CBS Sports releases top targets, hot board for Auburn job

Auburn made the decision to fire Bryan Harsin following less than two seasons. This makes Auburn the seventh FBS head coach opening. It’s arguably the best one too. Now, CBS Sports has released a list of top targets for the job.

The biggest problem that Bryan Harsin ran into at Auburn was that he didn’t fit into the program culturally. So, the next head coach is going to need to be a better fit for the Tigers.

The list comes directly from Dennis Dodd and represents interesting potential targets who make sense for Auburn and could potentially take the job.

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CBS Sports’ targets for the Auburn job

Here is the list of candidates that Auburn could replace Bryan Harsin with:

• Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss head coach
• Hugh Freeze, Liberty head coach
• Kenny Dillingham, Oregon offensive coordinator
• Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina head coach
• Jeff Grimes, Baylor offensive coordinator
• Matt Rhule
• Deion Sanders, Jackson State head coach
• Kevin Steele, Miami defensive coordinator

There are a few huge-name candidates on this list. Lane Kiffin and Deion Sanders both jump off the page, for a few different reasons. Kiffin is currently a head coach in the SEC West. He’s also one of the best offensive minds in the game today. Meanwhile, Sanders is one of the biggest names in the sport, having turned HBCU Jackson State into a power.

Other head coaches that Auburn might consider include Hugh Freeze, Jamey Chadwell, and Matt Rhule. This would represent Rhule’s return to college where he is a proven program builder. However, he did recently fail in the NFL. It would also be a big jump from the Sun Belt to the SEC for Chadwell. As for Freeze, he has a proven track record, but plenty of baggage too.

” Freeze desperately wants back in, which gives those shadowy boosters a bit of leverage over him,” Dodd writes. “But the guy can coach. Isn’t that what Auburn needs more than anything right now?”

Offensive coordinators Kenny Dillingham and Jeff Grimes are both solid options with ties to Auburn, even if they don’t have experience as head coaches. Kevin Steele, meanwhile, is a former Auburn defensive coordinator and Baylor head coach. He was also the favorite of many boosters to replace Gus Malzahn at Auburn.

“Steele is the former Auburn interim coach who some say was promised the job after Malzahn was fired. While things haven’t gone swimmingly at Miami this season, Steele’s body of work is impressive,” Dodd wrote.