Is Auburn Preparing To Hire Mario Cristobal?
Is Auburn Preparing To Hire Mario Cristobal?
Auburn fired Gus Malzahn this past week after eight up and down seasons with the program.
On Tuesday, college football insider Paul Finebaum floated an interesting replacement for Malzahn: Mario Cristobal.
“You knew Hugh Freeze would get mentioned,” Finebaum said on WJOX.
“Napier, of course, is always mentioned for jobs. I think the most intriguing name is Mario Cristobal. I watched him and have gotten to know him very well over the years since Alabama and now at Oregon.
“He’s a very intriguing choice. He has not had an incredibly great record at Oregon. He’s got a good record out there, he went to the Rose Bowl last year and won. But he does understand the neighborhood having been at Alabama and having recruited as well as he did. I’m watching him very closely.
“The Freeze conversation is always going to be polarizing. If I knew exactly who was going to make this call, it might make it easier. I feel like I have a really good idea who called the firing, but I don’t know who’s going to make the hire. Sometimes those two are different.”
Despite winning a National Championship in 2013, earning three Iron Bowl victories, and amassing a decent 68-35 mark throughout his tenure, in Auburn’s eyes, Malzahn hadn’t experienced enough recent success to warrant being kept around.
Who will ultimately replace him? Time will tell.
Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
