Interesting times afoot for Auburn’s recruiting, potential assistant vacancies

By Andrew Gribble
Auburn University Beat Reporter
Published: December 14, 2008

Cornerback Walter McFadden remembers Gene Chizik for his honesty and straightforward approach during his recruitment.

More vividly, McFadden remembers Chizik being thirsty.

“He asked me for a glass of water. None of the other recruiters asked my mother for a glass of water,” McFadden said. “I thought this guy was rude or something. He wants some water, he asks for the water. We were inviting him in, he was supposed to try to entertain us.”

Supposed rudeness aside, McFadden was sold.

“I had a lot of guys that came to the house and they were just telling me anything I wanted to hear,” McFadden said. “I’d just put out a question. I’d be like, “I want to be No. 20.‘ Twenty minutes later, I’d be like, ‘Can I be No. 6?‘ They were like, ‘Sure, sure, sure.‘

“I tried to get him with it. He was like, ‘I don’t care what number you be. I just want you to play ball.‘”

Chizik’s straightforward approach will have to be key in salvaging Auburn’s current recruiting class, which has been told a number of different stories over the past year.

That plan could include players, as tight end Tommy Trott said Chizik told the team at Sunday night’s meeting that he wants their help in maintaining Auburn’s recruits.

Auburn’s 2009 recruiting class, which originally stood at 26, is now down to 20 and a number of others are wavering, according to AuburnSports.com.

Highly touted quarterback Raymond Cotton, who has maintained his commitment throughout Auburn’s 2008 turmoil, is now on the fence and could de-commit sometime this week, according to AuburnSports.com.

“I know about Chizik’s good background with Auburn, but I look at Auburn as being on the same level with the Floridas and Georgias, a top 10 school in the country. It’s a big-time program,“ Raymond Cotton, Sr. told AuburnSports.com. “And then we go out and hire a guy that has five wins over the last couple of years. That definitely brings some concern. I don’t know if there is a lot of confidence there from me as a father.”

Chizik’s recruiting classes in 2007 and 2008 at Iowa State ranked 60th and 62nd in the nation, respectively, according to Rivals.com. His 2009 class, which had 16 commitments, ranks 76th.

No official word on assistants
Chizik addressed the media for 42 seconds Sunday night and did not field any questions.

He did not take time to address anything involving the hierarchy of his assistant coaching staff.

AuburnSports.com, citing anonymous sources, reported late Sunday that all of Auburn’s assistants, with the exception of Phillip Lolley, director of NFL relations, and Jimmy Perry, director of football operations, were told to look for new jobs.

Trott said Chizik told the team it could take anywhere from a week to a month to fill the entire staff.

“He didn’t really give us any kind of timetable,” Trott said.

Chizik worked with all of Auburn’s former assistants except defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads. Linebackers coach James Willis was a student assistant in 2002 and a graduate assistant in 2003, when Chizik was defensive coordinator.

Chizik could dip into his former staff, which has a number of Alabama natives and former Auburn coaches and players.

Iowa State linebackers coach Wayne Bolt, defensive line coach Mike Pelton, assistant Jeff Koonz have either played or coached at Auburn. Tight ends coach Scott Fountain graduated from Samford, while his director of football operations, Travis Pearson, grew up in Gilbertown, Ala.

At Iowa State, Chizik was already in the process of finding a new offensive and defensive coordinator after he demoted his to different positions. At Auburn, he’ll likely have a bigger budget to make those hires.