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Bryan Harsin’s time as Auburn’s head coach took a bizarre turn culminating in a tumultuous 10 days that saw him go from ostracized to exalted.
Most notably, Harsin remains as Auburn’s head football coach because, according to sources within the program, his no-nonsense attitude is the change a program known for meddling needs.
“We call ourselves the Auburn family, but we’re more like the Game of Thrones,” a source close to the program said. “Harsin reminds me a lot of Pat Dye. Coach Dye changed the culture at Auburn by demanding more from the players. Harsin has a lot of that spirit in him.”
After talking to multiple sources with knowledge of the proceedings in and around the Auburn football program, here is an inside look at one of the most tumultuous weeks in Auburn football history and an idea of what’s next for the Tigers.
Harsin and his wife, Kes, woke up on Feb. 3 to several texts and phone calls asking about allegations against the head coach. Accusations were floating on social media while the Harsins were getting ready to head to the airport to leave Auburn for a vacation to Mexico. The conversations about Harsin’s job status were snowballing while the couple was in the air and reached a fever pitch once they landed abroad.
Kes later addressed the accusations publicly with an Instagram post, posting a picture in her IG stories that said: “Rumors are carried by haters, spread by fools, and accepted by idiots.”
Bryan did his best to unwind during the vacation. He went to the beach, out to dinner and other excursions but made several phone calls and texts as the situation unfolded.
Harsin reached out to an ESPN reporter on Feb. 3, providing an interview to defend himself from the rumors that preceded a Board of Trustees meeting the following morning to confirm incoming Auburn president Chris Roberts. The combination of the timing, including public silence from Greene, concerned Harsin.
Jay Gogue, Auburn’s outgoing president, told Harsin on Feb. 4 the school would conduct a review of the football program. Harsin told Gogue he would comply with the inquiry because he didn’t feel he did anything to merit termination. Not only did Harsin want the saga to end, he emphatically expressed his intent to remain Auburn’s head football coach.
From Feb. 4-10, Gogue, Auburn’s legal department, and Birmingham-based law firm Lightfoot, Franklin, and White spoke to over a dozen people, including current and former Tiger players and current and former coaches under Harsin. Lightfoot, Franklin, and White also represents Alabama Media Group.
Auburn’s inquiry included several conversations with Harsin during and after his vacation.
Harsin, 46, faced a decision: Accept a settlement or keep fighting for his job and possibly his career. According to several people who know Harsin, taking a settlement would’ve been an admission of guilt, which he was unwilling to make. Harsin reiterated his intention to remain as head coach. His contract included a buyout for more than $18 million. A year prior, Auburn agreed to pay Gus Malzahn $21.45 million to leave, putting the school in an unprecedented position to spend almost $40 million on two head coaches not to coach.
Accusations continued once Harsin returned to Auburn on Feb. 9, a day before the SEC coaches’ in-person meeting in Birmingham. A university document surfaced stating employees can be fired for not cooperating with an investigation or review. Harsin expressed concerns that the policy, dated Feb. 8, was designed to justify a firing with cause. University officials told him that the document wasn’t specifically targeted at him.
Harsin attended the coaches meeting and left without speaking to a large group of reporters waiting for his arrival and exit.
A turning point for Harsin came as he returned to Auburn from the meeting with his fellow head coaches.
UCF athletic director Terry Mohajir sent a Tweet last Thursday refuting a story saying Harsin would be fired at Arkansas State before he took the Boise State job in 2014.
“That is 100% not true,” Mohajir tweeted. “Very false and a lack of journalistic integrity.”
Harsin led the Red Wolves to a 7-5 record in 2013 with a share of the Sun Belt title after replacing Gus Malzahn. He led Boise State, his alma mater, for seven seasons with an overall record of 64-17. Harsin would later replace Malzahn at Auburn, going 6-7 in his first season, including a five-game losing streak to end the season, including a heartbreaking four-overtime Iron Bowl defeat. The timing and impact of Mohajir’s tweet was another tangible piece of evidence in favor of Harsin as Auburn’s investigation was winding down.
Harsin met with Auburn administrators on Feb. 11, reaffirming his dedication to coach the Tigers. Shortly after Harsin left the meeting, Auburn sent out statements from Gogue and Harsin, ending speculation about whether Harsin would remain as the school’s football coach.
