A lot is expected of new Auburn football head coach Bryan Harsin heading into the 2021 season. Stepping into the most competitive conference in college football is a daunting task in itself, but Harsin is also expected to walk away from the season with a winning record under his belt.
Gus Malzahn wasn’t fired because he was a bad coach, but because he wasn’t producing the results that the Auburn football community wanted to see. Auburn fans expect more than just “good enough.” So, can Bryan Harsin execute in his first year and prove that he can produce those results for the Auburn family?
It depends on his and his staff’s ability to fill the gaps on the roster left by departures to the NFL, the transfer portal, injuries, and other reasons. Harsin must load up the roster and coach up the talent he has in order to take the Tigers to the next level, and there are three areas of need he and his staff should focus on heading into their first season on the Plains:
Auburn football area of need #1: Defensive Line
Nick Eason and Bryan Harsin have already put in work to improve the defensive line, but it’s definitely an area of need heading into this season due to the lack of success in the past. The Tigers’ defense spent much of last season struggling to get off the field, ranking last in the SEC when it came to allowing third-down conversions, according to the Montgomery Advertiser:
"They ranked 11th in the conference allowing opponents to run nearly 71 plays per game and dead last surrendering a conversion rate of 50.3% on third downs – more than 20% worse than the year before. One of the biggest culprits was the team’s pass rush, which ranked 11th in the SEC pressuring the quarterback just 17.2% of the time, according to SEC StatCat."
However, these issues should be easier to resolve with transfer addition Marcus Harris from Kansas and Tony Fair from UAB, along with class of 2021 signee Lee Hunter, a 4-star defensive lineman from Eight-Mile, AL.
Eason has strong returning talent on the roster, but it will be a big job to coach up all the incoming freshman into bonafide SEC linemen.
Auburn football area of need #2: Offensive Line
While Bo Nix’s mediocre performance last season is pretty widely talked about, we can’t forget that the offensive line in front of him needs to shoulder some of the blame. The majority of starting returnings will be seniors this season, and most of the backups, too. With only two class of 2021 signees for the O-Line, the level of need jumps up significantly at the position.
Will Friend and Bryan Harsin are currently in the midst of recruiting battles for key class of 2022 offensive recruits Jacob Hood and Eston Harris Jr., but what is their plan for this fall?
This late in the game, it’s likely that they’ll be depending on their eight returners from last year, both to improve and to adjust to Friend’s new, more pro-style offensive scheme. Brodarius Hamm, Nick Brahms, and the other returners have to step up and improve this year.
Joining the O-line room this fall is Colby Smith, a 3-star OT signee out of Reidsville, NC. Tigers will also have access to Brandon Council, who will return from a knee injury that caused him to miss out on most of last season. If Will Friend can figure out how to fit together all the puzzle pieces, the offensive line could really come together in 2021.
Auburn football area of need #3: Wide Receivers
With Anthony Schwartz and Seth Williams off to the NFL, and Eli Stove preparing for the NFL while he heals from his ACL tear, there are huge gaps to fill on the Tigers’ wide receivers roster. Shedrick Jackson, Kobe Hudson, and Elijah Canion are a couple of receivers we could expect to see on the field in 2021.
Class of 2021 signee TarVarish Dawson has the potential to make an early impact as a freshman because although there is talent in the WR room, there is not a whole lot of experience. All the wide receivers are going to be expected to prove themselves and earn a permanent starting role come fall.
The Tigers are heavily recruiting wide receivers in the class of 2022, namely Darrius Clemons, a 4-star receiver out of Oregon who is being heavily recruited by several other major Power-5 contenders. Jay Fair and Latreal Jones are another two names to remember.
While Auburn football is definitely on the right track to improve next season, Bryan Harsin has a lot to prove in his debut to the Southeastern Conference and his run with one of the toughest schedules in college football in year one.