Turner Gill

[Saniflush]

I would be very please with Turner Gill. 

Kaos, make it so.

[Snaggletiger]

Turner Gill is right there with 3-4 candidates I'd be pumped about.  Brian Kelley may have been giving standard coach speak, but he said he was taking his name out of the running for any openings because he wanted Cincy to be thought of as an elite coaching position.

[AUChizad]

He's as good as gone. Somewhere...Hoping it's to Auburn...

[Saniflush]

He's as good as gone. Somewhere...Hoping it's to Auburn...

Agreed.  He's a goner from Buffalo.

[wesfau2]

Agreed.  He's a goner from Buffalo.

I could be persuaded to like this hire.

In an uninspiring bunch of candidates, he stands out so far.

[AuburnChopper 3.0]

I think while Gill has a good shot.  However, the silence from the PTB and Will Muschamp is deafening.  It's the style of Carr & Associates to flood the candidate talk so that the real candidate can be addressed directly without too much coverage to muddy the water.   I think Gill brings the necessary tools, and I'm not saying that he's not a real candidate and that it isn't going to happen, but I believe it's Muschamp, and the deals are being worked behind the scenes, if not done for the most part.  UT would be the biggest hang up there, not the relationship of Muschamp and Jacobs (one reason why Tubs is still in on everything at the moment).


JMO...   Look for it to be CWM.

[War Eagle!!!]

I could be persuaded to like this hire.

In an uninspiring bunch of candidates, he stands out so far.

Agree Wes. He seems like a hell of a dude! A little green, but that's ok. I think if AUburn can get someone in here that is willing to work their ass off, shows some fire and emotion, and can surround themselves with good coaches...Auburn will have made the right decision to let Tubs go. I will be pissed if we trade Tubs for a guy like Paul Johnson...they are one and the same...

[Kaos]

A little green, but that's ok.

Let's not start bringing race into this already. 

[Catphish Tilly]

That video is from 2007.  Not saying he's not gone this year, cause I hope like Hell we get him, but he certainly remained at Buffalo after saying everything he said here...

[War Eagle!!!]

OK...I think I may be sold on this guy. He sounds pretty freaking good the more and more I read!

Turner Gill has already accomplished a lot in his 17-year coaching career.

In his 13 years as an assistant at Nebraska, Gill was a part of three national championship teams and coached a Heisman Trophy winner. But what he's accomplished as a head coach in just three years at Buffalo might be even more impressive.

Gill, 46, inherited a Buffalo team that had won just eight conference games the previous eight years and led them to the Mid-American Conference championship in his third season.

Rodney McKissic, who has covered the Bulls for the Buffalo News since 2001, witnessed the turnaround first-hand.

"I don't think people around the country understand where this program was until Turner Gill got here," said McKissic. "It was the worst in the country and he was able to turn it around very quickly. I thought it was going to take five years just for them to become competitive and he ends up winning a championship in three."

Sean Callahan, who covered Gill for Rivals.com affiliate HuskersIllustrated.com, is not surprised by Gill's success with the Bulls.

"When Nebraska was the top program in the nation in the 90's he was considered the hot name on this staff," Callahan said. "He had a lot of opportunities to leave Nebraska. In fact, Bob Stoops offered him an offensive coordinator job in Norman before he offered it to Mike Leach at one time."

Callahan said Gill is an icon in Nebraska.

"You'll never hear anyone say a bad thing about Turner Gill," Callahan said. "He is a beloved guy among his players. A lot of people say he's the most popular Nebraska football player in history.

"Tom Osborne was the best man at Turner Gill's wedding so he's very close to him. He's just one of those guys that's respected by everybody. People around here are just thrilled to see what he did at Buffalo this year."

Gill has become a prominent name in Auburn's search for a new head coach. Auburn received permission to speak with Gill Friday and conducted a phone interview Saturday. Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs is expected to meet face-to-face with Gill Monday or Tuesday in New York.

The interview should be old-hat for Gill, whose reputation as a top-notch recruiter has followed him from Nebraska to Buffalo. A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Gill recruited the Lone Star state during his stint with the Cornhuskers.

"When he first got here, he was signing kids from Texas, California and Arizona. That was unheard of at Buffalo," McKissic said. "He loves to recruit. He loves to get in that living room and get those parents to get to know him and get the kids to feel a sense of family, which is big with him."

McKissic said Gill puts a big emphasis on speed and skill in recruiting.

"Turner is going to get out there and grind," he said. "He's going to make the calls. He's going to go out and see the kids.

"He's going to get after it on the recruiting trail. There's no doubt about it."

Gill ran the triple option as both a quarterback and coach at Nebraska. But he runs a more multiple offense at Buffalo.

"He came in and saw the talent he had (at Buffalo) and he put an offense in place to suit that talent, which is key," McKissic said. "It's very much a multiple offense. Sometimes you're going to see a lot of 4-wide spread. Sometimes you're going to see a little spread option. Sometimes you're going to see a power-I.

"Let's say he gets that Auburn job. He's going to look at that talent, evaluate it, and put an offense in place according to that talent."   :thumbsup:

After a 42-24 win over No. 12 and previously unbeaten Ball State Friday, Buffalo (8-5) is scheduled to play Connecticut in the International Bowl Jan. 3.

[ssgaufan]

This guy sounds too good for Jay Jacobs to hire.

[Jumbo]

This guy sounds too good for Jay Jacobs to hire.

I hope your wrong.

[Jumbo]

Charles Goldberg of the Bham News for first reporting on his blog that Auburn has interviewed Louisiana Tech head coach Derek Dooley. The son of Legendary Georgia coach and Auburn graduate Vince Dooley.

[Snaggletiger]

If all these reports are true, I'm sure hoping they're taking the time to do this thing right (If that's possible for them) and finding the best fit for Auburn. 

[ssgaufan]

Charles Goldberg of the Bham News for first reporting on his blog that Auburn has interviewed Louisiana Tech head coach Derek Dooley. The son of Legendary Georgia coach and Auburn graduate Vince Dooley.

What about the LaMonroe coach?  At least we know that he can outcoach Saban.

[Jumbo]

What about the LaMonroe coach?  At least we know that he can outcoach Saban.

Saban blocked that hire through finebaum.

[AUChizad]

I'm totally gay for Gill.

Click this

[Saniflush]

I'm totally gay for Gill.

Click this

I gotta go clean up.

[AuburnChopper 3.0]

I'd be curious to see how ESPN could continue to ignore us if they're nuts about Gill?

[Thrilla]

I gotta go clean up.

Twice in one day?  You've exceeded my expectations.