MORE DASH: New World Order | Coach Fights | Trap Games
FIRST QUARTERRUNNING OUT OF TIME
For the fourth consecutive Sunday, a Power 5 head coach has been dismissed. The only upset is that this time it wasn’t Bryan Harsin (1).
As of Sunday afternoon, Harsin was still the coach at Auburn. There seems to be virtually no chance that remains the case for the rest of the season, and quite likely not the rest of the month. The latest theory is that whoever is in charge at the Most Dysfunctional Little Village on the Plains sends Harsin into the sausage grinder at Georgia Saturday, rather than putting an interim coach in that thankless position, and maybe a change occurs after that. If they choose to extend Harsin’s tenure through a second consecutive road game against an undefeated opponent (Mississippi on Oct. 15), an open date awaits thereafter.
Regardless, this is a “when” question, not an “if.” The only people who would be excited about Harsin as their coach in 2023 reside in Boise, not Auburn.
Harsin and Auburn were never an easy fit, and that was before the booster cabal began sabotaging him. He’s never been given a chance to get established with full institutional “alignment,” as coaches love to say (and he’s currently playing a third-string quarterback), but the on-field returns are not sustainable. He’s 9-9, just 3-7 in his last ten, with lost leads and second-half malfunctions littering the docket. Saturday night was a snapshot of that, with Auburn taking a 17-0 lead in less than 21 minutes and then never scoring again in a 21-17 loss to LSU. Calling a halfback pass in the red zone that resulted in an interception in the fourth quarter did not help the situation.
Auburn is an attractive job if the coach can endure the booster meddling. (A big if, to be sure.) The recruiting territory is fertile, with the state of Alabama flush with talent and the riches of Georgia and Florida nearby. There is an imperative to win, which should lead to full monetary support in terms of salary, facilities and recruiting cash.
It seems like a potential spot for Jackson State’s Deion Sanders. Don’t be shocked if Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin expresses interest through backchannels. Hugh Freeze is standing by at Liberty, waiting for the phone to ring. But most good candidates would like to know who the new athletic director is going to be first; Auburn has work to do to get its divided house in order.
