The biggest questions surrounding Bryan Harsin

Out with the old, in with the new. When Auburn hired Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin on December 23, 2020, some fans were shocked. Some were joyous. Some were, frustrated. Frankly, some didn’t even know who Harsin was. Auburn had hired a man who had a nice resume and an impressive winning percentage. But he’d spent nearly half his life in Boise, Idaho. He had no ties to the deep south. The closest he’d ever been to coaching in the south, was Arkansas State. Ironically, year Gus Malzahn had left Arkansas State, Harsin was hired. that only lasted a year, as he was soon hired to Boise State. A lot of people, Auburn fans, SEC fans, and just College Football fans in general, were skeptical of how Bryan Harsin would understand the culture of the SEC. The bigger question, could he recruit? Let’s take it step by step.

After a 6-5 season, Gus Malzahn was fired. Not a bad 7 year career as Auburn head coach, but not bad doesn’t cut it. After watching a pitiful offense for two years straight, Malzahn was peacefully removed as Auburn’s head coach. No beef stands between Auburn and Malzahn. Gus was later hired at UCF.

Auburn fans wanted at first, Oregon coach Mario Cristobal. He seemed like a reasonable candidate, but that faded immediately after Cristobal signed a massive extension with Oregon. Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian was coveted too. But apparently, Auburn wasn’t offering enough money. Billy Napier, an incredibly succesful coach at Louisiana, refused to leave his project. A few more names came and went. Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele was expected to be hired. Fans hated the idea, and athletic director Allen Greene took the reigns of the coaching search. As it seemed Auburn had butchered its coaching change, the news broke that Harsin was expected the coach.

Bryan Harsin quickly changed skeptical Tiger fans’ minds when he was introduced in a on December 24. His speech was quite impressive. Auburn had made a seemingly under the radar, but solid hire. Harsin quickly showed the SEC that he did belong. He fit Auburn’s culture. He is nothing like Gus Malzahn, yet he fit the Tigers program. Let’s dive into the biggest questions.

Can Harsin win in the best conference in America?

The SEC, is filled with great teams. Auburn has to play Ole Miss, LSU, Georgia, Texas A&M, and Alabama year in and year out. It’s very hard to win all of those games. Even just a few of them. It’s too early to tell if Harsin can win. This question will speak for itself in the fall.

Can Harsin be a dominant recruiter?

Alabama brings in at least five 5-stars every year. So does Georgia. LSU too. Bryan Harsin has to recruit well. Gus Malzahn had the 35th recruiting class in the 2021 recruiting cycle. Harsin was able to add high ranked 4-star edge rusher Dylan Brooks, 4-star offensive tackle Colby Smith, 4-star safety Juwan Gaston, 3-star linebacker Joko Willis, 3-star CB Armani Diamond, 3-star running back Jarquez Hunter, 3-star safety Cayden Bridges, transfer defensive end Eku Leota, and highly coveted transfer cornerback Dreshun Miller. This was salvaged after 95% of recruits had already signed with a chool or were committed to a school. Harsin was able to move the class all the way up to 20th. He salvaged several recruits. That’s very hard to do considering Harsin’s situation at the time. While his 2022 class is very unimpressive so far, once recruits are allowed to visit campuses again, Auburn will land some monster athletes. But the thing that concerns me, is can he sign five stars? Five stars are just a ranking, but if they’re ranked that high, these recruits are obviously very talented. Alabama and Georgia sweep in multiple five stars every year. So where are Auburn’s five stars? First and foremost, Alabama can guarantee a championship. That’s Saban’s main pitch. They can also get you into the NFL. That’s really impressive. Georgia, is based in the most athletically talented state in the nation. Most of that talent comes from the Atlanta area. Kirby Smart and Georgia are sitting on a gold mind. Smart can recruit as well as anyone. And many say that Georgia can win a national championship at any given time. With their offense and defense outlook this year, I expect them to make some noise. Kirby Smart wants recruits to be a part of Georgia’s championship team. He can paint a picture in their minds. Georgia is very close to winning national championships. Bama is already there. So recruits are easily attracted by that. Especially the five stars. Harsin seems like a great coach who recruits love. But it’s the program that has to do the talking. If Harsin can beat Georgia and Bama in a season, or make the SEC Championship or better, recruits will see that Auburn is on the rise big time. And that’s how Harsin must get them on board.