Chizik has a tough sell at Auburn

By Robert Rousseau  |   Wednesday, December 17, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

Auburn Tigers
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It’s amazing how much things can change over the course of about six months. This past summer, the Auburn football team was picking up recruits left and right. In fact, they were on a record-setting pace. Former head coach Tommy Tuberville then fired offensive coordinator Tony Franklin, the main reason why so many athletes, playmaking receivers and dual-threat quarterbacks were considering making Auburn their college destination in the first place. Things then got even crazier, with Tuberville surprisingly resigning with his buyout in hand.

Now Gene Chizik, with his 5-19 record over two seasons as head coach of Iowa State, is coming to town. By the way, the Tigers are down seven recruits, including what once looked like their quarterback of the future, Raymond Cotton. What’s more, a lot of fans (and Charles Barkley) are somewhat perplexed by the decision to hire Chizik in the first place, especially with a guy like Buffalo's Turner Gill available.

None of this is going to help recruiting.

The good news for Chizik is that he was once the defensive coordinator at Auburn from 2002-04, so at least he knows Alabama recruiting. That said, he’s without a staff to the point that he’s being forced to utilize some unorthodox people to help him on the recruiting trail in the interim.

And then, of course, there’s that whole 5-19 thing. In other words, bringing the guys back who have jumped ship is going to be one tough sell.

There’s got to be something about this guy, though. After all, the things that have fans somewhat perplexed by his hiring were no doubt considered by Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs and the gang during the interview process. They still hired him, however, knowing the fallout could be something to behold.

"We wanted somebody who was a relentless recruiter -- because it is the name of the game -- a guy with unbelievable character and integrity, someone who has been successful in the SEC, someone who has the respect and admiration of coaches in the Southeast and someone who has an unmatched passion for Auburn football," Jacobs said on the decision to hire Chizik.

The time for second-guessing is over at this point. The pick is the pick. Now it’s time to see if Chizik can resell the idea of Auburn to some unsatisfied recruits during a particularly difficult time to do so. That’s the first test.

And it’s a big one.
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About Robert Rousseau

Robert Rousseau is a sports writer that has been published in a variety of print and online venues. He’s been writing for RealFootball365.com for almost three years now. When Rousseau isn’t writing about college football he tends to be penning mixed martial arts pieces for MMAFighting.com or...
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