Let the speculation begin

AUBURN -- There's a coaching search on at Auburn, and here are my highly, highly speculative thoughts of how things will go.

First, don't expect a quick hire. Coaches Auburn might want have conference and NCAA Tournaments ahead, and it's not likely those coaches will interview until their seasons end.

Since a professional search firm has been hired to conduct the search, don't expect an abundance of leaks ... certainly not before the top prospects finish their seasons.

I expect Jacksonville State's Jim Case to be on Auburn's wish list. He's had the Gamecocks consistently competitive in their conference, and baseball has been among JSU's most consistently competitive programs in the Division I era.

I expect Troy's Bobby Pierce to be on the wish list, though he carries one big caveat with ties to Alabama. Alabama coach Jim Wells will retire some day soon, and Auburn doesn't want to lose another coach to Alabama.

I expect Auburn to make another run at Vanderbilt's Tim Corbin. He's done well at the hardest place in the SEC to win, and he was offered the job last time Auburn searched for a coach. Could his mind frame be different four years later, especially since Auburn is that far removed from all of the coaching upheaval that marked 2003 and 2004?

There's also former Tiger catcher Casey Dunn, now the head coach at Samford. He'll have his supporters on the inside, but how far will that take him?

I expect that Auburn will attract a strong field. Former Auburn coach Tom Slater, who resigned Saturday after his meeting with athletics director Jay Jacobs, recruited three consecutive top 20 classes.

Auburn started as many as six freshman position players this season. That includes slugger Hunter Morris, who was Boston's second-round pick last year but opted for college.

On the mound, freshman pitchers Cory Luckie and Grant Dayton showed promise.

Auburn, like other programs in Alabama, plays at a disadvantage because the state has no education lottery. Other SEC programs in lottery states have lottery-funded scholarships.

Still, Auburn has competitive facilities. Not so long ago, Plainsman Park was ranked as one of the nation's top college stadiums, and it's been upgraded since.

Slater resigns

This just minutes ago from Auburn University athletics media relations:

TOM SLATER RESIGNS AS AUBURN HEAD BASEBALL COACH

AUBURN-Tom Slater has resigned as head coach of the Auburn baseball program, Auburn Athletics Director Jay Jacobs announced Saturday.

“Jay and I met this morning, and we mutually agreed that there is going to be a change,” Slater said. “I’d like to thank Jay Jacobs, Dr. Ed Richardson and Auburn University for the wonderful opportunity I was given to be the head coach.”

In four seasons as head coach, Slater had an overall record of 115-113 and a Southeastern Conference record of 43-77. This season, Auburn was 28-28 and 11-19 in the SEC.

A Richmond, Va., native, Slater also served as an assistantcoach at Auburn from 1995-2000. He was named head coach at Auburn on June 29, 2004.

“We appreciate Tom’s efforts and the hard work and dedication of he and his staff over the last four years,” Jacobs said. “We wish Tom, his staff and their families the best of luck in their future endeavors.”

A search for a replacement will begin immediately. More to come in Sunday's Anniston Star.

Tight end picks Auburn

Auburn received a commitment Friday night from one of the nation's top tight end prospects.

Philip Lutzenkirchen, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound senior at Marietta (Ga.) Lassiter High School, chose Auburn over offers from Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Stanford and Mississippi State, according to AuburnSports.com.

As a junior, Lutzenkirchen caught 46 passes for 496 yards and seven touchdowns. He'll play in the spread offense this year under new Lassiter coach Chip Lindsey.

Auburn's new spread offense under first-year offensive coordinator Tony Franklini factored in Lutzenkirchen’s college decision.

"The offense they run is the exact same system as we run, the same terminology," he said. "I know the spot I'll be playing, the ‘Y’ receiver, will get a lot of balls thrown at them. That was definitely a big part of me picking Auburn."

Lutzenkirchen is Auburn's eighth commitment for 2009. The list includes defensive linemen Terrence Coleman, Jamontay Pilson and Wilfred Journey, linebackers Harris Gaston and Eltoro Freeman, athlete Brandon Heavens and quarterback Raymond Cotton.

Auburn's commitments now seven

Auburn now has seven football commitments for the class of 2009, with former signees Eltoro Freeman and Wilfred Journet saying this week they will re-sign with the Tigers.

Freeman, a 2007 signee, committed Wednesday. He told AuburnSports.com that he's on course to graduate from Gulf Coast Community College in Perkinston, Miss., and will be able to re-sign with Auburn in February.

Freeman wound up at GCCC after failing to qualify academically out of Benjamin Russell High School, where he was one of the country's top linebacker prospects.

In his one junior college season, Freeman had 65 tackles with 17 for loss, including five sacks. He was all-state and all-region.

The 5-foot-11, 218-pound Freeman said he will redshirt his sophomore season at GCCC and will have three seasons of eligibility left for Division I.

Journet signed with Auburn in 2007 out of Acadiana (La.) High School, where he was Class 5A defensive player of the year. The 6-3, 247-pound defensive end detoured through Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Wesson, Miss.

