Why Auburn Should Hire Turner Gill

by AU Student on Dec 7, 2008 11:04 AM CST Comment 5 comments

Some people believe that Auburn needs a "name" coach. One that will make a splash nationally. One that will make waves in recruiting circles. I say Auburn needs Turner Gill. He would be the second ever African-American head coach in the SEC. While that would get Auburn national headlines, that isn't why Auburn should hire him. It would make waves in recruiting circles by having an African-American coach, but that isn't why Auburn should hire him. Here is why I think Auburn should hire Turner Gill.

During the University of Buffalo's first seven years in Division I football, they won a grand total of ten games. Gill has won fifteen games in his first three years, including the MAC Championship this season. In that period of time it is fair to say that Gill has done more with less than any other coach in the country.

Gill has been able to bring athletes into a school where today (Dec 7) the HIGH for the day is 23 degrees. And they have an outside stadium! While at Nebraska, Gill was twice named one of the top ten recruiters in the nation by ESPN.

When going into living rooms of recruits Gill has one heck of a story to tell. Gill has been able to bring athletes into a school where today (Dec 7) the HIGH for the day is 23 degrees. And they have an outside stadium! While at Nebraska, Gill was twice named one of the top ten recruiters in the nation by ESPN. As a player at Nebraska he won a National Championship. As an assistant coach for Nebraska during the early 90s he won three National Championships. He was also the position coach for 2001 Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch. While you may argue that Gill was coaching QB's in an option offense, his offenses at Buffalo have been nothing like the option.

Here are a few stats from this years Buffalo Offense. Quarterback Drew Willy has thrown for 3091 yards 25 TD's and just 5 INT's in 424 attempts with a 64.7 completion percentage. Running back James Starks has rushed for 1308 yards and 15 TD's while playing in 11 of UB's 13 games. They also have four receivers who have caught more than 30 balls this year, led by Naam Roosevelt who has caught 96 for 1312 yards and 13 TD's. Sounds like an explosive offense while staying balanced with the run at the same time.

While it may not mean much, if anything, to recruits, he comes highly recommended by coaching legend Tom Osborne. Here is a quote from his UB Bio: "Turner is an outstanding human being," said former Nebraska head coach Tom Osborne, a member of the College Football Hall of Famer and one of the winningest coaches in college football history. "He has great character. He's a great family man, an excellent recruiter, he relates well to his players and he really works well with people. He'll always represent the program well. He is very knowledge as far as football goes. I have nothing but the greatest admiration for him." This should mean something to Jay Jacobs.

That is why I think Turner Gill is the best man for the Auburn job. He has played and coached at football's highest level while at Nebraska. He has been under the pressure that he will face at Auburn in the SEC. He has proven he can recruit and win at one of the toughest coaching jobs in America at Buffalo. He's a hard worker who believes in doing things the right way. That is why Turner Gill should be the next Head Coach for Auburn University.
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I hadn't seen this post before,

…..but it’s EXCELLENT. My only question would be, does Gill know how to recruit the South? I figured Sylvester Croom would CLEAN HOUSE on recruiting, but it didn’t happen. Evidently, race of the head coach doesn’t figure much into a recruit’s decision. And that’s the way it should be, really. I hope the same’s true of Auburn boosters.

…..That post is also a good demonstration of why I abandoned Microsoft Office as a tool for editing email, and blog posts. Code bugs! Open Office is SO much better tuned to current web standards!

by Acid Reign on Dec 7, 2008 3:28 PM CST reply actions

I don't think race was Croom's downfall in recruiting

So much as it was that he was recruiting to Miss St. and he’s an old and boring guy.

War Damn Eagle!

by PowerOfDixieland on Dec 7, 2008 3:34 PM CST up reply actions

I’ll never type something on here, paste it to word to spell check it, and paste it back again. I tried all I could to get it to go away, but never could.

by AU Student on Dec 7, 2008 3:56 PM CST up reply actions

I was excited before about Turner Gill,

but this post gets me that much more excited about him. I think that he will bring integrity and solid coaching skills. Really nice post!

by Tiger on the mountain on Dec 7, 2008 4:32 PM CST reply actions

I think Gill would be great.

I realize that we all want to get this choice done and done quickly. Unfortunately, I just think we really need to greatly consider all of our options. With that said, I cannot see an issue with having Gill here. He would certainly be better than Jimbo Fisher.

by Sparkey on Dec 7, 2008 4:38 PM CST reply actions