John Cohen details the 'long' process upcoming to hire Auburn's next head football coach

AUBURN — John Cohen held up a piece of paper with 58 things listed out. Cohen didn’t show the media, so nobody could get a picture of the sheet of paper, but the light shining through the paper certainly revealed quite a long list of items on the other side.

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That, Cohen said, is his starting point when searching for a new head football coach.

“This is a very, very long process,” Cohen said on Tuesday as he was introduced as Auburn’s 16th athletics director. “It starts with this, culture, x’s and o’s and recruiting. Those three things have to be upfront, but there’s a whole bunch of other things that have to be answered before you get into doing anything.”

Auburn is in the midst of searching for its next football coach after the firing of Bryan Harsin on October 31. Assistant coach Carnell Williams was quickly named the interim head football coach, but nobody expects Williams to be hired as the full-time coach after season’s end.

Cohen admitted the coaching search completely “dominates” his time right now, “which it should.”

“The football coaching position at Auburn is a critical decision,” Cohen said. “There will not be anything we don’t look at. Everything is on the table every day. We’re going to get there when we get there and make the right decision for this great institution.”

Auburn will use a search firm during the process for logistical purposes only, such as background checks. There is no timetable for the hire. Auburn’s final regular season football game is November 26. The transfer portal opens on December 5.

President Chris Roberts made it clear to Cohen during the process that all hirings within the athletics department would be Cohen’s, and Cohen’s alone to own. And while a younger version of Cohen might have acted more brazenly to hire who he saw fit, an older and more experienced Cohen is taking a different approach.

“The 56-year-old version of myself says, ‘I want all the information that’s available to me from everyone that I can get it from at Auburn, and beyond.’ Dr. Roberts made it clear that these decisions will be my own, but it takes a village,” he said. “I’ve been on the phone a lot because we have to make great decisions. That’s what I’m charged with doing.”

Early indications point towards Lane Kiffin, Hugh Freeze, Jeff Grimes, Matt Rhule, Deion Sanders, Dan Lanning and Mark Stoops all being legitimate candidates for Auburn to consider.

For Cohen, it sounds cliche, but it’s all about “fit.”

“Everybody uses it, but it’s real,” Cohen said. “What is a fit for Mississippi State University is a different fit for Auburn University. That alters the paradigm. You have to make those considerations. There’s not an exact science. There’s analytics, there’s a little bit of gut feel, there’s a lot of factors. A lot of this is common sense, but it’s important to me as I’ve been through the hiring process a few times.”

How will John Cohen sell Auburn?

If you’ve ever heard the phrase “Just Auburn Being Auburn,” it generally doesn’t come with a positive connotation. The phrase generally refers to Auburn University making decisions that turn out poorly, or simply making decisions that supporters don’t agree with.

Cohen turned the tables on that phrase during his introductory press conference, making it clear he intends to sell Auburn as a “special” place.

“I’ve heard and seen the common refrain ‘Auburn Being Auburn.’ And I want to tell you, from someone on the outside coming in, Auburn Being Auburn is a special thing,” Cohen said. “Three Heisman Trophy winners is Auburn being Auburn. Athletes who forever change the nature of their own sport, not just here, but nationally, like Bo, The Big Hurt, Sir Charles, like Rowdy, like Suni, I can name a bunch more. That’s Auburn being Auburn.

“How about Hall of Fame coaches? Shut Jordan, Pat Dye, Joel Eaves, Sonny Smith, Hal Baird, Joe Ciampi, David Marsh, Ralph Spry, Kim Evans and many more. We have future Hall of Fame coaches in this room right now. That is Auburn being Auburn. The great traditions, Tiger Walk, the eagle flight, rolling Toomer’s Corner, that is Auburn being Auburn. I believe in Auburn, and love it. War Eagle.”

Cohen added, the Auburn brand is “powerful” and he knows the interlocking “AU” logo will be recognized in every airport in the country during his travels as AD.