What had been rumored for a week now came to a head this evening. Volquest is reporting that Mark Smith has packed up his office and moved out. We are not sure if this was Coach Lane Kiffin's doing or Smith's, but Smith was quoted as saying "I'm done" before leaving.
Smith was thought to be one of the best S/C coaches at the collegiate level. After spending time with Steve Spurrier at Florida, Washington Redskins, and South Carolina, Smith was lured away from his longtime boss even when Spurrier tried to make a counter offer. Smith did one heck of a job at SCAR, where he fielded teams that looked the "SEC part" compared to SCAR teams of the past.
It is being rumored that the VOLS may hire Aaron Ausmus, a former All-American track star at UT in the 90's. Ausmus was the S/C coach at USC at the same time as Kiffin and Orgeron and was fundamental to the success they had. He followed Orgeron to Ole Miss while he was head coach.
Although we all hate to see Smith go due to his impeccable reputation and track record, Ausmus would be a great hire if true. With Summer conditioning upon the VOLS, I am sure someone will be hired immediately so stay tuned. Here is Ausmus' bio from Olemiss Sports.
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