Despite having the No. 1 men’s basketball team in the country, which is looking for the 19th straight win, all anyone is discussing around Auburn is the head coach that is under fire. A look at what we think we know about Bryan Harsin as he has been put under the microscope.
It was first reported on Thursday that the head coach’s future was in doubt. While not getting into what is rumored we will stick with the known facts. Ever since that report was released Harsin has come under intense scrutiny from all directions.
It put current and former players against each other. Players such as tight end John Samuel Shenker came to his defense. While others such as former 2021 signee Lee Hunter went right after the character of the head coach. Hunter stated that Harsin has a great coach mentality but poor people skills. Paraphrasing but you get the idea.
It has been a lot of he said, he said when it comes to the head coach. That usually wouldn’t mean let’s run the man out of town, but when it is being addressed by the Auburn brass that says something. Athletic director Allen Greene addressed it with several players who are viewed as leaders on the team.
“Auburn AD Allen Greene met with seven or eight veteran players this evening to address the uncertainty around Bryan Harsin’s future”, Pete Thamel tweeted. “He delivered a simple message — stay the course and control what you can control, as there’s no clarity. (The) team operating as normal.”
On Friday at the Auburn Board of Trustees meeting, the situation was addressed by the outgoing Auburn president Jay Gogue. “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.”
It is never a good sign for a head coach going into year two that his future is in doubt. The issue is compounded by the fact that it seems like no one is on the same page on the Plains. From the head coach to his coordinators to the players on the team. You can include the administration in that group.
Can Bryan Harsin survive this? ESPN insider Chris Low, who had an interview with Harsin, was on ‘The Paul Finebaum Show’ and addressed the likeliness of Harsin making it to year two.
“I’ve done this long enough to know when the genie gets out of the bottle like this, rarely does a coach survive,” Low said. “Ultimately I think that’s what’s going to happen with Bryan Harsin.”
Where this situation heads from here is a little bit of an unknown. Given what has transpired since the early signing day is only exacerbated by how the season ultimately came to a close.
The team blew multiple double-digit leads, including allowing 40 unanswered against Mississippi State during the five-game losing streak to close the season. Harsin will be looking to add his fifth coordinator after recently hired Austin Davis resigned under circumstances he called “personal reasons.” Couple that with Derek Mason stepping down from his post as defensive coordinator for a lateral move to Oklahoma State.
We have also heard that if they move on from Harsin, they will be looking to do so with cause. This would allow Auburn to avoid Harsin’s buyout, on top of the one they are already paying former head coach Gus Malzahn. Paying two coaches to not coach is a lot. Especially when Harsin’s number is north of $18 million. It would be the highest buyout of any coach in this cycle, surpassing LSU’s Ed Orgeron, who is getting $17 million to leave the school he led to a national championship in 2019.
Auburn fans and the team should get closure soon on the situation, but all signs point to the Tigers looking for a new head coach in 2022. If Bryan Harsin does indeed return for next season, even more pressure will be on the head coach.