Tag: Bryan Harsin

Opinion: Derek Mason is a phenomenal hire at DC and here’s why

Derek Mason has been hired as the defensive coordinator at Auburn and it is a smart move in every way.

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Bryan Harsin added former Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason to his staff on Thursday. Mason will assume the role of defensive coordinator on Harsin’s inaugural staff after a seven-year head coaching stint with the Commodores.

Mason’s career spans 26 years with defensive coaching experience at Bucknell, St. Mary’s, and Stanford. Mason also spent two years with the Minnesota Vikings as the assistant defensive backs coach.

While at Stanford, Mason’s defensive units ranked first or second in nearly every category which earned him a spot as a Broyles Award finalist in 2012. At Vanderbilt he became just the second coach in school history to lead the Commodores to two bowl appearances. Under his leadership inside linebacker Zach Cunningham was the first Vanderbilt football player to receive All-American accolades in 32 years.

What stands out to me the most about Derek Mason is his energetic charisma. Two years ago at SEC Media Days in Hoover I sat on radio row. It was late afternoon on the next to last day when Derek Mason walked in. Usually you see head coaches walk in shortly before they’re scheduled to address the media, but this man showed up a day early to shake hands, network, sit down for interviews, etc. Mason then showed up the next day to do it all over again.

It was a gesture that set him apart from the other coaches that week and I thought, I want that energy on my team. For Harsin, the decision to add Mason as DC was a no-brainer.

In Thursday’s press release Harsin said,

“Derek Mason is one of the best defensive minds in college football and his track record speaks for itself. I’ve always admired his ability to prepare his defenses and his approach with players on and off the field is outstanding. Having experience as a head coach in the Southeastern Conference is invaluable and he will bring a lot to our program. We’re fired up to have Coach Mason join the Auburn family.”

If this doesn’t fire you up about this hire, let me remind you of the time that Mason stood up to Cousin Eddie, I mean…Dan Mullen.

Or the time he had all college football fans ready to run through a brick wall in the name of Vanderbilt.

And his locker room speeches? HYPE.

I am elated, and so is Derek Mason,

“Auburn University is a special place with special people, and I’ve witnessed this in my time in the SEC. I admire the school, the facilities, the traditions and the uniqueness of the community. Auburn has everything! Auburn embraces all that I believe in and I’m very appreciative of Coach Harsin, Director of Athletics Allen Greene and the University Administration for this opportunity. I’ve always had a tremendous amount of respect for Coach Harsin and I’m excited to hit the ground running.”

Welcome to Auburn, Derek Mason! War Eagle!

Bryan Harsin names Cadillac Williams, Zac Etheridge to coaching staff

Cadillac Williams will return as running backs coach while Zac Etheridge joins as defensive backs coach.

Two former Auburn football players are set to join Bryan Harsin’s inaugural staff. It was announced Friday evening that Cadillac Williams will return to Auburn as running backs coach and Zac Etheridge would join as the defensive backs coach.

As a player at Auburn, Williams finished his career with 3,831 total yards and 45 touchdowns. Cadillac holds the record for most rushing attempts with 741 and helped lead Auburn to a perfect 13-0 season his senior year (2004).

Williams joined Auburn’s staff under Gus Malzahn in 2019. In his previous two seasons as running backs coach his backs have showcased nine 100-yard games, three SEC weekly honors, and SEC Freshman of the Year accolades. This previous season, freshman runningback Tank Bigsby led all freshman in the SEC with 834 rushing yards. He is the first freshman in school history to finish with three straight 100-yard games.

He’s excited to return back to the Plains. In a statement he said,

“Auburn is a special place to me and I’m appreciative for this opportunity to be a part of Coach Harsin’s staff and coach at the school that made me the person I am today. I’ve enjoyed getting to talk football with Coach Harsin and can’t wait to be part of something special.”

Head coach Bryan Harsin knew immediately the positive impact and potential Cadillac creates at Auburn:

“I’m fired up to have Cadillac on our staff. After several conversations it was easy to see how much passion he has and his desire to learn, grow and develop in the coaching profession. Just spending time with him you see why he is the ultimate ambassador for Auburn football, and that goes beyond just being an elite player but an elite person.”

