Nolesports.com is reporting that FSU defensive coordinator Mark Stoops has turned down Auburn’s advances…and reportedly doubling of his salary…to stay in Tallahasee.

Stoops was the favorite of many Auburn fans to take over for Ted Roof. As much as $1.1 Million was rumored to be the offer presented to Stoops to come to Auburn.

Not even making him a millionaire made the job worth it.

Other names I’ve heard are Jeff Fisher (the former Tennessee Titan head coach), Ellis Johnson and the Easter Bunny. Of that list, the Easter Bunny appears to be the frontrunner.

So Malzahn accepts a $500,000 pay cut to leave, and Mark Stoops rejects a huge raise to come. One has to ask the question: What’s really going on down in Lee County?

Is there something below the surface keeping people away? And is it about to be “above” the surface?


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12 thoughts on “REPORT: Mark Stoops tells Auburn no, is staying at FSU”

  1. Please tell me they didn’t really think Fisher was coming? I remember a dumb ass Auburn family member telling me Bill Cowher was interested in AU after Tuberville because he liked the “family” atmosphere. Bunch of dumb ass white trash

  2. Feel better ITK? Let me get this straight… when a coordinator turns down a move to another school, it means “there something below the surface keeping people away”? Good grief you guys like to spin stuff. First of all, the amount he would have been payed is not really known, or by your own account “rumored”. Is it not possible that FSU matched or exceeded the offer? There are a lot of reasons why coaches decide to stay where they are (e.g., not wanting to move their family, not wanting to start over/rebuild when they have something good going, etc.). As far as GM goes, it was no secret that he was desperate to be a head coach. I have a good friend that grew up as his neighbor and played football for him at Springdale. He told me the day Gus was hired that he would only be there 2-3 years because he wanted to be a head coach really bad. Is it really that hard for you to believe that someone is willing to take a pay cut so they could move back to their home state and be a head coach.

  3. “He told me the day Gus was hired that he would only be there 2-3 years because he wanted to be a head coach really bad. Is it really that hard for you to believe that someone is willing to take a pay cut so they could move back to their home state and be a head coach”

    No surprise there.

    What was surprising is that Malzhan didn’t get out while the getting was good. (post-Scam)

    What was he thinking? Who better than he, knew what he had coming back??

    One can argue the virtues of the spread in the SEC, Malzhan’s competence as a coach, but there is no question: there’s a time for staying and a time for getting the he’ll out of Dodge.

    Another example stares us in the face: Trent Richardson.

    ANYBODY advising Trent to stay another season is a fool.

    And Trent will be a fool to listen to such.

    His running style is very physical. Anything can happen in those defensive piles he loves to move.

    Malzahn cost himself a better job and a lot of money by staying.

    Plus, there’s that unfortunate video of his wife.

    As to Stoops, lateral move. That plain and simple. He looked the situation over and saw nothing positive for his future in leaving Tallahassee for Auburn in the same position.

    Chizik made a mistake by offering it to him to begin with.

    Now he’s hawking a spot that’s been turned down by a name assistant.

    There’s somebody competent in the lower ranks looking to move up. Requires doing some homework to find him.

    Offering Stoops was lazy IMO.

  4. I think offering Stoops was an idea with good intentions. He’s obviously a good coach. Seems like they could have tested the waters more before asking him publicly and getting turned down. However, it’s no big deal since FSU is a higher profile job anyway – IMO. Malzhan is another story. You can’t spin that one. Even with all the scandles rumored last year he turned down Vandy for what was it 3 million. Look at Vandy. They almost did as good as Awbie. 6-6 vs 7-5. Either he made a huge error in judgement about this years team and the future, or some kind of shyt has hit the fan. NOBODY takes a 3/8 salary cut to ‘Get Closer To Home’. As if it’s you have to cross a galaxy to get from Alabama to Arkansas! Maybe if there is some necessary reason you might go from $80,000 to $50,000. But from $1.25 million to $700,000. No way in hell unless your scared of what the future might bring. And I’m saying he saw the axe falling real soon and with it his chances of landing a head coaching job too. I think he was smart to get out now – just stupid for waiting this long! RTR!

  5. Axe landing, keep dreaming. 2010 BCS champs to remain forever. There are plenty of young coordinators who are in lower Div 1 schools. AU is fine, will be fine for the future. We are concentrating obviously on our weakness this year O line.

    You guys can spin it any way you like. Malzahn is gone, fine we move on to find other assistants who would like to make a million and can get the best with that kind of money.

  6. Lmao lmao wantes to be a head coach baaaaad huh??? So bad he staywd at awbarn for 1 mil instead of going to a SEC school for 3 mil? Rrrrrrrright!!! The mutha fukka can’t fukking coach in the SEC and he knows it!!! Ol smoonta scam tha nig newton saved him last year! Awbarn ain’t the equivalent to whale shyt at the bottom of the ocean!!! Y’all just make sure to get the damn story straight about the 2010 * title when y’all spit that shyt to your skank ass grand kids while y’all sit around your trash can fire in thw trailer park!!

  7. Lol smurfette is obviously an awbarn fan….he suuure does post the attributes of a loser a lot so he must know what a real loser is! Smurfette if bama is a loser then you must share with us all the word and definition of what “the university of awbarn” is!!!!

  8. Dream on bama-one-tooth,
    Fourth in the west next year will Napoleon Dynamite be. Losing a lot of that good O line leads to string bean QBs getting sacked.

    1. Hey smurf you need to get off the smack dude.I know you cant understand this so I will make it real simple.Nick Saban will never finish fourth in the west as long as he is at Alabama.o yeah how this recruiting thing been for ya. LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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