New coach on The Plains: the right fit?
Bryan Harsin set to lead a new era of Auburn Football.
By: The Waco Kid
Photo: via @AuburnFootball
The holiday season is a crazy time for everyone. On top of the unavoidable, awkward run-ins with family members and friends that you have not seen since the last time your hometown called you back, it seems that the majority of people are constantly traveling during this time. Clogging the highways, frustrating drivers, and making it difficult for those trying to get back home to spend the holidays with those closest to them. Even in a year of uncertainty, this has proven true, not just for us common folk wanting to be together with loved ones, but for college football coaches all around the nation. Head coaches are being fired and hired faster than reindeer carrying a 300 lb man around the world on Christmas Eve. Gus Malzahn is out at Auburn, Kevin Sumlin out at Arizona, Derek Mason out at Vanderbilt, Lovie Smith out at Illinois, and Muschamp out at South Carolina, and that is not all of the changes, these are just the openings we actually care about. The one (now-filled) vacancy that draws the most attention would have to be that of the Auburn Tigers.
I don’t know about you but I found it a little surprising that Malzahn was paid $21.45 mil to leave the program after a decent victory over SEC West opponent Mississippi State. I understand that expectations are high, but in a year where nothing is normal why would you fire a guy that has won 2 out of 3 games throughout his tenure in the toughest conference in college football. A guy who has beat Saban 3 times while coaching for the Tigers. Maybe it was a Mark Richt type scenario where 9-10 wins per year is just not cutting it, but you don’t fire those types of coaches during a pandemic. You wait until the next year to see what they can bring to the table without the distractions. Writing that, however, makes me second guess myself, if you cannot coach a team at a high level in the worst of times how can you expect them to perform for you in the best of times? The intriguing aspect, once Malzahn’s firing was final, was the hiring of Boise State Head Coach, Bryan Harsin. If you are anything like me your first reaction was, “What in the hell? What happened to Hugh Freeze or at a long shot Art Briles? What about Billy Napier?” Why is this random guy getting hired who really is the man behind the scowl?
Photo: Stephen R. Sylvanie, USA TODAY Sports
Bryan Harsin is a Boise guy through and through, born and raised. Grew up in the town and played for the Broncos as a quarterback from 1995-1999. He returned a year after graduating to join the football staff as a Graduate Assistant. In 2002, he was promoted to a full-time staff member as the tight ends coach. When Doug Petersen took over the program in 2005, Harsin was given the reigns as the offensive coordinator and shocked the college football community with Fiesta Bowl victories over Oklahoma and TCU. I was a high school football player at the time and all anyone could talk about was the BSU Hook and Ladder to end regulation in a tie and the Statue of Liberty play to bring the bowl victory home to Boise. In fact, as a young player on a JV team, I scored against a now Deion Sanders led Trinity Christian team on that exact hook and ladder play. The offensive brilliance used to win this game, against OU, was on the verge of genius and could be attributed to Petersen and OC Harsin. The balls on that guy. A team with no shot overcame all odds and became winners. Unfortunately, that kind of cliff ledge coaching will not work in the SEC. You cannot gamble when you have a team that should win, it is much easier when you have nothing to lose.
Still, after four seasons with the Blue and Orange, 2011 saw Harsin leave Boise to become a co-offensive coordinator for the University of Texas alongside Longhorn great Major Applewhite.
Working with the most unrealistic expectations in the NCAA, Harsin and Applewhite did their best but ultimately lost nine games over two seasons, which is never impressive for what is believed to be a top tier team. Harsin was then offered a head coaching job at Arkansas State and that is where the story gets a tad bit interesting.
Arkansas State seems to be the EMCC for head coaches. A last chance to redeem their good name and get a shot at a top tier program. Netflix, hit me up we can start a whole new revolution based around coaches. It could elaborate on a side of football that fans rarely get to experience, the trials and tribulations of a D1 coach. No one really cares about these overpaid employees but there is something that keeps them motivated and I would love to believe it is more than just monetary value.
Arkansas State is a nothing program, known for no quality wins or Hall of Fame players throughout the entirety of their college football history. However, it seems as though the Red Wolves have a knack for finding future top SEC head coaches and churning them out after only a year of experience. Hugh Freeze was the head coach in 2011 before getting hired by Ole Miss, Gus Malzahn was head coach in 2012 before getting hired by Auburn, and Malzahn’s successor at Arkansas State was none other than Bryan Harsin. Harsin left for BSU after a year and this will now be the second head coaching job vacated by Gus Malzahn that Bryan Harsin will take over. Sure it took a few years at Boise State to get to this point but who wouldn’t want to coach in their hometown for a couple of years before accepting a head coaching job in the SEC?
Photo: Julie Bennett, AL.com
It was a bit surprising that Hugh Freeze did not get a harder look from Auburn.
It seems after Freeze and Malzahn, the hiring of Harsin in the SEC was writing on the wall. However, I am overly surprised that a program like Auburn would not reach for a known name like Freeze, Briles, or someone connected to the SEC. Maybe we get to see history in the making with a small-timer from Boise, leading a team that has the recruits and potential to be in the top ten on a yearly basis but just needs some guidance. Or maybe the Tigers will get curb-stomped throughout SEC competition for the next few years. Who knows. All we have to go off of is Harsin’s resume while at BSU and with a winning percentage of 78%, the future looks bright for the Southern Blue and Orange.
This offseason will be full of surprises as the coaching carousel continues to be the main attraction in the carnival that is NCAA FBS football. Where will Hugh Freeze and Will Muschamp end up? Will Tennessee listen to the people and get rid of Jeremy Pruitt? Is Kellen Moore’s future at his alma mater, Boise State, or will he risk it all for the Dallas Cowboys? Only time will tell, but these upcoming months will be a hell of a ride for college programs all over the nation and I personally have no intention of taking my eyes off of this burning attraction.