As a freshman, safety Zac Etheridge started 12 of 13 games for the Tigers in 2007 before a life-changing neck injury nearly ended his playing career in 2009 against Ole Miss. After nine months of rehabilitation, Etheridge returned to the field in 2010 as a captain and helped lead Auburn to its first national championship in 53 years.

Etheridge’s first coaching job came as a graduate assistant at Penn State. He then served as an assistant at Georgia Tech, Western Carolina and Louisiana before joining Dana Holgerson at the University of Houston. At Houston, Etheridge’s leadership has produced an All-American in CB Marcus Jones and all-conference player in Damarion Williams.

Etheridge was high at the list for Harsin who said,

“Zac Etheridge is a rising star in this profession and is a great addition to Coach Mason’s defense working with cornerbacks. He has done a fantastic job in a short period of time developing and recruiting talented players. As a former Auburn standout, Zac understands the rigors of competing at the highest level, and what is required to be an Auburn man.”

Etheridge, who will coach alongside new DC Derek Mason, is elated to return home to Auburn,

“It is an honor to return to my alma mater as a member of Coach Harsin’s staff. I firmly believe in his vision and I am excited to get to work. Under his leadership, I have no doubt that our staff will develop our young men both on and off the field.  We will absolutely embody the championship mindset that Auburn deserves. Auburn and its people mean a great deal to me, and I am very thankful for this opportunity.  War Eagle!”

Auburn hires Will Friend as offensive line coach

Bryan Harsin has hired Will Friend away from Tennessee to become Auburn’s new offensive line coach.

Will Friend has a major project in front of him.

On Thursday, it was announced that Friend will join Bryan Harsin’s Auburn staff as the offensive line coach, coming over from Tennessee.

“I want to thank Coach Harsin for the opportunity to join his staff at Auburn,” Friend said. “I’ve coached against Coach Harsin and have always had so much respect for him and the culture he created within his program. Auburn is a special place and I have great regard for the Auburn football program, the university, and the incredible passion of the Auburn family. I’m excited to join something special at Auburn with Coach Harsin and the staff.”

He will now be in charge of correcting what has been a large issue for the Tigers over the past few years in offensive line play. This past season, the line was downright bad, rarely giving any time to Bo Nix to throw the ball and forcing him to scramble quite a bit.

“I’m happy to welcome Coach Friend to our staff here at Auburn,” Harsin said. “We both strongly believe that winning the line of scrimmage is one of the most important parts of a successful football team. His offensive lines have a history of being physically and mentally tough. We’re excited to have Will join the Auburn family.”

Vols’ assistant hired by Auburn

Auburn hired Bryan Harsin as its next head coach last month.

Auburn hired Bryan Harsin as its next head coach last month.

On Thursday, Harsin hired Will Friend to Auburn’s staff as the Tigers’ offensive line coach.

Friend served as Tennessee’s offensive line coach from 2018-20 under Jeremy Pruitt.

“I’m happy to welcome Coach Friend to our staff here at Auburn,” Harsin said in a press release. “We both strongly believe that winning the line of scrimmage is one of the most important parts of a successful football team. His offensive lines have a history of being physically and mentally tough. We’re excited to have Will join the Auburn family.”

“I want to thank Coach Harsin for the opportunity to join his staff at Auburn. I’ve coached against Coach Harsin and have always had so much respect for him and the culture he created within his program. Auburn is a special place and I have great regard for the Auburn football program, the university, and the incredible passion of the Auburn family. I’m excited to join something special at Auburn with Coach Harsin and the staff.” — Will Friend

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Spencer Danielson set to join Bryan Harsin’s Auburn staff

Yesterday it was announced that Bryan Harsin added former Boise State strength and conditioning coach Jeff Pittman to his staff. Today he added another familiar face off the Boise State coaching tree in defensive line coach/co-defensive coordinator …

Yesterday it was announced that Bryan Harsin added former Boise State strength and conditioning coach Jeff Pittman to his staff. Today he added another familiar face off the Boise State coaching tree in defensive line coach/co-defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson.

After Harsin made his departure to Auburn, Danielson took over interim coaching duties for the Broncos.

Danielson attended Azusa Pacific University where he started for three seasons at linebacker before graduating in 2012. From 2009-2012 he recorded 190 total tackles, 12.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks, and five interceptions. Danielson earned a degree in business administration as well as his MBA from Azusa Pacific. Upon graduating he recruited linebackers from 2013-2015 and in 2016 served as the recruiting coordinator.

