Tag: auburn board of trustees

Bryan Harsin Watch: Pete Thamel provides a possible timeline

Perhaps we will finally have an answer on the head coach situation.

With each passing day, the anticipation mounts for the solution to the situation brewing on the Auburn campus. First-year head coach Bryan Harsin has been on vacation following his 6-7 season and wrapping up the 2022 recruiting class. Truth be told that class was wrapped up in December during the early signing period.

With word that Jay Gogue and the administration were investigating the leader of the football program, tension began to mount. Harsin has been on vacation since he left the Senior Bowl early last week. This has all taken place in his absence on the Plains. We could soon have some sort of closure, one way or the other.

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ESPN College Football Insider Pete Thamel was a guest on “The Paul Finebaum Show” where he gave some insight into a possible timeline.

That’s the variable nobody has a good feel for (it). There is an SEC coaches meeting on Thursday in Birmingham, and the head coaches of the SEC will be attending in person,” Thamel said.

“There are plenty of subplots without this but you would think Auburn wouldn’t want Bryan Harsin to go to that meeting with all of this swirling around. You would think there would be some type of a decision, one way or another, before then. He’s scheduled to return from his vacation out of the country on Wednesday.”

Thamel went on to say they should have a decision in the 48 hours but “it’s Auburn, so you never know.”

It is wild that the head coach that signed on just 14 months ago is about to be the latest one-and-done coach in the SEC. This conversation likely doesn’t happen if running back Tank Bigsby stays in bounds. We would likely be discussing a contract extension.

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Auburn releases statement in regards to Bryan Harsin saga

“We do not make institutional decision based on social media posts”

In light of the ongoing Bryan Harsin saga at Auburn, the university has released a statement for the first time since the reports went public.

“The Auburn administration is judiciously collecting information from a variety of perspectives, including our student-athletes, and moving swiftly to understand any issues in accordance with university policy and procedures. Decisions regarding the future of Auburn and its Athletics programs, as always, are made in the interests of our great university and in fairness to all concerned. We do not make institutional decisions based on social media posts or media headlines.”

It has been the worst kept secret in college athletics as of late. Everything has been put out on social media for the world to see. Outgoing president Jay Gogue has addressed the Auburn Board of Trustees and athletic director Allen Greene has met with the leaders on the football team in regards to Harsin.

Greene has told the team they will move forward as usual while Gogue and the board are attempting to separate fact from fiction. We have seen this play out from all angles. Former players have voiced their opinions on the head coach, some positive and some negative. While current players such as center Nick Brahms and tight end John Samuel Shenker have gone to bat for their leader.

Some reports have indicated that a decision is imminent and likely pointing towards a change in the football program, nothing has been made official.

One player requests Auburn’s Board of Trustees to meet with football team

The leaders in the locker room want to meet with the Board of Trustees.

Current reports reflect that Auburn’s Board of Trustees is investigating Tigers head coach Bryan Harsin. Auburn starting center Nick Brahms went to Twitter to ask the board and outgoing Auburn president Jay Gogue to speak with the leaders of the team.

Brahms, who has been at Auburn since 2017, invited the board to speak with the player leaders on the team. The players are one of the groups that interact with Harsin the most and should have valuable insight on how he carries himself.

“Your decisions will impact us and this program for years to come,” Brahms wrote. “We have valuable insight as we spend every day with Coach Harsin and his staff. We love Auburn just like all of you do.”

Brahms tagged Tank Bigsby, Barton Lester, Anders Carlson, Owen Pappoe, Derick Hall, and John Samuel Shenker in a second tweet.

Brahms is not the first player to weigh in on Harsin via social media, some have been positive while others have been negative.

At a recent board meeting, Gouge addressed the situation and did little to calm the situation.

“There have been a lot of rumors and speculation about our football program,” Gogue said. “I just want you to know we’re involved in trying to separate fact from fiction.”

The fact that so much of this debate has taken place publicly is not a good look for Auburn. Brahms having to ask the board to meet on Twitter is just another indictment of the dysfunction that is plaguing Auburn right now.

