Brent Venables picks staying at Clemson over coaching Auburn
By Mike Luciano
Brent Venables is once against staying in Clemson, which is bad news for Auburn.
The firing of Gus Malzahn has opened up a whole new set of problems for Auburn, as they have struggled to convince any of the top coaching candidates to swap their current colors for Tiger orange and blue. While Clemson DC Brent Venables looked like a good fit given his recruiting wizardry and on-the-job performance, he turned the Tigers down to stay in the ACC.
Pete Thamel has confirmed that Venables informed Clemson officials that he will not pursue the Auburn head coaching job. This move keeps Clemson in possession of one of the best assistant coaches in the country and forces Auburn to cross another name off their candidate list.
Sources: Cross Clemson DC Brent Venables off the list at Auburn. He's told Clemson officials that he's staying.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 22, 2020
Brent Venables chose to run it back with Dabo over succeeding Malzahn at Auburn
Venables has been a defensive coordinator since 1999 when he started a 12-season run as Bob Stoops’ defensive mastermind at Oklahoma. Venables made the switch to Clemson in 202, a move that has netted him two national championships and a Broyles Award. By instilling an aggressive, hard-hitting defense and helping develop all of Dabo’s five-star recruits, Venables has become one of the most productive and well-compensated assistants in college football.
Auburn’s coaching search hasn’t identified a slam dunk successor to Malzahn. While Liberty’s Hugh Freeze and current Tigers DC Kevin Steele remain potential options, many expected Louisiana head coach Billy Napier, a Nick Saban disciple, to take the job. Unfortunately, he turned them down, as he wants to keep making the Ragin’ Cajuns a Group of Five powerhouse.
Auburn might have sated a rabid fanbase by firing Malzahn, but they did so without a firm succession plan. WIth Napier and Venables already having said no, Tigers fans better cross their fingers and hope that their third choice candidate doesn’t turn them down.
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