Vanderbilt head baseball coach Tim Corbin has been officially targeted by Auburn as one of the top candidates to take over the Tigers' baseball program. But he won't be pried away easily if Vanderbilt gets its way, according to Vanderbilt vice chancellor David Williams.
Williams confirmed Tuesday that Auburn asked for and received permission to speak with Corbin, who led the Commodores to their most successful season in school history this season with a 45-19 record.
Auburn is still developing its search to replace Steve Renfroe but hopes to identify a handful of top candidates by the end of the week. Corbin, 42, was among the first to be sought out.
"We did grant permission to them, but we certainly plan to do all we can to keep coach Corbin," Williams said.
Asked if he'd be willing to rework Corbin's contract in an effort to keep him, Williams said, "Absolutely."
Renfroe, who was fired last week, earned $125,000 annually.
Vanderbilt is not required by law to disclose the salaries of its employees because it is a private university. Williams declined to disclose Corbin's salary.
Auburn is seeking a candidate with head coaching experience, experience with the SEC and experience in Auburn's primary recruiting areas of Georgia, Alabama and Florida, according to Hal Baird, Auburn's athletics assistant to the president.
Former Alabama assistant Mitch Gaspard, now the head coach at Northwestern (La.) State, is among those who have expressed interest in the job.
Corbin did not immediately return a call from the Register seeking comment Tuesday. Last season was his second at Vanderbilt after serving nine seasons as an assistant at Clemson.