“The past week has been an incredibly trying time for Coach Harsin, his family, and many others,” Gogue said last Friday via email. “Personal and intentional attacks have been publicly levied, almost all of them anonymous, without regard for their resulting, real-world ramifications. Auburn never has — and I hope never will — legitimize reckless rumors or innuendo with public comment. While Coach Harsin understands some level of public criticism comes with the job, what he and his family have endured this past week was beyond the pale. We regret the concern and anxiety this situation caused the Harsin family and the others involved.”
Harsin addressed the situation in a separate email.
“For us to take the Auburn program where we all want it to go, we must, at all levels, commit to each other and this great university that we all love,” Harsin said. “I’m confident we can get there under the leadership of Dr. Gogue, incoming President Roberts, Allen Greene, and our Board of Trustees.”
Auburn Athletic Director Allen Greene ended his public silence Friday with a Tweet backing the coach.
Harsin and Greene were seen together smiling and laughing during Saturday’s home men’s basketball game. Harsin took pictures with supporters, and fans chanted his name when he stood next to defensive lineman Derick Hall in the student section. Harsin also received public support from Auburn men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl after the game.
“Our student-athletes and our coaches stay together, and I’m looking forward to moving forward,” Pearl said. “I’m really happy for Coach Harsin, his family, his staff. And I look forward to working with him and his whole team to try to keep making Auburn the Everything School that it is. It’s good to get that behind us.”
As the dust settles, there appear to be three schools of thought about Harsin. People who believed Greene made the right call by hiring Harsin are encouraged by the Boise native’s resolve. Folks who disapproved of Harsin’s hire are more discouraged than ever about his ability to adapt to Auburn and the SEC. Ones who were uncertain but cautiously optimistic are now more concerned that Harsin can lead the Tigers to championship contention after such a publicly embarrassing set of circumstances.
Harsin wanted to be the coach at Auburn, and he got his way. Now, comes the hard part of moving forward.
The Tigers lost 19 players to the transfer portal, according to Rivals. The transfers were one of the concerns thrown around about Harsin. It’s also important to remember that 176 players from the SEC entered the portal. Starting quarterback, Bo Nix went to Oregon. The Tigers lost six defensive linemen, including Lee Hunter, who is at UCF. Hunter was one of the former players who spoke out against Harsin last week via social media.
“The reason I chose to leave Auburn (is) because we got treated like we wasn’t good enough and like dogs,” Hunter said via IG story. I love you, Auburn nation, war eagle forever. Coach Harsin has the true mindset for a winner but has a terrible mindset as a person.”
According to multiple sources, most players are ready to move forward with Harsin as their coach. The student-athletes hope fans will rally around the players and coaches who stayed at Auburn. A prevailing sentiment from the players is fans rooting for Harsin to fail are inherently rooting against the athletes who love playing home games at Jordan-Hare.
Harsin must utilize the six to eight scholarships to fill offensive and defensive lines. The Tigers could also use another wideout or two. A primary focus for Harsin will be who wins the quarterback battle between T.J. Finley, Texas A&M transfer Zach Calzada, Oregon transfer Robby Ashford, redshirt freshman Dematrius Davis, and true freshman Holden Geriner.
Harsin started moving forward on Friday when he promoted Eric Kiesau from wide receivers coach to offensive coordinator. Kiesau replaces Austin Davis, who left the program after working less than a month. Harsin announced that Davis was leaving Auburn two days before the first set of rumors surfaced. It would’ve been hard enough to replace Davis with an external candidate before the drama.
Kiesau elevating leaves an opening at wide receivers coach. Auburn could use this hire as an opportunity to get a strong recruiter with southern ties, who also has experience as an offensive coordinator.
Harsin also elevated secondary coach and 2010 national champion Zac Etheridge to an Associate Head Coach for the Tigers. Promoting him and hiring Auburn alum Jimmy Brumbaugh earlier as defensive line coach to replace Nick Eason are signs that Harsin wants to embrace the culture at Auburn by working with people who have intimate knowledge gained from success as players.
Spring football starts in less than a month. The 15 practices and Apr. 9 A-Day game will be an essential step toward healing the wounds of a difficult time for all parties involved. Harsin took a big gamble on himself by staying at Auburn. Paying off the bet will require Harsin and Auburn to find harmony.
Bouncing back from the snares thrown won’t be easy for Harsin. It’ll be harder for Auburn to hire good assistant coaches and the type of athletes it takes to compete with archrivals Georgia and Alabama after such a publicly embarrassing situation. However, Harsin believes he has a path to glory if he gets the chance to operate with the school’s full backing as a united front.
