Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin. Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Auburn down to two candidates for head coach

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Dan Benton | Last updated 11/26/22

The Auburn Tigers have narrowed their head-coaching search down to two names. The final decision will be made and announced following the team’s Iron Bowl matchup with the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday.

And much to the dismay of Charles Barkley, it will not be Deion Sanders who takes over.

Developments to the Lane Kiffin/Auburn situation:

Sources say an Auburn HC announcement will come after the Iron Bowl out of respect for interim coach Cadillac Williams. Sources expect the next Auburn HC will be either Lane Kiffin or Hugh Freeze

STORY: https://t.co/w5MJm2fLYd

— Jon Sokoloff (@JonSokoloff) November 25, 2022

Jon Sokoloff of WCBI News reports that either Lane Kiffin or Hugh Freeze will be named the next head coach at Auburn. And currently, it appears to be trending in the direction of Kiffin, who is expected to step down at Ole Miss despite his public comments earlier this week.

“Yes, I do,” Kiffin said when asked if he planned to return to Ole Miss following Thursday’s loss to Mississippi State.

Things have changed since then, notes Sokoloff.

“Waiting certainly opens up the possibility that it could be someone else, but sources say the expectation is that Auburn’s next head coach will be either Lane Kiffin or Hugh Freeze,” Sokoloff wrote.

The initial announcement was planned for Friday, but Auburn decided to hold off "out of respect" for interim head coach Cadillac Williams.

The 47-year-old Kiffin would be an interesting choice for Auburn given his rocky history with Nick Saban and Alabama. It would certainly add fuel to the already-intense rivalry. Freeze went 39-25 during his four-plus seasons as Ole Miss from 2012 to 2016, but 27 of his wins were vacated due to various violations.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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