Horning in on Muschamp

AUBURN, Ala. — The life and times of the Auburn Tigers keep getting stranger.
First, head coach Tommy Tuberville spent his Thanksgiving holiday hunting turkeys in Arkansas and letting speculation build that he would consider a head coaching offer from the Razorbacks.
Then he came home, got his contract extension from Auburn and continued on oblivious to the resentment he created among some Auburn faithful and influence peddlers who were less than enthused about his protracted silence.
Then he did something that probably made Pat Dye cough. He fired Al Borges, an offensive coordinator with a 41-9 record, and replaced him with Tony Franklin, a no-huddle spread offense guru who doesn't believe in the I-formation or student body left and right.
Considering the Tigers had a mere nine days of preparation to install their new look offense for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, their performance against Clemson was quite impressive. They seem to be close to figuring out the nuances of the spread offense, but now they have another gaping void to fill.
After spending Thursday and most of Friday interviewing with Texas coach Mack Brown, Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp will be leaving to take the same post with the Longhorns.
Ledger-Enquirer Auburn beat reporter ace Christa Turner confirmed the news early Friday evening. Muschamp brushed off reporters at the airport, declining comment until he met with Tuberville.
It marks the second time in three seasons that Texas has poached a bright young assistant off Auburn's staff. You may recall that Iowa State coach Gene Chizik served as a co-defensive coordinator there.
The move by Muschamp was more surprising given that he had virtual autonomy and stood to make about $425,000 this season. Not to mention the fact that he had a number of key components returning to an Auburn defense that was suffocating for most of the season.
While Texas may have the resources to be a national title contender again soon, it seems like a lateral move at best. Like Chizik, Muschamp will be a co-defensive coordinator. As of 6:15 p.m., Muschamp had yet to publicly comment on his reasons for taking the job so we're left to wonder whether he had philosophical differences with Tuberville or simply felt Texas offered a more easily negotiable path to becoming a head coach.
One thing is clear: Texas gained a tremendous assistant coach and Auburn will have a tough time replacing him.
Where should Auburn go from here? Georgia Tech’s Jon Tenuta is on the market (although it's widely believed LSU will pursue him), but are the Tigers better off focusing on a younger assistant who could provide a closer match to Muschamp's fiery on-field persona? Or should they do something really radical and call former Ole Miss head coach and uber-recruiter Ed ‘‘Foo-baaaaw!'' Orgeron?
If Auburn winds up going with another young up-and-comer, how long will it take Texas to come calling again?