SEC Football: Auburn has a new ‘feel-good’ story about hiring Bryan Harsin. If only the story were true.
The newest SEC football head coach is Bryan Harsin. Harsin brings to Auburn a solid reputation. The only question about his competence is if he can recruit top SEC football talent. Should Harsin pass that test, the Tigers will have made a good hire.
The current problem for Auburn is how it went about hiring Harsin. He was not the Tigers’ first, second, or even third choice, no matter how many times they claim he was their guy from the start. Others, particularly Kevin Steele, was who a group of boosters wanted. Unable to gain a consensus to hire Steele, Billy Napier, Steve Sarkisian, Brent Venables and Bill Clark could have had the Auburn job. None chose to ignore ‘control’ issues about who would be on their Auburn staff.
A very diplomatic Bill Clark explained his concern over Auburn control issues.
"I basically said the interest I would have is to do it right and everybody has their own version of what right is, for me, is complete control of my staff and all those things that go with it. I think maybe that was a hindrance."
Hindrance, in this case, meaning a ‘thanks but, no thanks’ to the Auburn Tigers.
John Talty, writing for al.com explained what he learned from multiple sources.
"A powerful set of Auburn boosters tried to intimidate search committee members. They told AD Allen Greene if he went against their wishes, they’d try to run him out of town."
Credit goes to Greene was creating a Search Committee, even if initially, boosters supported the search as public relations leading up to the hiring of Steele. In the end, the Auburn fanbase can be thankful to Greene for eventually finding a good football coach willing to accept the job.
Handing a microphone to Harsin, followed by getting out of his way and shutting up, is what Auburn should have done next. Instead, Auburn President, Jay Gogue decided spin was needed. He sent an email refuting most of what John Talty had reported.
Couched as a message to Auburn faithful about the perils of believing information from social media, Gogue said,
"In our coaching search, for example, no candidate was told that there were stipulations on who would serve on his coaching staff.Free speech is a treasured American right, but the Auburn family should also have the right to know the facts."
In today’s world where everyone is not only entitled to their opinions but also their own facts, it is hard to know what to believe.
Even an Alabama football fan can understand a solid Auburn program is good for SEC football. Auburn is not to be faulted for a lack of transparency about its hiring process. Nor is there any doubt disagreements among boosters and administrators were more than wanting what is best for Auburn football. John Talty ended his story with the “hope” this will be a “new age” for Auburn. If so, it began with a needlessly rocky start.
Earlier in the week, we wrote about the Crimson Tide back at work on a championship while Auburn flounders. So far little has changed.