Regardless of if Harsin is Auburn’s coach moving forward, the dysfunction needs to be addressed for Auburn to have success on the field.

Bryan Harsin unable to get clarity on next coordinator hire

Bryan Harsin is reportedly frustrated with one aspect, as he should be.

We sure aren’t feeling as good about the football program as the basketball program right now. Tension has reached a fever pitch under the watch of head coach Bryan Harsin down on the plains. The timing of what some are calling a witch hunt is a little odd.

The Tigers recently wrapped up their 2022 recruiting class on Wednesday, but Auburn didn’t sign any high school prospects on that day. The head coach was in Mobile for the Senior Bowl practices before heading out of the country on vacation. In his absence, the floodgates have opened. More specifically in regards to coordinator hires.

According to this report from ESPN (subscription required), Harsin was trying to get clarity on the pool of money for his next hire. The Auburn head coach is looking to replace his fifth coordinator after Austin Davis stepped down as the offensive coordinator. He lasted just 34 days on the job as Davis stepped away for personal reasons.

The report states that Harsin grew frustrated with the lack of transparency from the leadership at Auburn. When he was unable to get answers on salary parameters, he wanted to speak with the Auburn Board of Trustees but outgoing school president Jay Gogue didn’t think that was in the best interests of the coach.

As it always seems to be the case, it feels like the administration and athletic department are on opposite ends of the spectrum.

“Auburn is always going through transition in leadership,” said an industry source familiar with the school’s inner-workings. “Therefore there’s no way to ever tell who is in control.”

While the leadership at Auburn is trying to separate fact from fiction when it comes to the speculation surrounding Harsin, they have also tied his hands in being able to do his job.

There should be clarity coming soon but for now, it seems like there are far more questions than answers. The big question is who is really making the call here? We will just have to wait and see.

Auburn Board of Trustees approve Football Performance Center

Auburn’s Football Performance Center has been approved by the Board of Trustees and will cost $91.9 million

On Friday, Auburn University’s Board of Trustees officially blessed the construction of the new “Football Performance Center.” Auburn football will finally bid adieu to the athletic complex and may move into the facility as early as July 2022 if everything goes according to plan.

Site preparations for the facility began back in September when crews cleared 12.5 acres of land encompassing the former Wilbur Hutsell Track and Field and campus tennis courts. The facility itself is 233,400 square feet and will be located at the intersection of West Samford Avenue and Wire Road.

Bids for construction of the facility open next week and building costs are currently estimated to run at $88 million. The project itself is estimated to cost $91.9 million (site preparation: $3.9 million) and per Mark Murphy of 247Sports will be, “financed by a university bond issue with debt service to be paid by athletic department funds.”

Exterior of the Auburn University Football Performance Center courtesy of Auburn University

The Football Performance Center will consist of the following amenities:

  • two outdoor natural turf practice fields
  • weight room
  • players locker room
  • coaches locker room
  • sports medicine and nutrition area
  • team meeting rooms
  • football administration offices
  • equipment room
  • laundry room
  • deluxe lounge (I like the sound of that)
  • game room (just in time for EA College Football to drop!)
  • barbershop

For more photos of the facility view our gallery here.

Auburn University Football Performance Center game room courtesy of Auburn University

Auburn’s project summary of the Football Performance Center states, “The Football Performance Center will provide the Auburn University football team with the essential capabilities and resources needed to successfully compete with the Southeastern Conference and with national peer programs.”

Yann Cowart, Vice President of Sports Architecture for Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood of Montgomery, is the architect responsible for designing the facility. Cowart played center at Auburn under Pat Dye from 1983-1986.

Part of Auburn’s plan in implementing the new Football Performance Center is to also construct new campus tennis courts to replace those that were demolished during site preparation. Construction on the new recreational tennis facility is currently underway next to the old CDV apartments close to the intersection of West Thach Avenue and Hemlock Drive.

The 88,000 square feet athletic complex has been home to Auburn football as well as various other sports since its inception in 1989. Once the new football facility is completed, athletic operations currently housed in Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum may move to the athletic complex which could expedite the university’s decision to demolish the former home of Auburn basketball.