Deion Sanders to Auburn? ESPN's 'Pardon The Interruption' wants it to happen
Auburn's head coaching position is not even vacant, yet there are already national discussions as to who the Tigers should be looking at hiring.
As of right now, Bryan Harsin (9-8, 4-5 SEC) is still the head coach despite being under serious fire to begin the 2022 season. The 6-7 record he posted in 2021 (Auburn's first losing season since 2012) left a bad taste in the fanbase's mouth. After a blowout loss to Penn State at home, the flames that kindled back in the spring are beginning to reignite.
According to multiple national reports, it is simply a matter of time before Harsin is shown the door.
Speculation surrounding the next coach refuses to wait until then.
Several voices across the college football landscape have voiced their opinion on who it should be. Andy Staples of The Athletic wrote an article stating that "Sanders checks the one box the next Auburn coach will need to check: He's capable of winning recruiting battles against Nick Saban and Kirby Smart."
"Deion is going to be the next coach at Auburn," Fox Sports' Joel Klatt claimed in a recent interview with The Next Round.
Now, ESPN is getting in on the speculation.
Tony Kornheiser, the co-host of ESPN's Pardon The Interruption, gave his thoughts on national television on Tuesday night about Deion Sanders and a potential move to Auburn.
"The first question I had before I even got into where he should go was can he coach?" Kornheiser said. "I know he can recruit. I know he's the flashiest guy in the room. Can he coach? Well, I think he's 19-5 at Jackson State, so that question is answered. Now I don't want to get into 'should' either. If he wants to stay at Jackson State, God bless him [...] he played Major League Baseball, and then NFL football. He's been in Super Bowls. He went out of high school to Florida State when it was the No. 1 football school in the entire country. He's used to a level of competition above our heads. So I don't know if he's going to be happy at Jackson State - a I-AA program - in the long term, I don't know."
A step up in competition feels like the next move for Sanders. How quickly he makes that jump, no one knows. If it were to happen this offseason, several jobs could come calling for him.
According to Kornheiser, Auburn is the best choice.
"Nebraska is a bad fit, Nebraska's program is lost. Arizona State is a bad fit, their conference is lost," Kornheiser said. There is a 'come home' quality to Georgia Tech, but if it was me, I'd like to see him go to Auburn. It's in the best conference, the SEC, they've won national championships [...] and he'd be an in-state rival with his Aflac co-star Nick Saban, and that would be juicy. I would like to see that."
Despite the noise, Sanders has yet to comment on Georgia Tech, Auburn, or a potential move to a new school.
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