Journet played four games for Copiah-Lincoln last season before a hip injury sidelined him. He will have two years of Division I eligibility.

Auburn's class of commitments to date includes defensive tackle Terrence Coleman, quarterback Raymond Cotton, linebacker Harris Gaston, athlete Brandon Heavens and defensive tackle Jamontay Pilson.

Final spring depth chart released

Auburn spring depth chart

Auburn announced its post-spring practice football depth chart Wednesday. It’s as follows, with jersey number, name, measurements and class:

OFFENSE

Running back
1 Brad Lester (5-11, 198, Sr.)
44 Ben Tate (5-11, 215, Jr.)
9 Tristan Davis (5-10, 217, Sr.)

Quarterback
18 Kodi Burns (6-1, 205, So.) or 12 Chris Todd (6-4, 212, Jr.)
19 Neil Caudle (6-3, 200, So.)
15 DeRon Furr (6-3, 218, Fr.)

Wide receiver
6 James Swinton (6-0, 178, Sr.)
23 Chris Slaughter (6-3, 179, So.) or 21 Charles Olatunji (6-2, 197, Sr.)

Wide receiver
13 Tim Hawthorne (6-3, 209, RFr.)
27 Mario Fannin (5-11, 217, So.)

Left tackle
73 Lee Ziemba (6-8, 288, So.)
79 Jared Cooper (6-4, 297, RFr.)
75 Andrew McCain (6-6, 300, Jr.)

Left guard
71 Tyronne Green (6-2, 307, Sr.)
58 Kyle Coulahan (6-4, 309, RFr.)

Center
68 Jason Bosley (6-4, 281, Sr.)
50 Ryan Pugh (6-4, 284, So.)
66 Mike Berry (6-3, 313, So.)

Right guard
57 Byron Isom (6-3, 291, So.)
53 Bart Eddins (6-4, 292, So.)
76 Chaz Ramsey (6-4, 290, So.)

Right tackle
50 Ryan Pugh (6-4, 284, So.)
66 Mike Berry (6-3, 313, So.)

Tight end
5 Tommy Trott (6-5, 251, Jr.)
83 Gabe McKenzie (6-4, 253, Jr.)
35 Brent Slusher (6-3, 231, So.)

Wide receiver
3 Robert Dunn (6-0, 178, Sr.)
14 Terrell Zachery (6-1, 208, So.)

Wide receiver
80 Rodgeriqus Smith (6-0, 196, Sr.)
84 Montez Billings (6-2, 188, Jr.)
81 Quindarius Carr (6-1, 175, RFr.)

DEFENSE

End
52 Antonio Coleman (6-2, 250, Jr.)
45 Antoine Carter (6-4, 253, So.)

Tackle
91 Jake Ricks (6-4, 302, Jr.)
98 Zach Clayton (6-3, 286, So.)
65 Luke Farmer (5-11, 239, RFr.)

Tackle
94 Sen’Derrick Marks (6-1, 288, Jr.)
93 Mike Blanc (6-4, 287, So.)
41 Darrell Roseman (6-4, 270, So.)

End
49 Michael Goggans (6-3, 254, So.)
90 A.J. Greene (6-5, 269, RFr.)
42 Raven Gray (6-5, 253, Jr.)

Outside linebacker
46 Craig Stevens (6-2, 218, So.)
56 Courtney Harden (6-0, 237, Sr.)
40 Bo Harris (6-2, 244, So.)

Middle linebacker
10 Tray Blackmon (6-0, 220, Jr.)
17 Josh Bynes (6-2, 234, So.)
31 Adam Herring (6-1, 224, RFr.)

Outside linebacker
59 Chris Evans (6-0, 221, Sr.) or 55 Merrill Johnson (6-0, 204, Sr.)
56 Courtney Harden (6-0, 237, Sr.)

Strong safety
4 Zac Etheridge (5-11, 206, So.)
11 Mike Slade (6-2, 189, RFr.)

Free safety
26 Mike McNeil (6-2, 201, So.)
17 Jonathan Vickers (6-2, 216, Sr.)

Left cornerback
8 Jerraud Powers (5-9, 188, Jr.)
25 Ryan Williams (5-11, 204, So.)

Right cornerback
2 Aairon Savage (5-11, 190, Jr.) or 6 Walter McFadden (6-0, 180, Jr.)

SPECIAL TEAMS

Place kicker
18 Wes Byrum (6-1, 220, So.)
37 Morgan Hull (6-2, 187, So.)

Punter
21 Ryan Shoemaker (6-0, 192, So.)
7 Clinton Durst (6-2, 184, RFr.)
23 Patrick Tatum (6-2, 213, So.)

Deep snapper
60 Robert Shiver (6-3, 220, Sr.)
61 Josh Harris (6-1, 222, RFr.)
63 Rick Cherry (6-2, 233, So.)

Holder
82 Clayton Crofoot (6-3, 175, Jr.)
86 John Cubelic (6-0, 201, So.)