“We saw and felt the worst of the worst in some people,” Harsin said via statement. Fortunately, we also saw the best of the best in others, and we will always be grateful for the support of so many through a very difficult time – our players, staff, the Auburn family, and many others.”
www.al.com
Most notably, Harsin remains as Auburn’s head football coach because, according to sources within the program, his no-nonsense attitude is the change a program known for meddling needs.
“We call ourselves the Auburn family, but we’re more like the Game of Thrones,” a source close to the program said. “Harsin reminds me a lot of Pat Dye. Coach Dye changed the culture at Auburn by demanding more from the players. Harsin has a lot of that spirit in him.”
After talking to multiple sources with knowledge of the proceedings in and around the Auburn football program, here is an inside look at one of the most tumultuous weeks in Auburn football history and an idea of what’s next for the Tigers.
Harsin and his wife, Kes, woke up on Feb. 3 to several texts and phone calls asking about allegations against the head coach. Accusations were floating on social media while the Harsins were getting ready to head to the airport to leave Auburn for a vacation to Mexico. The conversations about Harsin’s job status were snowballing while the couple was in the air and reached a fever pitch once they landed abroad.
Kes later addressed the accusations publicly with an Instagram post, posting a picture in her IG stories that said: “Rumors are carried by haters, spread by fools, and accepted by idiots.”
Bryan did his best to unwind during the vacation. He went to the beach, out to dinner and other excursions but made several phone calls and texts as the situation unfolded.
Harsin reached out to an ESPN reporter on Feb. 3, providing an interview to defend himself from the rumors that preceded a Board of Trustees meeting the following morning to confirm incoming Auburn president Chris Roberts. The combination of the timing, including public silence from Greene, concerned Harsin.
Jay Gogue, Auburn’s outgoing president, told Harsin on Feb. 4 the school would conduct a review of the football program. Harsin told Gogue he would comply with the inquiry because he didn’t feel he did anything to merit termination. Not only did Harsin want the saga to end, he emphatically expressed his intent to remain Auburn’s head football coach.
From Feb. 4-10, Gogue, Auburn’s legal department, and Birmingham-based law firm Lightfoot, Franklin, and White spoke to over a dozen people, including current and former Tiger players and current and former coaches under Harsin. Lightfoot, Franklin, and White also represents Alabama Media Group.
Auburn’s inquiry included several conversations with Harsin during and after his vacation.
Harsin, 46, faced a decision: Accept a settlement or keep fighting for his job and possibly his career. According to several people who know Harsin, taking a settlement would’ve been an admission of guilt, which he was unwilling to make. Harsin reiterated his intention to remain as head coach. His contract included a buyout for more than $18 million. A year prior, Auburn agreed to pay Gus Malzahn $21.45 million to leave, putting the school in an unprecedented position to spend almost $40 million on two head coaches not to coach.
Accusations continued once Harsin returned to Auburn on Feb. 9, a day before the SEC coaches’ in-person meeting in Birmingham. A university document surfaced stating employees can be fired for not cooperating with an investigation or review. Harsin expressed concerns that the policy, dated Feb. 8, was designed to justify a firing with cause. University officials told him that the document wasn’t specifically targeted at him.
Harsin attended the coaches meeting and left without speaking to a large group of reporters waiting for his arrival and exit.
A turning point for Harsin came as he returned to Auburn from the meeting with his fellow head coaches.
UCF athletic director Terry Mohajir sent a Tweet last Thursday refuting a story saying Harsin would be fired at Arkansas State before he took the Boise State job in 2014.
“That is 100% not true,” Mohajir tweeted. “Very false and a lack of journalistic integrity.”
Harsin led the Red Wolves to a 7-5 record in 2013 with a share of the Sun Belt title after replacing Gus Malzahn. He led Boise State, his alma mater, for seven seasons with an overall record of 64-17. Harsin would later replace Malzahn at Auburn, going 6-7 in his first season, including a five-game losing streak to end the season, including a heartbreaking four-overtime Iron Bowl defeat. The timing and impact of Mohajir’s tweet was another tangible piece of evidence in favor of Harsin as Auburn’s investigation was winding down.
Harsin met with Auburn administrators on Feb. 11, reaffirming his dedication to coach the Tigers. Shortly after Harsin left the meeting, Auburn sent out statements from Gogue and Harsin, ending speculation about whether Harsin would remain as the school’s football coach.
“The past week has been an incredibly trying time for Coach Harsin, his family, and many others,” Gogue said last Friday via email. “Personal and intentional attacks have been publicly levied, almost all of them anonymous, without regard for their resulting, real-world ramifications. Auburn never has — and I hope never will — legitimize reckless rumors or innuendo with public comment. While Coach Harsin understands some level of public criticism comes with the job, what he and his family have endured this past week was beyond the pale. We regret the concern and anxiety this situation caused the Harsin family and the others involved.”
