Auburn A.D. Jacobs happy with where Tigers stand

Jay Jacobs says he was never concerned by the amount of time it took Gene Chizik to make the two biggest hires of his tenure as Auburn’s head football coach, apart from putting together his original staff when he was first hired in 2008.

Those who were concerned, Jacobs said, just don’t know Chizik as well as Auburn’s Director of Athletics does.

“I think the thing everybody is beginning to learn, that I knew about Gene, is that he’s thorough,” Jacobs said. “He’s interested in what’s best for Auburn, not some skeptic’s timeline about when we should and shouldn’t hire somebody.”

Chizik hired Brian VanGorder from the Atlanta Falcons a little less than five weeks after former defensive coordinator Ted Roof left, then followed that by hiring Scot Loeffler a little less than six weeks after former offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn became head coach at Arkansas State.

VanGorder, in Jacobs’ eyes, was Chizik’s “number one guy,” and Loeffler was the top candidate out of “several guys” Chizik looked at for offensive coordinator.

In short, Jacobs feels Chizik did his job exceptionally.

“The key to it is finding the best fit for these guys that play on the field, for this athletics department, for this university and for the Auburn family,” Jacobs said. “That’s what he was able to do successfully.”

The Opelika-Auburn News sat down with Jacobs this week to talk about the state of the football and men’s and women’s basketball programs, as well as the athletic department as a whole in the early days of 2012.

OAN: Why doesn’t Chizik’s name pop up as much as his assistants’ seem to during offseason coaching searches?

JJ: In the business we’re in, it’s sometimes difficult to determine what people are thinking, who the right fit is for institutions. There’s no better job than one at Auburn, and then there’s no better job than working in the SEC. If you’re here, or in the SEC, why would you be interested in going anywhere else? We’re the most successful league in the nation across the board, but particularly what we’ve been able to do in this league in football.

OAN: There’s been a bunch of talk about an 8-game SEC football schedule versus a 9-game one after expansion. Where do you fall on the issue?

JJ: My thoughts are eight games in the SEC, knowing we have a championship game, that’s enough. We’re the most competitive league in the nation, and playing those eight games has proven to be what is best for each institution and what is best for the SEC, if you gauge it by national championships won.

OAN: Chizik said on Signing Day that nobody talks about the Cam Newton controversy anymore. Has the university truly put that behind it?

JJ: In the recruits and families I visited, it was never brought up. So yes, I feel like the nation has put that behind us. Certainly the NCAA has put it behind us.

OAN: How much progress do you feel Tony Barbee has made in his second year at the helm (of men’s basketball program)?

JJ: Tony is getting his system implemented. It takes a little time. The thing that Auburn people, we all gauge our progress on is how competitive we are. We’re getting that competitive edge and learning how to compete in this league. I think what we have going on with our men’s basketball team is right on schedule … well, it’s right on schedule for me. Tony, the reason I hired him, is because he’s almost as big a competitor as I am. He can’t stand to lose. We’re getting there.

OAN: Was the distinction between a signed contract and letter of agreement truly as insignificant of an issue as Barbee said it was when he signed?

JJ: It was no issue at all with me or Tony. None whatsoever. We felt we had a strong letter of agreement. He knew Auburn’s commitment to him. We certainly knew his commitment to Auburn.

OAN: The women’s basketball team has struggled since a wildly successful 2008-09 season. How would you assess its state right now?

JJ: There is no better ambassador for Auburn than Nell Fortner. She is a great ambassador, positive always. She would say that she’s not in the least bit satisfied with where we are right now. She’s like Tony: She wants to win every game. She’s got to continue to build this foundation and get this team back to the NCAA Tournament and winning the SEC, like we did three years ago.

OAN: What facility improvements are in the works?

JJ: We are about to renovate the Watson Fieldhouse and make it a strength and conditioning center for our Olympic sports that are currently housed in (Beard-Eaves) Coliseum. That was approved at the Friday board meeting. Then, we’re moving forward with plans to move sports medicine, which is in the Coliseum, out. We haven’t decided where that’s going to go. We just got approval Friday to start talking to architects and figure out where we’re going to put it. And the other structure that is about to be underway is we’re building a dining hall in conjunction with this parking deck the university is building (outside the athletic complex). It’ll be a wellness kitchen, a dining facility for all students on campus. Student-athletes will eat there, but for any students on campus that have certain dietary needs, there will be a nutritionist there to help them plan a healthy meal plan for them day-in and day-out.

OAN: How would you assess the athletic department as a whole right now?

JJ: We have five goals, and we’ve been able to accomplish those five goals, and those that aren’t complete yet, we’re on track to accomplish them. The first is winning. We’re on track again to be in the top 10 percent of all schools in the nation in the Director’s Cup. Financially, even in these tough economic times, we’ve been able to make our budgets. From a compliance standpoint, we feel great about where we are from an attitude of compliance here. Graduating our student-athletes, we’ve had a Rhodes Scholar, a Rhodes Scholar finalist. In the past two years, we’ve had two winners of the SEC’s highest (academic) award, the H. Boyd McWhorter Award. And also the community service award, the Brad Davis Award. First school ever to have both men and women Boyd McWhorter Award winners. The fifth is our professional game day experience. Going by the emails and letters we receive from visiting fans, our game day experience is second-to-none in the nation. I feel like we’re on target again to achieve those goals. We have an unquenchable spirit of discontent. We don’t ever want to be satisfied. We’re striving to continue to improve on all five of our goals.