Report: Former Auburn head coach candidate for USFL

Former Auburn head coach Gene Chizik is a candidate for the Birmingham Stallions head coaching job in the USFL, according to Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports. There’s definite interest on both sides according to Feldman, but nothing has been finalized as of Thursday afternoon.

Chizik is currently a commentator for the ESPN and the SEC Network. He hasn’t coached football since he was the defensive coordinator for the North Carolina Tar Heels in 2015 and 2016. The former Auburn head coach hasn’t been a head coach since the Tigers fired him in 2012.

Chizik was the head coach for the Tigers when they won their first national championship in 50 years, in 2010. One of the biggest reasons the Tigers had such incredible success in 2010 was, of course, former Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton.

His overall record as a head coach in college football was mediocre at best. In his six years as a head man on the FBS level, Chizik’s head coaching record is 38-38.

After Auburn posted a 14-0 record in 2010, the Tigers dropped to 8-5 in 2011, and 3-9 in 2012, after which he was fired. Such is life for a college football head coach in the SEC. Ed Orgeron of LSU was fired in 2021, less than two years removed from a national championship in 2020.

More information on the USFL

The USFL stands for the United States Football League. The inaugural season kicks off on April 16, 2022. The season will run through mid-June, followed by the playoffs.

There will be eight teams in the USFL: the New Jersey Generals, the Michigan Panthers, the Philadelphia Stars, the Pittsburgh Maulers, the Birmingham Stallions, the Houston Gamblers, the New Orleans Breakers, and the Tampa Bay Bandits.

According to the league’s website: a player selection meeting will be held Feb. 22-23, and training camps will open March 21. Each squad will have a 38-player roster and a seven-member practice squad.

The first four head coaches for the league were announced Thursday. The list includes Kevin Sumlin (Houston Gamblers), Mike Riley (New Jersey Generals), Todd Haley (Tampa Bay Bandits) and Bart Andrus (Philadelphia Stars).

Brian Woods will serve as the league’s President of Football Operations. He was the founder and CEO of the Spring League from 2017-2021. He’s also the co-founder of the USFL.

The original USFL was a startup league back in the 1980s that tried to challenge the NFL and failed because the league ran out of money. If you get the chance, the ESPN 30 for 30: Small Potatoes: Who killed the USFL is a great look at the league and why it failed.

The league featured an exciting brand of football that allowed player celebrations and fans to storm the field. It’ll be interesting to see if the new startup league can last, as so many startup football leagues have come and gone over the years.