Allen Greene comments on future at Auburn

Auburn has a big decision looming on athletic director Allen Greene with his contract due to expire in 2023. In an interview with AL.com, he made his case to stay on The Plains for a long time.

The timing of all this is interesting. Dr. Chris Roberts is gearing up to take over as Auburn’s new president, and the contract is set to expire early in his tenure. He could opt to let the deal expire, but Greene expressed how much the position means to him.

“I love it here,” Greene told Nubyjas Wilborn. “My wife loves it here. My kids love it here. When I got here four years ago, I remember telling a group of alumni that I’ve been an Auburn man my whole life. I just didn’t know until I got here.”

Greene also shared thoughts on Roberts as he gets ready to take over as president. He seemed excited about the hire and added he’s excited to see what’s next for Auburn and the athletic department as Roberts takes over.

“Dr. Chris Roberts has done amazing things,” Greene said. “I look forward to helping him carry those same successes from the school of engineering and applying them to the entire university. As part of his university evaluation, we’ll get a chance to sit down and talk about the athletic department’s role in the university’s overall success.”

More on Allen Greene, Auburn

Prior to becoming Auburn’s athletic director, Greene started his administrative career as assistant AD at Ole Miss before six years at Buffalo, starting as deputy AD before moving up to athletic director from 2015-18. That’s when Auburn came calling, and he seems more than happy with how things have gone since making the move.

“The values at Auburn align with mine,” Greene said. “I appreciate that Auburn wants to win. But they want to excel in the classroom. They want to create Auburn men and women. That’s who I am. That’s why I’m excited to be here.”

Auburn is in the midst a huge athletic year, as well. The Tigers men’s basketball team was a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and was ranked No. 1 in the AP poll this season for the first time in program history. The football team played in a bowl game for the ninth straight year — the first under Bryan Harsin, who dealt with some issues this offseason before Auburn decided to bring him back for another year.

Finally, Auburn’s gymnastics team is also gearing up for a potential national championship run, led by Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee.