Tag: Allen Greene

Report: Bryan Harsin to meet Auburn team for first time on Saturday

New Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin is expected to meet with the Tigers for the first time on Saturday.

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Current Auburn players will get their first impression of new head coach Bryan Harsin on Saturday as he is expected to meet with the team when they return to campus to began prep for the Citrus Bowl against Northwestern, Auburn Undercover reported.

Harsin was named the 27th head coach at Auburn on Tuesday night after an eight-day search following the dismissal of Gus Malzahn. His introductory press conference will also take place on Saturday with the time to be announced.

In seven season at Boise State, Harsin led the Broncos to a 69-19 record, three Mountain West conference titles and three bowl wins. Given the freedom to control who is on the staff, it will be intriguing over the next week or so to find out who, if any, of the current coaches left over from the Malzahn staff will continue with the Tigers.

Opinion: By standing up to boosters, Allen Greene saves Auburn from disaster

Auburn athletic director Allen Greene saved the Tigers from a disaster by finally standing up to the greedy power boosters.

Allen Greene reportedly stood his ground. The Auburn athletic director did what most of us only dream of doing: telling the power boosters to back off, that they had done enough damage already to the school’s reputation.

Of course we will never know what went on behind closed doors but from everything being said, Greene saved the day and Bryan Harsin is now the head football coach, ending an eight-day search that bordered on the absurd and chaotic. People were just waiting for Auburn to screw up again as coach after coach seemingly turned down the job.

Greene, who for the most part had been a silent leader in this search, not even holding a single press conference, showed for once that he was in control and, for the lack of better wording, showed he had some major cojones. He wasn’t going to let a guy that dresses up as a yellow cowboy or a nosy businessman or even a glorified ticket salesman get in the way of doing what was right for the whole of Auburn.

The hiring came out of nowhere with the timing of it being reported that he was the favorite for the job and it being announced coming within a few hours. While we still have to learn a lot of Harsin, the hire has been praised and it is expected that he will have full control over who is on his staff, something that wouldn’t have been the case had Greene not stepped up and taken control.

For years and years, the athletic director position at Auburn has just been treated as someone on strings controlled by the men with the money. David Housel, a wonderful Auburn man, couldn’t get away from it, famously going on the infamous 2003 plane trip to Louisville. Neither could Jay Jacobs. Too many connections, too many relationships. They were insiders and they following orders.

This is why Greene was considered such a splash of a hire. He was an outsider with no preconceived notions of how Auburn “should” be run. He had his own ideas and plans and finally, someone might put the money players where they belong.

It didn’t look like that would happen as the coaching search became an embarrassment, possible candidates leaked and then disappeared, infighting within a room full of men that, as Cole Cubelic put it, would rather be on the sidelines and see the Tigers go 7-5 then be in a suite for an undefeated team and, all along, making Gus Malzahn look like a saint for putting up with all of this behind-the-scenes foolishness for eight season.

We don’t know how the Harsin hire will work out. While he’s a proven winner and continued the success of Boise State after taking over for Chris Petersen, his lack of any experience in the SEC and being a head coach at a Power 5 school leaves a lot of question marks. As an assistant coach in the Mountain West told me on Tuesday night, it is like trying to put a square peg in a round hole.

Yet it could very easily work out and, after a coaching search that made Auburn look like it was run by a bunch of greedy lunatics, the hire is garnering some good press when the media was just waiting for a disaster.

We can thank Greene for that. He stepped up to the bullies that run Auburn like a personal playground and proved his worth.

Twitter goes crazy as Bryan Harsin is named Auburn’s 27th head coach

Twitter went crazy after Auburn hired Boise State’s Bryan Harsin as head coach.

Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve got a new head coach. Auburn hired Boise State’s Bryan Harsin on Tuesday making him the 27th head coach in Auburn history. Harsin leaves Boise State with a 69-19 head coaching record and three Mountain West championships.

Needless to say, Auburn fans everywhere were relieved and 99% are pretty excited about the hire. Let’s go to Twitter for the reactions:

And last but certainly not least, a thread reaction gif for your enjoyment.

New energy. New head coach. War eagle!

Auburn fans have grown tired of the ‘good ol’ boy’ system

Auburn alumni and fans are tired of the same people running and ruining the football program over and over again.

For years, Auburn has been branded to the world as a family, but really it’s more of an avaricious autocracy where only big money talks.

When it comes to decisions regarding football, only a select group of individuals seem to be heard and whatever they say goes.

These individuals are notorious for sticking their dirty little hands where they don’t belong, and now they have single-handedly converted Auburn’s head coaching search into a clown show. They’re doing it all for the sake of control and access to exclusive perks that neither you nor I will ever see. Not because they love Auburn. Ego fragility at its finest.

We’re witnessing a coup of epic proportions on The Plains. Before Gus Malzahn was fired on Sunday, these guys knew who they wanted and they wouldn’t need to go far to find him. They had their eyes set on Kevin Steele because, according to them, Steele has the characteristics Auburn needs to revert back to the old glory days of the 1980s.

It’s not like football has advanced or anything in the last 40 years. Auburn  facilities sure haven’t. As I said before, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand why Auburn continues to fall behind other SEC schools in recruiting  battles. Since 1989, Auburn football practice facilities have been located at the Auburn Athletics Complex, which is shared by numerous sports. Auburn football is ranked in the bottom half of the SEC in terms of facilities, and its new football-only complex, which should have been a brainchild a long time ago, is set for completion in 2022.

On Tuesday, athletic director Allen Greene and President Jay Gogue  announced the university had established an advisory committee who would cooperate with the Parker Executive Search Firm out of Atlanta to assist in finding Auburn’s next head coach. It was also around this time the public found out Greene would have virtually zero say in selecting Auburn’s next head coach, and the decision would fall to the hands of the big money boosters and ultimately Gogue himself.

This charade between these three boosters and Auburn University is so predictable it’s worse than a Hallmark Christmas movie. By Wednesday, the apathetic fan grew enraged when it was revealed the boosters planned to shove the hiring of Steele down their throats. The news ignited a revolution. By midnight on Thursday, #StopSteele was trending on Twitter, and Auburn players past and present began making it clear who they wanted to see as Auburn’s next head coach.

Here we are six days removed from the firing of Gus Malzahn. It’s been revealed current Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian is lined up to interview on Sunday. Louisiana head coach Billy Napier and Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliot are also scheduled to meet with Auburn in the coming days. But it’s also been reinforced that the “good ol’ boy” boosters are 110% committed to hiring Steele.

Hiring Steele reaffirms the message Auburn isn’t a family, but an institution run by the good ol’ boy system. The ramifications of this will be immediate. Greene will probably run for the hills. I mean, could you blame him? Two players have entered the transfer portal this week while recruiting is in shambles. Oh, and an already lethargic fan base will plunge even further into the depths of disinterest.

We were tired in 2003 after Bobby Lowder’s “JetGate.” We were tired in 2008 after Jay Jacobs escorted a head coach with a 5-19 record into Auburn to the chorus of, “We want a leader not a loser!”

We’re outright exhausted now.

Auburn announces search firm, advisory group for new football coach

A search committee has been formed by Auburn to help find the new head football coach.

Auburn will be relying on some of its top alumni to help decide who will be the Tigers new head football coach.

On Tuesday, the athletic department announced that a search firm and advisory group has been formed.

From the press release:

Auburn Athletics has identified a search firm and advisory group to assist with the search for the program’s next head football coach, Director of Athletics Allen Greene announced Tuesday.

Parker Executive Search Firm from Atlanta will assist the eight-member advisory group. The group includes Auburn University and Athletics Administration along with Auburn University alumni and football letterwinners.

Members of the advisory group include:

Allen Greene; Director of Athletics

Lieutenant General Ron Burgess; Executive Vice President, Auburn University

Dr. Beverly Marshall, Auburn Faculty Athletic Representative

Tim Jackson; Executive Associate AD, Auburn Athletics

Bo Jackson; Auburn Football Letterman, 1985 Heisman Trophy Winner

Quentin Riggins; Auburn Football Letterman, Auburn Board of Trustee

Randy Campbell; Auburn Football Letterman

Michelle McKenna; Chief Information Officer, National Football League

Dear Allen Greene: Fire Gus Malzahn and show your first true sign of leadership

Auburn dropped to 5-4 on the season and has yet to beat a team with a winning record. It is now time for Allen Green to do the right thing.

At most schools, as the losses continue to rise for a football program and the fan base starts to get extremely frustrated, you usually hear from the athletic director in some sort of way.

“I have all the confidence in our coach.”

“I like the direction that our program is going.”

“It’s just a misstep in the resumption of our program becoming a power again.”

You know the athletic director speak. I’m pretty sure it is taught to you once you take the head position at a collegiate athletic department.

Yet when it comes to Auburn’s AD Allen Greene, there has been nothing but silence despite the school’s most popular program being run into the ground by a coach that has made four-loss seasons not just the norm but the expected on the Plains.

So what does Greene even do? Has any Auburn fan been inspired by his leadership? Does he even have any power or is he just a pawn?

The lack of communication with absolutely no one, whether it be the press, fans, alumni or else, is absolutely frightening, especially when the trust in the football program has fallen to an all-time low. Does Greene think Auburn fans will continue to pay a lot of money to see a mediocre program play in Jordan-Hare Stadium when they could easily sit at home, watch on a big screen and not have to deal with another pathetic performance against a ranked team?

Does he not see the problem? The Tigers and Malzahn have yet to beat a team with a winning record this season. The best win is against 4-4 Ole Miss and even then Auburn needed a major break to come away with the victory. Oh, and let’s not forget the loss to South Carolina which gets more embarrassing by the day.

No, this doesn’t all fall on Greene. He was handed a bad deck in the Malzahn contract when he took the job and, in a year where everything is just strange, it will take some major guts (and money that, per sources, has already been raised) to get rid of the football coach after eight seasons.

The thing, though, is that this is exactly the right time to rid Auburn of this mediocrity. There are plenty of better coaches out there that would bite at the bit to take the job on the Plains. If Malzahn (and Chad Morris) are brought back for another season, it is the equivalent of kicking a field goal on fourth down when trailing by seven. It is giving up, plain and simple.

We don’t know what Greene is thinking because he is quieter than a kid playing a game of Hide-and-Seek. He releases emails on a sporadic basis that provide us an update but has not shown any signs of being the leader that Auburn needs as a whole.

The Malzahn era needs to end. He has lost the interest of even the most loyal Auburn fans. Now, it is up to Greene to show some signs of being a leader and doing what is best for the whole.

Everyone is waiting.

Allen Greene on social justice conversations: ‘They have been emotional’

The Auburn athletic director spoke on the conversations he has had with student-athlete surrounding social justice issues.

Times right now for any athletic director in the country are going to be tough as the COVID-19 pandemic has quickly cut into the revenue that departments are used to receiving during the year and many social justice issues are coming to the forefront of conversations, especially with student-athletes.

On Friday, Auburn athletic director Allen Greene spoke on the Tiger Talk podcast about some of the challenges he has faced over the past several months and said that, as a Black man, he has shared some of his own experiences with concerned members of the Tigers.

“The conversations have been great,” Greene said. “They have been emotional. They have provided a clearing of a path for us to go down a journey we, these young people in particular, have never had to go down before. That warms my heart to be at a moment in time in our country where we can have such a profound impact on the young people we serve.

“I try to share with them that in these moments we have an opportunity to make a difference. The chances for us to make a difference in the country and the world may not be all that great, but we can make a difference here on our soil with our people. Our energies will be focused on making change locally. How can we help people understand that the walk you walk is different than the walk I walk, and it’s the same road. It’s allowing people to listen as we talk about it and learn. Not that anybody even has to agree as long as you can see someone else’s perspective.”

MORE: ESPN predicts Auburn’s 2020 schedule game by game

Greene said that about a month and a half ago he had a “raw conversation” with many student-athletes about what is happening in the country right now.

I have a pretty good appreciation of what our black student-athletes are going through. I’ve been through very similar situations,” he said. “What I appreciated was our white student-athletes who spoke up about their disapproval of the injustices that are occurring, their recognition of the injustices that are occurring and the heavy hearts that they have in seeing their brothers and sisters, their teammates, their peers have to go through such fear, such anxiety, such emotional torture.”

Here is everything else important that the athletic director had to say:

On uncomfortable conversations

“What we have tried to espouse is being uncomfortable is OK. Being defensive is not. How do we push the boundaries of our comfort level. We’ve had department-wide Zoom calls about race. We have realize that whether we are left, right, red, blue, black, white, we are shaped by our experiences and we are shaped by the people we surround ourselves with. We are shaped by the news that we watch. We are shaped by the music we listen to. We are shaped by our Twitter feeds and Instagram.

“How can we remove some filters and start to broaden our awareness? I’m proud of the members of our department who have really leaned into the discussion on race.”

On the challenges he is facing

“One of the bigger challenge is we have such a large ecosystem in our industry. We’re not professional sports, where we are focused on one sport and a small number of athletes. We (at Auburn) are 550 student-athletes, 300 staff members, 15 head coaches, 21 different sports. And we reside under the umbrella of a larger campus entity and we reside in the city of Auburn and the state of Alabama and then working with the Southeastern Conference. There are a lot of paces we have to go through to try to manage all the different things that are happening. That takes a lot of time and a lot of communication. It takes a lot of mental energy.

“Each day is filled with a number of Zooms communicating with our coaches, university staff, executive leadership, SEC leadership, contacting colleagues across the country to try to figure out what they are doing. We are all trying to make judgment calls. I would say we are thankful and blessed by Commissioner (Greg) Sankey and his leadership and Dr. (Jay) Gogue and his leadership. We are very fortunate here at Auburn.”

On playing fall sports

“It might not seem like it, but we’ve made a significant amount of progress to get those sports in position to play. Football, obviously, is the largest domino. It’s the engine that drives our departments in so many different ways. Soccer starts before football season in a traditional academic year. We delayed volleyball and cross country and soccer so we could get football in a position where we felt comfortable.

“We are still working through some things, but we are in a much better position than we were a month or even two months ago. Our student-athletes want to compete, and we want them to compete. We know they’ve worked incredibly hard.”

On financial impact of COVID-19 pandemic

We’ve known there was going to be a financial impact. With each decision that is made, there is a little bit more of a clear picture. It’s important that people remember that football revenue funds about 80 percent of our operation – about $120 million. Any alteration to that starts to eat away.

“We still want to provide our student-athletes a unique and dynamic experience. In order to do that, we still need to get them from Point A to Point B. We still need to feed them. We still need to give them scholarships. We still need to take care of their mental health issues and their physical issues. And we still need to train and compare for competition.”

On having students at season opener

“As things began to unfold and we kind of got closer to the decision, we collectively as an institution came together and said what is best for Auburn. What is best for us is recognizing those who went to Auburn recognize how special that football game experience was to them as a student. Those who went to Auburn know they have many more years of enjoying time in Jordan-Hare Stadium on a Saturday.

“Our young people are here for a moment in time. That four years goes by awfully fast. Let’s make sure they get that experience, that they remember that experience. Many of them have been on this journey for several years just to get to the Plains so they can have their shakers in the stands and cheer on their peers on the football field. We thought it was really important for us to do that. We know we are an outlier in the country, and we are completely fine with that.”

WATCH: Auburn coaches, athletic director issue statement of unity

All Auburn head coaches appear in this video.

One by one, each and every head coach of an Auburn athletic program appear in this video stating the need for everyone to stand together during these tough times. In the end, athletic director Allen Greene speaks in front of all of his senior staff.

Allen Greene, Nick Clinard named to SEC council on racial equity and social justice

The conference has set up a council of diverse student-athletes, coaches and staff.

On Thursday, the SEC announced that it is setting up a council of a diverse group of student-athletes, administrators, coaches and conference staff that “will identify resources, outline strategies and assist with implementation of efforts that, when taken together, will promote racial equity and social justice, while also fostering diversity, helping overcome racism and pursuing non-discrimination in intercollegiate athletics.”

From the press release:

“An important movement has been ignited around the equitable treatment of all underrepresented minorities, and the SEC is determined to be a leader in the pursuit of meaningful and lasting change,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. “With the Council as our guide, we will develop an action agenda built on the foundation that all are created equal and ensure this truth echoes across our stadiums, our arenas, our campuses, our communities, our states and our nation.”

Members of the Council include individuals from within the Conference’s existing student-athlete engagement program – a multi-faceted effort involving more than 60 student leaders in football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and all other SEC sponsored sports. Racial equity and social justice will be required discussions during all student-athlete leadership and advisory council meetings, while those groups’ chairs, vice chairs and/or other identified leaders will participate in Council meetings.

In addition, the Council will include administrative leaders from each campus and head coaches from each SEC sport (see full list below), who will regularly meet with SEC student-athletes to better understand and respond to their questions and concerns.

“Today’s youth are our leaders and change agents of tomorrow, and by listening, asking and seeking their insights and counsel, we have begun the shared journeytoward racial equality,” said Sankey.

Alongside student-athletes, the SEC has used the past several weeks to gather and understand perspectives from a range of stakeholders across its 14 campuses, including presidents and chancellors, directors of athletics, senior woman administrators, faculty athletics representatives, various sport head coaches, mental health professionals and the SEC staff.

Those discussions helped create a framework for the Council, which will provide ongoing guidance to the SEC office and updates to Conference leaders at regular intervals. The Council will initially focus on the following five strategic areas:

  • Increasing Access and Representation for Underrepresented Minorities
  • Providing Enhanced Support for Underrepresented Minorities
  • Improving Education on Racial and Social Issues for All Stakeholders
  • Deepening Commitments to Local Communities
  • Raising Awareness of Racial Inequity and Social Injustice

Among other efforts, the Council will be tasked with identifying resources related to racial equity and social justice for educational and professional development programs for athletics department staff, coaches and student-athletes; outlining support mechanisms for underrepresented minorities within the athletics department; and identifying opportunities for the SEC to bolster ongoing university and athletics department diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. In addition, the Council will advise athletics departments and the Conference office on ways student-athletes, coaches and staff may fulfill their ongoing civic responsibilities in the electoral process.

Coupled with student-athlete participation, members of the SEC Council on Racial Equity and Social Justice include the following university administrators and head coaches.

University Administrators

  • University of Alabama – Dr. James King, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the Culverhouse College of Business & Faculty Athletics Representative
  • University of Arkansas – Derita Ratcliffe, Deputy Director of Athletics & Senior Woman Administrator
  • Auburn University – Allen Greene, Director of Athletics
  • University of Florida – Dr. Chris Hass, Associate Provost for Academic & Faculty Affairs
  • University of Georgia – Darrice Griffin, Deputy Director of Athletics
  • University of Kentucky – Melissa Gleason, Executive Associate Director of Athletics & Chief Financial Officer
  • Louisiana State University – Dr. Dereck Rovaris, Vice Provost for Diversity & Chief Diversity Officer
  • University of Mississippi – Dr. Charlotte Fant Pegues, Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
  • Mississippi State University – Dr. Angel Brutus, Assistant Director of Athletics in Counseling and Sport Psychology Services
  • University of Missouri – Kamrhan Farwell, Vice Chancellor for Communications & Marketing
  • University of South Carolina – Julian Williams, Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
  • University of Tennessee – Tyvi Small, Vice Chancellor for Diversity & Engagement
  • Texas A&M University – Michael Thompson, Deputy Director of Athletics
  • Vanderbilt University – Dr. Candice Storey Lee, Director of Athletics

Head Coaches

  • Baseball – Tim Corbin, Vanderbilt University
  • Men’s Basketball – Cuonzo Martin, University of Missouri
  • Women’s Basketball – Dawn Staley, University of South Carolina
  • Equestrian – Meghan Boenig, University of Georgia
  • Football – Derek Mason, Vanderbilt University
  • Men’s Golf – Nick Clinard, Auburn University
  • Women’s Golf – Ginger Brown-Lemm, Mississippi State University
  • Gymnastics – Tim Garrison, University of Kentucky
  • Soccer – G. Guerrieri, Texas A&M University
  • Softball – Pat Murphy, University of Alabama
  • Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving
    • Neil Harper, University of Arkansas
    • Anthony Nesty, University of Florida
  • Men’s Tennis – Bryan Shelton, University of Florida
  • Women’s Tennis – Allison Ojeda, University of Tennessee
  • Men’s and Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country
    • Lonnie Greene, University of Kentucky
    • Connie Price-Smith, Ole Miss
  • Volleyball – Fran Flory, LSU

Auburn AD Allen Green shares message of support ahead of season

The Auburn athletic director shares the reasoning behind decision to keep capacity to 20% of Jordan-Hare Stadium this season.

Auburn athletic director Allen Greene released a message on Wednesday with details on the plan for fans in the stadium during football games this season, explaining the reasoning of the decision and asking for fans to continue to invest in the program.

Read the full letter below:

Auburn Family,

Walking on campus early this morning, I detected a slight decrease in temperature and humidity. Summer in Auburn is still alive and well, but for just a few sweet minutes, the smell of football was in the air.

This week’s SEC schedule release further intensified our anticipation of hearing  Andy Burcham yelling, “Touchdown Auburn!” Sept. 26 will be here soon. Spirit and Aurea will fly, and the orange and blue will fight on.

Earlier today, we announced our ticket plan for the home opener vs. Kentucky on Sept. 26.

While we wish we could pack 87,451 fans into Jordan-Hare Stadium for all five home games this season, the coronavirus pandemic has necessitated a temporary reduction in capacity.  With so many passionate Auburn supporters eager to attend, the decision to select who receives access to tickets is extraordinarily difficult.

I’ve heard from many of you who treasure the memories you made by attending Auburn football games when you were students. We plan to provide that same opportunity for our current students, so they’ll be able to forever look back fondly on their fall Saturdays on the Plains.

Students, we’re counting on you to amplify your voices – while practicing physical distancing and wearing face coverings – so that Auburn will maintain what Coach Malzahn calls “the best home-field advantage in college football.”

We appreciate everyone’s flexibility and understanding as we follow local and state guidelines to manage fan health and safety.

As the season progresses, tickets for non-students may become available, potentially allowing our Tigers Unlimited season ticket holders to attend. We will continue to adapt to the conditions we encounter.

With stadium capacity reduced by 80 percent and five home games instead of seven, our Athletics budget will experience a shortfall of tens of millions of dollars this year. As you may know, revenue from football finances all 21 Auburn teams.

To make up a portion of this deficit, we’re asking our donors and season ticket holders who opt out of attending to please consider donating their season ticket purchases as part of our “Believe in Auburn” campaign.

The pandemic has disrupted everyone’s routine, negatively impacting the health of many. Others have suffered financial loss.

It’s a tough time to be asking for donations. However, one thing I’ve learned about Auburn people is that their love for our university and its athletic programs is often exceeded only by their generosity.

So, I come to you today humbly asking you to consider investing in Auburn by converting your season ticket purchase into a philanthropic gift. Strength in numbers is the ultimate checkmate, giving us a distinct advantage.

Every day, I see the return on your investment. I see it in the 550 student-athletes we serve. I see it when they compete for championships. I see it when they serve our community. I see it when they earn their degrees. I see it when they go on to enjoy success in careers as educators, attorneys, accountants, nurses, doctors, pharmacists, engineers and too many professions to enumerate.

Our student-athletes, coaches and sports medicine team, under the direction of Dr. Michael Goodlett, have worked tirelessly to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

In a few short weeks, we will see the result of their discipline, dedication and sacrifice.
On that day, I know you’ll stand with me and once more exclaim, “It’s great to be an Auburn Tiger!”

Thank you for believing in Auburn and loving it!

War Eagle!