where we are. Butch left our team without much talent, no development and an attitude problem. We needed someone who was tough on discipline and could recruit to build a roster a good coach would be willing to come in for. Done. Now we need someone to come in and build a team that wins consistently and could win the east if things fall into place. Hopefully keep building the program back up to where we become favored to win the east. Then favored to win the SEC. Then favored to win NCs. Might take a while.

 

[Neyland Law Vol]

If Auburn hires Steele and he is winning the sec and beating saban in year one as a former VFL, are we all going to be mad that we could have hired him instead of the gump?

 

[Orange Studs]

I’ll just give you the whole version:

I just don't see us hiring Kiffin being at Ole Miss for only one year. That would be similar to what he did to us. He would be burning a lot of bridges in the SEC and at some point you keep leaving programs like that who is going to trust you.

 

[volfaninpa]

I will not believe that UT will make a coaching hire, let alone bring in a 'name' with any notoriety, unless Auburn hires Steele. It's like a mantel of poor continuous coaching hires needs to be passed on from Tennessee to another SEC school needs to happen before UT can begin its ascent from the desert.

Alabama had the mantel after Gene Stallings.

Georgia had it after Dooley.

Kentucky had it until Stoops.

LSU had it before Saban.

Tennessee has this mantel now. It's time to let some other program have a turn.

 

[MoCo_Vol]

He has a national title as an OC, not as a HC. He did great in 2013 at AU. He's been mediocre since, has had tons of problems with QB's with multiple 5 star QB's and no five star results. Not to mention, his offense is not innovative and he doesn't scare anyone in this league. Again, he would be like hiring Mark Richt. A good coach, but he isn't going to win a championship here. Freeze is winning at freaking liberty right now and took Ole Miss to heights they had never achieved. I'd take freaking Mehlen over Gus. I'd certainly take Freeze over him

Your definition of Mediocre seems to shift when you go from Freeze to any other HC...
2017 Auburn wins the SEC West and plays Georgia in Atlanta (10-2 at the time) after beating Alabama...2019 they beat Alabama again and end the regular season 9-3. How in the world are these mediocre?
No 5 star results, despite Cam winning a heisman? Come on Bass.

Mark Richt won 74% of his games at Georgia and he's just "good"

Freeze took Ole Miss to heights they had never achieved? 2003 Cut went 10-3 (7-1) there matching Freeze's best seasons, except Freeze lost a 2nd SEC game and John Vaught won 3 national titles while there in 3 10 win seasons...

It's like you've fixated on Freeze cause he manages to beat Saban twice, but you ignore that Gus has beaten Nick more often and as HC went to 2 SEC Championship games, winning 1 and playing in the National title game.

 

[butchna]

But he would only have one year left on his contract (I think) so wouldn't you have to extend him for recruiting purposes?

I’m looking at what happens with Friend and Weinke. If they get new contracts, everything is more of the same window dressing.

 

[Batman1948]

Cam was a freak athlete. Didn't require much development

Cam Newton reminded me of Vince Young at Texas. Really great athletes that gave college defenses fits.

 

[volsfan_17]

We needed luck to win our NC, so that's not really a negative IMO. But I'm not on the Gus bus either, just stating a fact. Imagine if Arky hadn't fumbled in '98....

Or the PI call on Syracuse to keep the drive going when we were down late in that game. It's amazing how any given play could be the play that erased an NC shot. Just ask Florida and Marco Wilson!

 

[Deebowbear]

They're hiring Kiffin, I wonder if Fulmer is spewing this BS to AP because when he fires Pruitt he's going to hire Steele

Gosh I hope not for head coach dc maybe

 

[revjayp]

I understand your hesitation with Gus and I'm not going to try to sway you, but the textbook complaint on Rick Barnes at Texas was that he wasted talent and couldn't win anything noteworthy.

Barnes hasn’t won anything here! He burned me with that UCLA crap. He’s good for us, builds players for sure and has that southern gentlemen’s nature we all love. But he’s barely over .500 in the tournament and is the second highest paid coach in the country. So while I like him as our coach, I believe he’s overpaid and if he doesn’t get to the final 4 this year, he never will. That’s my hot take today. Back to hating Gus. Lol.

 

[MarcoVol]

Not if they come here and regress which all of Gus' QB's do

I can’t believe ppl really want a dude who was just fired for not winning enough games but complain about our current coach not winning enough games

 

[Volsfaninva917]

I'm telling you, he gets stuff from this board. That's been talked about all week about Sexton and Haslam

Potentially, who knows and to be honest I really don't care where anyone gets it from. I just want it to be true