Auburn football: 5 reasons why Bryan Harsin hire was a genius move

In a move many have lauded, Auburn football has hired Bryan Harsin as the team’s new head coach. The War Eagle lists 5 reasons why this was a genius hire.

People of the Plains, the higher-ups of the Auburn football program listened.

After conducting a search via a search committee, the ideal candidate has been placed in the hot seat as the coach of the Tigers: the great Bryan Harsin.

Harsin comes with head coaching experience from Boise State and Arkansas State, where he went a combined 69-19 as a head coach. Interestingly enough, in 2013, Harsin got his first head coaching job in college football replacing…one Gus Malzahn.

The more things change, the more things stay the same.

Of course, Malzahn left Arkansas State because there was a better opportunity waiting on the Plains. This time, he leaves the program after several verbal missteps this season revealed a schism between Malzahn and the Auburn football higher-ups.

Either way, this was a genius hire, and here’s why:

1. Kevin Steele was not hired

Quite honestly, the idea that Kevin Steele went behind Gus Malzahn’s back and made a play to stage a full-on coup d’etat rubs the War Eagle the wrong way. After years of providing Malzahn stability as the defensive coordinator, Steele wanted to prove that he can awaken an Auburn offense that lacked imagination and creativity beyond Tank Bigsby HB dives and short tosses by Bo Nix to the flat.

That he wasn’t chosen after conducting an external search makes me happier than a turn down Shug Jordan Parkway on game day.