Rocker a smart hire by Auburn

By Robert Rousseau  |   Monday, February 09, 2009  |  Comments( 1 )

Auburn Tigers
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If Auburn head coach Gene Chizik had decided to hire Tracy Rocker as the club’s defensive line coach in front of Tigers fans at Jordan-Hare Stadium, the decision almost assuredly would’ve been met with a standing ovation. And that’s one of the reasons why this hiring was just another in a long line of smart offseason moves by the Tigers.

Remember, Rocker was a two-time All-American for the Tigers and won the 1988 Outland and Lombardi Trophies; obviously, then, he’s a fan favorite. Considering the fact that Chizik was such a controversial selection to take over for Tommy Tuberville in the first place, hiring Rocker no doubt earned him some fans.

But that’s just one small part of the intelligence behind hiring a guy of Rocker’s stature at Auburn. There are much more important things to discuss.

For example, Rocker has coached the defensive line for over half a decade in the SEC, so he knows the general recruiting territory and the offenses he’ll be scheming against. Further, he knows the Auburn area quite well, as he played there. That familiarity plus his name -- after all, what kid doesn’t want to talk with a guy who won the Outland Trophy and played in the NFL? -- will open doors on the recruiting trail.

Upon hiring Rocker, Chizik said: “Tracy’s ability as an All-American player and his reputation nationally as a defensive line coach will provide instant credibility to our players and recruits.”

In a very short period of time, Rocker was given credit for bringing in the likes of four-star defensive tackle Jamar Travis and two-star DT Josh Jackson, who’s probably going to be a good deal better than his star status might indicate.

But even if you forget that Rocker has status, you can’t ignore the fact that he’s done a good job of coaching defensive linemen during his career. Last year while heading the defensive line at Ole Miss, the Rebels tied nationally for first in tackles for a loss, and they were first in the SEC in sacks. And his five years heading the Arkansas defensive line were also impressive.

Rocker is just another example of the solid job Chizik has done since taking Auburn's reins. If he’s this good during the season, then the Tigers’ problems are solved.
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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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