Danielson joined Harsin’s Boise State staff in 2017 as a graduate assistant. In 2019 he was promoted to defensive line coach. It’s worth noting that under Danielson’s leadership, Boise State’s Curtis Weaver and Jabril Frazier received first-team All-Mountain West honors with both players ranking in the top 10 in the conference for sacks. Their efforts led the Broncos to ranking 10th nationally in average sacks per game with 3.00.

A young, energetic defensive line coach with recruiting experience and proven leadership? Sign us up! Welcome to Auburn Coach Danielson!

Auburn safety Smoke Monday announces he will return for his senior season

Auburn’s All-SEC safety and owner of the coolest name in all of college football Smoke Monday announced via Instagram Wednesday that he will return to Auburn for his senior season. This season he recorded 73 total tackles, one sack, one forced …

Auburn’s All-SEC safety and owner of the coolest name in all of college football Smoke Monday announced via Instagram Wednesday that he will return to Auburn for his senior season.

This season he recorded 73 total tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, and two interceptions for 131 yards including one touchdown for 100 yards against Tennessee.

His return will bring much needed veteran leadership to a defensive unit that struggled to find an identity in the wake of losing All-American DT Derrick Brown and second team All-American DE Marlon Davidson.

In his announcement, Monday thanked former HC Gus Malzahn and also stated, “I would also like to thank Coach Harsin for being real with me and understanding the hardship that this team has went through and providing us the space to finish out the season. I believe he will do great things at Auburn.”

Twitter reacts to Auburn’s loss against Northwestern

Auburn kept it close for a bit but Northwestern ultimately pulled away in a frustrating and embarrassing loss for the Tigers.

Nothing summarizes the last eight years of Auburn football better than a 35-19 loss to Northwestern. The Tigers were 2-13 on third down and the defense gave up 457 total yards. It’s worth noting that Auburn was without a head coach as well as their best defensive back, running back, and second-best wide receiver.

The game lasted about three hours, but felt like an eternity. When the clock struck zero it was safe to say that many were just relieved to see that it was over. Here’s what fans had to say.

The ultimate takeaway from this loss is that Bryan Harsin has A LOT of work to do starting with a new staff and offensive line. The Tigers may not have started off 2021 with a win, but they have an opportunity to completely hit the reset button and that’s much needed right now.

WATCH: New Auburn coach Bryan Harsin introduced at halftime of basketball game

New Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin was introduced to a limited capacity crowd at Auburn Arena on Wednesday night.

Welcome to the Plains, Bryan Harsin.

The new Auburn football head coach was introduced to the limited crowd at halftime of the Tigers basketball game against Arkansas on Wednesday night.

Auburn AD Allen Greene: ‘Never rush an important decison’

Auburn athletic director Allen Greene sent an email to Tigers fans and alumni on Monday night detailing the coaching search.

Auburn athletic director released an email to Auburn fans and alumni on Monday night regarding the coaching search and not always rushing things.

Below is the entire email:

Never rush an important decision. Christy and I didn’t get engaged after our first date. We took the time to get to know each other. When we were both committed to pursuing our partnership permanently, that’s when we met at the altar.

In the same way, the search for a new coach needs to be deliberate, not done in haste. When the right candidate has been identified and both parties are equally committed to moving forward together, then you formalize your covenant.

As President Gogue said when we introduced Coach Bryan Harsin on Christmas Eve, during this coaching search Auburn aimed high and hit high.

The same things you heard during Coach Harsin’s introductory press conference, we heard during our visits leading up to that moment.

He’s the ultimate competitor. You have to be in this league. The opportunity to coach in the SEC West isn’t for everybody. It takes something and someone special to want to compete in the toughest division in college football, with a strength of schedule every year that equals or exceeds anyone’s.

Not only does Coach Harsin accept that challenge, he embraces it.

When you have the success that Coach Harsin enjoyed at Boise State, opportunities are plentiful. After every season, schools in the market for a new head coach reached out to Bryan. He turned them all down.

Until Auburn called. “How could you not?” he said to reporters.

His willingness to say “yes” to Auburn after saying “no” to many others speaks to Auburn’s well-earned reputation, and the alignment between Coach Harsin’s values and Auburn’s.

He’s a family man. We’re the Auburn family.

He’s demanding. His teams are disciplined. We believe in work, hard work.

