Who would’ve thought the SEC actually had the stomach to fire four of their head coaches mid-season? The standard for head coaching in the SEC is on another level. Every time a program drops three or more straight games, you can almost guarantee something is about to happen. Now with Auburn, LSU, Arkansas and Florida all having head coach openings, a college football insider surprised the audience by revealing the best vacant job in the SEC — which might just be the perfect landing spot for former Penn State head honcho James Franklin’s redemption arc.

On November 6th, college football insider Peter Burns jumped on ESPN and picked his top coaching job available in the SEC: “I put Auburn right now, as far as the four in the SEC, I actually put them at the top of the heap. Some people say LSU is a crown jewel. I get it.” He argues that Auburn is at the top of the list when it comes to coaching opportunities because of how the school is set up right now. While LSU might be seen as a ‘crown jewel’ Burns believes Auburn has a better situation for a new coach to step into and succeed.

One major reason, according to Burns, is that Auburn’s leadership and boosters are finally aligned unlike earlier back in the days. He made it clear why: “What I mean by that, when Hugh was hired by Auburn, all of a sudden the boosters, the powerbrokers, all of the guys that whisper on the message boards, they were all in alignment.” In the past, Auburn’s internal politics often caused problems for coaches with overload expectation and fast success, but now everyone seems to be on the same page.

The University fired Hugh Freeze earlier this week after the Tigers fell to 4–5 overall and 1–5 in SEC play following a home loss to Kentucky. Freeze had pretty mediocre 15–19 record and also egregously struggled in conference games. Athletic director John Cohen said the decision came because “our expectations for Auburn Football are to annually compete for championships.” Despite some early optimism, Freeze’s teams had trouble scoring against SEC opponents and won only one game against a ranked team during his tenure.

When Auburn hired Freeze back in 2022, he signed a six-year contract worth about $39 million ball-park. Because the school fired him without cause, Auburn owes him a buyout of roughly $15.8 million, which he will receive in monthly payments.  This is the third big buyout the school has paid in recent years. That tells how Auburn was willing to spend a lot to make another coaching change and try to get the program back on track. And they still gave him the benefit of the doubt for three seasons. A coach like James Franklin, who continues to be linked to Auburn could legitimately thrive here.

Burns summed it up perfectly: “So I can argue right now that Auburn has the alignment that LSU doesn’t have. That Arkansas doesn’t have right now and even Florida doesn’t have right now. Great fanbase, great facilities. And more importantly, they haven’t had a whole heck of a lot of success lately. Christine, this is an absolute goldmine waiting to happen.” In other words, there’s nowhere to go but up. A new coach who turns things around could quickly become a hero. That combination of heavy spending booster, tier one infrastructure, back-to-back top 10 recruiting class and unrealized potential makes Auburn dream destination in the SEC.

What does Auburn Tigers want in their next head coach?

Auburn athletic director John Cohen made it clear that the school is still looking for a long-term head coach to replace Hugh Freeze and hopes to have one in place soon after the Iron Bowl later this month against Bama. Cohen said he’s looking for someone who is competitive, smart, and a strong leader – someone who can guide both the coaching staff and the players in one of the toughest football conferences in the country.

He also mentioned that the search for a new coach will be very careful and detailed. Cohen plans to gather advice and information from football experts and use data from across the country to make sure Auburn avoids another bad hire. Even though he’ll listen to many opinions, Cohen said the final decision will be his alone, as he considers himself the entire “committee” for the coaching search.

Cohen emphasized that Auburn won’t rush into hiring the next head coach. This means DJ Durkin, who is currently filling in, will have a few more games to show what he can do and possibly earn the job permanently. While sports analysts have made their own guesses about possible candidates like Rhett Lashlee, James Franklin or Jon Sumrall, the final choice will come down to Cohen’s decision after careful consideration.