Tuberville expresses love for Auburn in wake of rumors
Collin Mickle/Opelika-Auburn News
With the Iron Bowl just four days away, Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville isn’t interested in any distractions.
That definitely includes the still-lingering questions about Tuberville’s future at AU.
Monday, Tuberville made his strongest statement yet on the subject. And its tone was markedly different from his previous statements, which all occurred before the Tigers’ 45-20 loss at Georgia on Nov. 10.
“I love Auburn,“ Tuberville said Monday. “I love the Auburn people. They’ve done a lot for me and I hope we’ve done a lot for them.
“We’re going to be at Auburn as long as they want us here. We’re fired up about that.“
That was a big change from his previous comments about his status. On Oct. 28, in his first public statement on the issue, Tuberville seemed careful to avoid a strong commitment to Auburn.
When asked about athletic director Jay Jacobs’ statement that Tuberville’s seven-year, $18-million contract was a “lifetime commitment,“ the coach pointedly didn’t use the first word in his reply.
“When we signed a contract a few years ago, it was a commitment on both sides,“ he said then. “That’s all I can tell you about it.“
A week later, on Nov. 6, Tuberville specifically addressed rumors that he would be a candidate at Texas A&M if the Aggies fired Dennis Franchione.
“I’ve got friends out there, obviously, and coached there,“ Tuberville said at the time. “They’ve probably got 15 other people on the list.
“That’s the way it is. It’s good talk, that’s all it is.“
It’s unclear whether this week’s forcefully expressed commitment to AU will quiet the rumors about Tuberville’s future. But on Nov. 4, the coach made it clear he’d rather not be distracted by those rumors while preparing for Alabama or Georgia.
“That would be a headache if we started doing all of those ‘ifs’ and ‘ands,’“ he said then.
Monday, Tuberville said he hadn’t yet had substantive discussions about his contract with Jacobs. The two spoke during Auburn’s bye week, but Tuberville said it was a routine conversation.
The head coach is scheduled to meet with Jacobs and AU President Jay Gogue after the end of the regular season - probably as soon as next week - to discuss his future. AU is expected to offer Tuberville a raise; there’s a chance his assistant coaches could also be offered salary increases.
“I sit down with Jay Jacobs once a week, and we discuss things,“ Tuberville said. “As we said earlier, we’ll sit down next week and visit.“
Injury report
Tailback Tristan Davis practiced Monday and is improving, according to Tuberville. The junior has only played in one game this season; his status for Saturday’s game is still undetermined.
“He’s a lot better than he was last Thursday,“ Tuberville said. “He gets better every day. We’ll just have to wait and see.“
Linebacker Craig Stevens and defensive tackle Zach Clayton also practiced. Auburn’s recent bye week appears to have helped the Tigers’ injury situation.
“In the past, we’ve had four or five guys in the training room,“ Tuberville said. “Today, they were all out on the field.“
