Collin Mickle
Staff Writer

Late Monday, word got out that Auburn offensive coordinator Al Borges had resigned his post.
Within minutes of the story breaking, speculation on a possible replacement was already going strong.
The most popular rumors centered around second-year Troy offensive coordinator Tony Franklin. Franklin, a master of the spread offense, had the Trojans ranked 17th nationally in total offense this season.
Troy averaged 34 points per game this season; AU averaged 24.3 points per game.
There is no question that Auburn is interested in Franklin, who has Southeastern Conference experience: He spent three years as a coordinator at Kentucky under former Wildcats coach Hal Mumme.
Troy head coach Larry Blakeney, himself a former AU assistant, told the Dothan Eagle that Franklin interviewed for the job before news of Borges’ departure broke.
“I think he interviewed Sunday,” Blakeney told the Eagle. “I don’t think it was during church or anything but later that afternoon.
“(The talk) is all out there. It’s a great opportunity for Tony but we’d love to keep him.”
Meanwhile, Borges’ office at Auburn’s athletic complex was empty Tuesday afternoon. Auburn officially acknowledged his departure with an 11 a.m. press release Tuesday.
Head coach Tommy Tuberville said the decision was made long before word of Borges’ departure leaked.
“Al and I discussed this during the last week and after a decision was made, I began looking for a new offensive coordinator,” Tuberville said in the release.  “We hope to have someone on board in the near future.”
Borges also issued a statement through a university spokesman.
“After speaking with Coach Tuberville for the better part of 20 minutes, it became increasingly clear that Auburn needed a new offensive coordinator,” the statement said.
Borges’ offenses led the Southeastern Conference in scoring in 2004 and 2005. But production declined sharply after that: The Tigers were 76th in total offense in 2006 and rank 101st this season, with the Dec. 31 Chick-fil-A Bowl still on the schedule.
“Al did a good job for us during his tenure and we appreciate everything that he did for Auburn,” Tuberville said. “We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.”

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Drew Champlin of Media General News Service contributed to this report.