Auburn football: Why Bryan Harsin cannot lose Jarell Stinson to FSU

Given all of the momentum, Bryan Harsin has built on the Plains this offseason, losing Jarell Stinson to Florida State would be a crushing blow to the Auburn football program.

The Class of 2022 prospect from nearby Opelika High is garnering interest from a trio of Florida schools after committing to Auburn in December. Zac Etheridge was his primary recruiter from the Tigers, but now former Auburn coaches Wesley McGriff and Travis Williams are looking to lure Stinson away on behalf of Florida and UCF respectively.

A third school from the Sunshine State, Florida State, has entered the bidding as well, and the Florida State Seminoles took things a step further than the visits that were made official with UF and UCF.

According to 247Sports, an official offer has been sent out to the five-foot-ten CB:

"Florida State offered Opelika (Ala.) three-star cornerback Jarell Stinson on Wednesday evening. The 5-foot-10, 160-pound defensive back is committed to Auburn. He committed to the Tigers back in mid-December.He has official visits set up to see the Gators, Knights and Tigers on successive weekends in June. 247Sports.com ranks him as the No. 49 cornerback in the 2022 class."

Bryan Harsin cannot let Stinson slip through the cracks, though.

The narrative right now is optimism in Auburn. While the Tigers didn’t have one of the greatest National Signing Days compared to the likes of Alabama, Georgia, or even Texas A&M, Harsin has been able to land several high-profile transfers from the Big Ten and the Big 12 while also showing fans what life is like in the Harsin era on the Plains.

Can you say open access to practice? Even during a pandemic!

Losing a highly-touted local product, one who dominated in the Alabama state track and field ranks, would be a horrible look for the new regime. Auburn football has been known for its strong secondary play throughout the past decade, so losing such a prospect to a Power 5 foe would be a major hiccup for the new staff in its first offseason.

Especially to Florida State, who are the reason Gus Malzahn left Auburn without a championship ring on his finger.

Harsin and Etheridge need to make sure that the losses don’t start piling up on the recruiting trail after a season in which they accumulated on the gridiron.