If Auburn doesn’t end up hiring Hugh Freese, do they have a Plan C at this point?
There are reasons why Auburn might be the toughest job in college football.
Not only are the Tigers’ two biggest rivals Alabama and Georgia, but the toxicity that oozes from the boosters that support this program often makes it an unwinnable situation for too long on the gridiron. With Lane Kiffin opting to stay at Ole Miss and Auburn getting huge opposition over the prospect of hiring Hugh Freeze away from Liberty, do they have a Plan C at this point?
If Auburn had a Plan C, it’s likely that C stands for Cadillac, as in Carnell “Cadillac” Williams.
Does Auburn have a Plan C, and if so, does that Plan C Cadillac Williams?
Firing Gus Malzahn after a 6-4 COVID season in 2020 was clearly a huge mistake for GOB Bluth. While he had his issues with Georgia, especially in Athens, Malzahn beat the Dawgs and Crimson Tide often enough to make Auburn a viable national regular. He has rebounded well since taking over at UCF. The Knights are a top 25 program about to transition to the Power Five.
In short, for Auburn to more regularly succeed on the football field, the athletic department needs to hire a head coach who will make the likes of Nick Saban and Kirby Smart uncomfortable. It has to go along with LSU’s ability to somehow dethrone Brian Kelly from the stellar Notre Dame program he spent over a decade building in South Bend.
While Kiffin has had success at Ole Miss, and Freeze has had success at Ole Miss during his Oxford career from 2012 to 2017, there are reasons why the appointment of either is controversial. Kiffin has reinvented himself since his exposure to the tarmac at USC, but he’s kind of a troll and can’t quite get over his past. For Freeze, people are having a hard time forgetting Ole Miss is gone…
Not to say Auburn is going full Tennessee here, but the Tigers aren’t doing their thing particularly well. It’s a proud university with a large fan base and seems to thrive on a bit of a mess. Unfortunately, the permanent upset has been largely the undoing of the football program. This is why settling with Cadillac Williams and removing the temporary tag isn’t the worst idea.
A native of Alabama, Williams is an Auburn legend and former NFL star. It’s Auburn through and through, which might be exactly what this program needs. In a way, removing the temporary marker would kind of be akin to what Ole Miss did once Freeze kicked out and Matt Luke got the Rebels’ previous offensive picks. If it weren’t for the egg bowl, Luke might have been stuck…
Giving Williams a few years to create some level of stability for a much-needed program isn’t a terrible move to make. If he succeeds, he becomes an even bigger Auburn football legend. If Williams fails, well, thank you for your services. In the end, Auburn needs to somehow untie the Jeordian knot she’s created for herself. Why not let someone solve the impossible?
Auburn should be wary of letting this coaching quest become a post-Butch Jones Tennessee.
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