He believes, and I concur, that young people still want to be challenged, strained and held to a high standard. That’s how he will build a program that consistently competes for championships.

He has extensive experience recruiting and developing quarterbacks, and producing high-powered offenses. In his five seasons as Boise State’s offensive coordinator, his teams led the country in scoring, averaging more than 40 points per game.

With Coach Harsin calling the plays, Kellen Moore finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2010, the year Cam Newton won. Moore won 50 games as Boise State’s starting QB, the most in college football history.

Here’s what Kellen, who’s now the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, said about Auburn’s new coach:

“Bryan Harsin is a phenomenal coach and person who will bring an exciting and successful brand of football to Auburn University. He has been a great mentor to me and I know he will make a positive impact on everyone in the Auburn program.”

Coach Harsin is an elite teacher who will be keenly invested in the holistic development of our players, helping them compete and succeed in every aspect of their lives.

As the proverb says, there is wisdom in many counselors. Our advisory group provided valuable counsel during the process. On behalf of everyone who cares deeply about Auburn football, we offer our gratitude to these seven Auburn women and men for their service. (Lieutenant General Ron Burgess, Quentin Riggins, Dr. Beverly Marshall, Tim Jackson, Bo Jackson, Randy Campbell and Michelle McKenna). This was a total team effort.

A few days ago in a letter to the Auburn Family, President Gogue addressed the process that led to the hiring of Coach Harsin as the leader of our football program. If you have not had the opportunity to read his message I encourage you to do so.

In the days since we announced the hiring of Coach Harsin, I’ve sensed a renewed enthusiasm among many of our fans. Now is the time to unite and put our shoulder to the wheel.

It will take all of us – Coach Harsin, his staff, student-athletes, donors and fans – pulling in the same direction to take Auburn where we all want to go.

Let’s pull together – and stay together – and make it happen. Together.

Thank you for believing in Auburn and loving it!

War Eagle & Happy New Year!

Opinion: Press conference over, the real work begins now for Bryan Harsin at Auburn

New Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin said all the right things at his introductory press conference but his real work begins now.

There have been very few coaches in the history of college football that have lost an introductory press conference. Bryan Harsin said all the right things, injecting some energy into the room at times and, in quite an opening statement, spent 30-plus minutes outlining why he came to Auburn, his plans for the program and other notes that he felt important to point out.

The pictures of him holding an Auburn jersey with Allen Greene were taken along with I’m sure pictures of him and his family grasping the same navy blue photo prop. Everyone smiled and his entrance gained applause from everyone in the room.

Yet now the hard part of the job begins and a bunch of difficult questions will be answered in both the short term and in the years to come.

First off, the matter of who will be on his coaching staff will certainly be followed extremely closely. Maybe even more closely than normal. There are some beloved Auburn men on the current coaching staff that have paved their way as excellent recruiters and ambassadors for the university. However, a new coach might want a clean slate for many reasons, foremost the fact that there would be no ill feelings toward himself for taking the job from their previous boss.

It’s imperative that Harsin learns the SEC and the Southeast quickly. While he stated in the press conference that he understands Auburn and that he understands the Iron Bowl, there’s a matter of thinking you know it and then actually living it. It might be a wake-up call for Harsin when he starts going to the supermarket or to dinner with his family and he is continually bombarded with questions about the future of the program and how the Tigers can overtake Georgia and Alabama, You know, typical questions that a coach at a major program can’t escape.

Harsin talked about patience in the presser, something that the Auburn fan base and especially trustees/boosters haven’t been known to have in the past. For all the good things that came out of 2013 for Gus Malzahn, the only negative might have been that expectations rose to a silly level immediately due to the magical season. Building a roster fit for his offensive schemes and the ideals of whoever he hires as defensive coordinator might take more time than people want, but from the success he has had at every stop along the way, he deserves the chance to prove what he’s worth.

While Harsin said that Auburn will be recruiting throughout the nation, there will be the case of also developing relationships within the key states of Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. This will prove extra difficult if he brings an entire staff full of coaches not familiar with the territory, something opposing coaches will pounce on in a mini-second.

So while the honeymoon isn’t quite over yet and Harsin will have his opportunity to win over the fan base, alumni and everyone else involved with Auburn with his “War Damn Eagle” and “no days off,” the hard work already is about to settle in.