BIRMINGHAM, AL (WTVM) -
As Auburn University's football team suffered another tough loss vs. UGA last Saturday, the drumbeat for Coach Chizik's firing is becoming louder.
On Friday, Smashmouth Radio Network on ESPN 97.3 The Zone in Birmingham, interviewed Heath Evans, former Auburn fullback, who blasted the coach and AU over a miserable football season whose record now stands at 2-8 with two games remaining.
"Discipline, structure, accountability, and most importantly, mental and physical toughness It's non-existent. It's absolutely pathetic," explains Evans.
Evans, who is retired after 10 years in the NFL and is now a NFL Network analyst, says he saw this collapse coming while he worked out with the team during the 2011 NFL lockout.
"I saw this coming and nobody wanted to believe me... It was a scary off-season for me, that off-season of 2011, because I do, I bleed orange and blue. I love that school."
Chizik's career numbers combining his time at AU and his stint as head coach of Iowa State is a 50 percent winning record of 37-37. Take away the 14-0 Cam Newton season and that winning percentage drops to 38%.
Chizik's contract has a buyout clause that at this stage would cost Auburn $7.5 million to fire him.
On campus today, students had mixed emotions on whether Chizik should be given another chance or sent packing.
"I don't think he deserves to get canned because he brought in two new coordinators, two new systems that no one knew about. So I say give him another year under his belt and he'll be back at it next year," expresses Auburn student, Michael O'Hare.
"I think he had his year of recovery after Cam and Nick left, but I don't think he did a great job putting the team together, he did not get the recruits that we needed and honestly I think it's time for Gene to move on," explains Auburn student, Mo O'Neill.
A press release issued at the end of October by AU President Jay Gouge said that the football program would be thoroughly evaluated at the end of the season.
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