Punt returner
3 Robert Dunn (6-0, 178, Sr.)
23 Chris Slaughter (6-3, 179, So.)

Kickoff returns
9 Tristan Davis (5-10, 217, Sr.) and 1 Brad Lester (5-11, 198, Sr.)
6 Walter McFadden (6-0, 180, Jr.) and 16 James Swinton (6-0, 178, Sr.) or 44 Ben Tate (5-11, 215, Jr.)

Prowell, Robertson hoops MVPs

This from Auburn sports information:

Quan Prowell & Quantez Robertson named co-MVPs at Auburn basketball awards banquet

AUBURN - Senior Quan Prowell and junior Quantez Robertson were named co-Most Valuable Players at the 19th annual Auburn Basketball Awards Banquet Wednesday at the Hotel at Auburn University, and the pair combined for eight awards.

Prowell was selected the Outstanding Offensive Player, Outstanding Rebounder and received the Iron Tiger Award. He averaged a team-high 15.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 54 percent from the field, 41 percent from 3-point range and 72 percent from the foul line.

The Columbus, Ga., native ranked 16th in the SEC in both points and rebounds and ranked seventh in the league in field goal percentage and 17th with 32.52 minutes played per game.

He scored a career-high 31 points on 7-of-10 three-point shooting at Mississippi State Feb. 27 to go along with eight rebounds while playing all 40 minutes.

Robertson garnered the Playmaker Award for the third straight year as well as the Outstanding Defensive Player and the Iron Man Award for the second consecutive time for both.

The Cincinnati, Ohio, native averaged 7.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.1 steals while shooting 41 percent from the field, 35 percent from 3-point range and 75 percent from the foul line. He led the SEC with 37.5 minutes played, ranked second in the league in steals, second with a 2.30 assist/turnover ratio and eighth in assists.

Robertson, who started all 90 games of his collegiate career, scored a season-high 16 points to go along with five rebounds and four steals vs. Mississippi State and played 37 or more minutes in 23 games this year. He played all 40 minutes in 10 games.

For the second consecutive year, junior Frank Tolbert received the Lambert/Eagles Award. It is given in memory of Auburn*s 15th head basketball coach, Paul Lambert, who died in a hotel fire June 6, 1978, in Columbus, Ga., and Tommy Joe Eagles, who died unexpectedly of a heart attack July 30, 1994, two months after becoming the head coach at New Orleans.

Tolbert averaged 13.4 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 43 percent from the field, 31 percent from 3-point range and 76 percent from the foul line. The River Falls, Ala., native had 66 floor burns on the season, equalling the number for the rest of the entire Auburn team combined.

Finishing 17th on Auburn*s all-time scoring chart with 1,242 career points, Tolbert scored a career-high 32 points, including 26 in the second half, at No. 18 Vanderbilt and had eight rebounds. He scored a then-career-high 29 points, making 9 of 11 field goals vs. No. 15 Ole Miss.

Junior Drew Smith and sophomore Ryan Brooks both received the Academic Achievement Awards, while junior Rasheem Barrett received a plaque for being named SEC Player of the Week for Nov. 19-26, 2007, as he scored 25 points on 10-of-13 made field goals at Charleston Southern. He also totaled four rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block.

Barrett and Tolbert were both presented painted basketballs for joining Auburn*s 1,000-point club. Tolbert eclipsed the mark with 16 points in Auburn's 74-67 win at LSU on Jan. 16, while Barrett became the 30th member of the club with 10 points in the Tigers' 88-76 win vs. Alabama on Feb. 24.

Auburn finished with a 14-16 record overall (4-12 SEC) but was 8-2 when it lost junior starting power forward Korvotney Barber with a broken left hand in the sixth minute of the Towson game on Dec. 29. He was leading the nation, shooting 72.0 percent from the field, at the time ofhis injury.

Auburn's players -- including Barber, Prowell, Josh Dollard, Lucas Hargrove, Boubacar Sylla and Archie Miaway -- missed acombined 4,733 minutes on the season.

A hack's take on quarterbacks

AUBURN -- All of a sudden, I'm not so sure that Chris Todd will ultimately emerge as Auburn's starting quarterback next fall.

One, his arm is not 100 percent. If the long-term effects of a shoulder injury he suffered in junior college carry into preseason practice, I'm certain Todd won't start.

Two, Kodi Burns ended spring practice with two strong scrimmage performances. Over Saturday's A-Day game and Wednesday's final spring scrimmage, Burns completed 26 of 36 passes for 355 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

The reps he received during those two scrimmages roughly translate to one full game.

Burns also showed better mastery of the subtleties over the last two scrimmages.

He's shown he can run. Now, he's showing he can pass and run the offense. And there's no questioning Burns' personal presence and leadership potential.

If all of those qualities bloom at the right time, Burns can be as special as his high school accolades suggest.

Just a sense here, but I don't agree so much with comparisons I hear that liken Burns to former Auburn quarterback Jason Campbell. Burns is a better runner and has more personal presence, which makes him more like the Dameyune Craig I remember.

We shall see.