Remaining assistants are packing up

Hey everyone. There is plenty of action going on here.

I just said my good-byes to Terry Price, which sucks. He's a good guy.

Also said my good-byes to James Willis. That was a different deal. His office wasn't that packed. As I was walking along with him, Willis was approached by an athletic department official who said: "Have you talked with Chizik yet?"

Willis said: "No."

The official said: "You need to."

... so I'm still not sure what to tell you with Willis. I know Joe Whitt Sr. is out and about trying to repair the recruiting damage.

SCHEDULE UPDATE: The press conference begins at 1 p.m. CST. I'll be live blogging it in a new thread.

RAYMOND COTTON OUTTIE: The Tigers' top high-school prospect, quarterback Raymond Cotton Jr., has de-committed. That information comes courtesy of our friends at AuburnSports.com. I wouldn't put too much credence into that development. The right coaches and the right system can get Auburn right back into the fray.

CHARLES BARKLEY SPEAKS OUT: The most outspoken former Auburn athlete had some interesting things to say in an ESPN.com story released within the hour.

Highlights:

On Turner Gill: "We talked about the whole race thing in Alabama," Barkley said. "I told him it's there and it's going to be anywhere you go. I told him you can't not take the job because of racism. He was worried about being nothing more than a token interview. He was concerned about having a white wife. It's just very disappointing to me."

On Auburn's decision: "I think race was the No. 1 factor," said Barkley, who played basketball for three seasons at Auburn during the early 1980s. "You can say it's not about race, but you can't compare the two resumes and say [Chizik] deserved the job. Out of all the coaches they interviewed, Chizik probably had the worst resume."