Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs is expected to interview Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe on Friday, AuburnUndercover.com has learned.
Jacobs is in the final stages of his search for a replacement for head football coach Tommy Tuberville, who resigned on Dec. 3 after 10 seasons.
AuburnUndercover.com also learned that, in addition to TCU head coach Gary Patterson, Jacobs interviewed Iowa State head coach and former Auburn defensive coordinator Gene Chizik on his trip to Texas on Thursday.
Auburn’s search could be wrapped up as early as this weekend or by early next week.
Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson, who pulled out of the search on Tuesday, could be back in it, sources close to the search said. Buffalo head coach Turner Gill also remains a prime candidate. Florida State offensive coordinator and head coach in waiting Jimbo Fisher appears to be a long shot now because of the $5 million buyout in his contract.
Will Muschamp, defensive coordinator and head coach in waiting at Texas, vehemently denied a report by Channel 10 in Mobile that he would be named Auburn’s head coach Friday.
“Where does that stuff come from?” Muschamp said when contacted by AuburnUndercover.com. “It’s not true. I’m staying at Texas.”
Channel 12 in Montgomery reported that Auburn “could be close” to offering South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier a contract. Those close to the search say there is no truth to that either, though Spurrier remains in the mix. Spurrier denied earlier that he is a candidate.
"There's nothing to that," Spurrier said. "It's amazing how some of that stuff gets started. The Auburn one? Is that the one you're talking about? Yeah, that one jumped out of nowhere. It's interesting how anybody can almost start a rumor, I guess.”Grobe’s name is a new one in the Auburn search. He turned around the long-suffering Deacons, winning the Atlantic Coast Conference championship in 2006. He is 27-12 the past three seasons.
Chizik also had not been widely mentioned as a candidate. He took over a downtrodden Iowa State program in 2007 after spending two seasons at Texas and helping the Longhorns win the national championship in 2005. He was defensive coordinator at Auburn from 2002-2004, helping the Tigers go 13-0 in 2004.
In two seasons at Iowa State, Chizik is 5-19.
