Does Matt Rhule make sense for the Auburn Tigers?
The Carolina Panthers fired head coach Matt Rhule on Monday morning after a 1-4 start to the 2022 season. He finished his tenure with the Panthers 11-27 in two-plus seasons.
Could Rhule be a potential candidate for Auburn, a program that feels ever so close to making some changes themselves at the head coaching position?
Before making a short stop at Carolina, Rhule was the head coach at Temple (2013-16) and Baylor (2017-19), going 47-43 overall. Arguably the most impressive feat of his coaching career was his performance with the Bears, who were in shambles following a massive scandal with Art Briles, which left the program in a spot few could have rebuilt out of.
Rhule went 1-11 in his first season, then 7-6, then an astounding 11-3 with a trip to the Big 12 Championship game in 2019. He was also named Big 12 Coach of the Year.
Temple was also another impressive rebuild. The Owls went 2-10 in Rhule's inaugural season, then 6-6, and then had back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2015 and '16.
Baylor did not sign a top 25 recruiting class during Rhule's stint.
Although he does not have any SEC experience, Rhule would be an interesting candidate for the Tigers simply because of his track record as a rebuilder.
What Auburn truly needs at this point is not someone who necessarily can "rebuild," but someone that first and foremost can recruit. The Tigers are currently second to last in the SEC in the 2023 recruiting rankings and have little to no hope of even getting enough players on campus - most specifically in the trenches.
Right now Auburn is settling for lower-tier talent because they can't close on the prospects that they want. It's a slow, unproductive grind in the recruiting department right now.
If Rhule is capable of reviving that, I'm sure Auburn would take a hard look at him as candidate for the job.
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