Mark Stoops' Name Remains in the Mix of Auburn Coaching Search

The college football coaching carousel never stops turning. This week Jeff Scott became the seventh FBS head football coach terminated in the middle of the 2022 season when South Florida pulled the plug on a disastrous tenure that totaled only four wins in two-plus seasons. Coaches are getting fired. New ones will be hired over the next three weeks. Mark Stoops’ name is not leaving the conversation anytime soon.

Two openings included Mark Stoops on their initial list of candidates, Nebraska and Auburn. After kicking the tires with Jimmy Sexton, Stoops might cost more than the folks in Lincoln are willing to pay. Meanwhile on The Plains, Stoops was the first person mentioned in Justin Hokanson’s Hot Board v5.0.

“There’s mutual interest between Auburn representatives and Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops,” Hokanson wrote on Auburn Live. “Stoops has built Kentucky into a solid SEC football program that produces NFL talent. Auburn Live believes while there is some interest from the Auburn side, there’s more interest from the Stoops side at the moment.”

In addition to Stoops, Dan Lanning, Lane Kiffin, Hugh Freeze and Dave Aranda are names continually mentioned in the Auburn coachins search.

The Role NIL will Play in Auburn Coaching Search

Today Auburn introduced a new athletic director, John Cohen, formerly the AD at Mississippi State and a pupil of Mitch Barnhart’s. During the press conference he held up a piece of paper with 58 individual things that he’s looking for in what he promises will be a long, thorough hiring process. He also spoke about the important role NIL will play in the future of college athletics.

“We have to be aggressive and it’s the way of the world. We’re going to jump in with both feet,” Cohen said.

The Auburn Tigers were off to a great start before he ever stepped foot onto campus, raising more than $13 million to become one of the most endowed collectives in the country. Meanwhile in Lexington, Mark Stoops is publicly asking for more money while recruits are decommitting.

John Cohen would rather deal with Auburn boosters than lead the athletic department at his alma mater, Mississippi State. That’s the power of NIL. It will be the driving force that defines a tumultuous upcoming offseason. If Kentucky is not prepared for the changes, the Wildcats could get lost in the wash.