UGA assistant Garner interested in Auburn job

Athens - If Auburn gets tired of being turned down by candidates, it could turn to a guy on Georgia’s staff.

Rodney Garner, an All-SEC offensive lineman while playing at Auburn from 1984-88 and was an assistant coach there from 1990-95, said Thursday he “would love the opportunity” to become the Tigers’ new head coach.

“I don’t expect to but, sure, I’d be interested,” said Garner, now an assistant head coach for the Bulldogs.

Garner said he “talked to some Auburn people” this week but not about its head coaching vacancy. They talked about coach Tommy Tuberville’s resignation.

“I was shocked; I didn’t think it would happen,” he said. “But that’s not for me to judge.”

Garner, 42, has risen through the ranks at Georgia. In addition to assistant head coach, he is currently recruiting coordinator and defensive line coach. He has been with the Bulldogs since 1998.

With the departures of Sylvester Croom at Mississippi State, Ty Willingham at Washington and Ron Prince at Kansas State earlier this season, Miami’s Randy Shannon is the only African-American head coach at a BCS school. There are only two other black head coaches in Division I.

Garner is a member of the Black Coaches and Administrators (BCA) and attended the inaugural Minority Coaches Forum in Scottsdale, Ariz., in May of 2006. But he doesn’t think race will have a bearing on who Auburn hires.

“It’s not like the BCA is going to put pressure on them,” said Garner, reached by telephone while recruiting in Warner Robins on Thursday. “It’s not the NFL where you’re just dealing with ownership. There are more factors in college football, more groups of people you have to appease.”

There were unconfirmed media reports Thursday that Will Muschamp, defensive coordinator and head-coach-in-waiting at Texas, and Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, have declined Auburn’s overtures. Louisiana Tech coach Derek Dooley, Vince Dooley’s youngest son, also is reportedly a candidate.

Auburn has retained the search firm of Carr Sports and Associates to help locate candidates. Whatever happens, Garner said he just wants the best for his alma mater. “Auburn’s a little wounded right now. But it’s nothing the right coach and winning won’t cure,” Garner said.