Harsin addressed the situation in a separate email.
“For us to take the Auburn program where we all want it to go, we must, at all levels, commit to each other and this great university that we all love,” Harsin said. “I’m confident we can get there under the leadership of Dr. Gogue, incoming President Roberts, Allen Greene, and our Board of Trustees.”
Auburn Athletic Director Allen Greene ended his public silence Friday with a Tweet backing the coach.
Harsin and Greene were seen together smiling and laughing during Saturday’s home men’s basketball game. Harsin took pictures with supporters, and fans chanted his name when he stood next to defensive lineman Derick Hall in the student section. Harsin also received public support from Auburn men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl after the game.
“Our student-athletes and our coaches stay together, and I’m looking forward to moving forward,” Pearl said. “I’m really happy for Coach Harsin, his family, his staff. And I look forward to working with him and his whole team to try to keep making Auburn the Everything School that it is. It’s good to get that behind us.”
As the dust settles, there appear to be three schools of thought about Harsin. People who believed Greene made the right call by hiring Harsin are encouraged by the Boise native’s resolve. Folks who disapproved of Harsin’s hire are more discouraged than ever about his ability to adapt to Auburn and the SEC. Ones who were uncertain but cautiously optimistic are now more concerned that Harsin can lead the Tigers to championship contention after such a publicly embarrassing set of circumstances.
Harsin wanted to be the coach at Auburn, and he got his way. Now, comes the hard part of moving forward.
The Tigers lost 19 players to the transfer portal, according to Rivals. The transfers were one of the concerns thrown around about Harsin. It’s also important to remember that 176 players from the SEC entered the portal. Starting quarterback, Bo Nix went to Oregon. The Tigers lost six defensive linemen, including Lee Hunter, who is at UCF. Hunter was one of the former players who spoke out against Harsin last week via social media.
“The reason I chose to leave Auburn (is) because we got treated like we wasn’t good enough and like dogs,” Hunter said via IG story. I love you, Auburn nation, war eagle forever. Coach Harsin has the true mindset for a winner but has a terrible mindset as a person.”
According to multiple sources, most players are ready to move forward with Harsin as their coach. The student-athletes hope fans will rally around the players and coaches who stayed at Auburn. A prevailing sentiment from the players is fans rooting for Harsin to fail are inherently rooting against the athletes who love playing home games at Jordan-Hare.
Harsin must utilize the six to eight scholarships to fill offensive and defensive lines. The Tigers could also use another wideout or two. A primary focus for Harsin will be who wins the quarterback battle between T.J. Finley, Texas A&M transfer Zach Calzada, Oregon transfer Robby Ashford, redshirt freshman Dematrius Davis, and true freshman Holden Geriner.
Harsin started moving forward on Friday when he promoted Eric Kiesau from wide receivers coach to offensive coordinator. Kiesau replaces Austin Davis, who left the program after working less than a month. Harsin announced that Davis was leaving Auburn two days before the first set of rumors surfaced. It would’ve been hard enough to replace Davis with an external candidate before the drama.
Kiesau elevating leaves an opening at wide receivers coach. Auburn could use this hire as an opportunity to get a strong recruiter with southern ties, who also has experience as an offensive coordinator.
Harsin also elevated secondary coach and 2010 national champion Zac Etheridge to an Associate Head Coach for the Tigers. Promoting him and hiring Auburn alum Jimmy Brumbaugh earlier as defensive line coach to replace Nick Eason are signs that Harsin wants to embrace the culture at Auburn by working with people who have intimate knowledge gained from success as players.
Spring football starts in less than a month. The 15 practices and Apr. 9 A-Day game will be an essential step toward healing the wounds of a difficult time for all parties involved. Harsin took a big gamble on himself by staying at Auburn. Paying off the bet will require Harsin and Auburn to find harmony.
Bouncing back from the snares thrown won’t be easy for Harsin. It’ll be harder for Auburn to hire good assistant coaches and the type of athletes it takes to compete with archrivals Georgia and Alabama after such a publicly embarrassing situation. However, Harsin believes he has a path to glory if he gets the chance to operate with the school’s full backing as a united front.
“We saw and felt the worst of the worst in some people,” Harsin said via statement. Fortunately, we also saw the best of the best in others, and we will always be grateful for the support of so many through a very difficult time – our players, staff, the Auburn family, and many others.”
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