Amid all the rumors and speculation that circled the Auburn football community earlier this year regarding whether or not Bryan Harsin would be the Tigers’ head coach for a second year, one of the prominent worries was that the former Boise State coach was not prepared to recruit in the SEC.
As the head coach of a school that is forced to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Alabama and Georgia for bringing in top prospects, Harsin has his work cut out for him but intends to prove in his second year on the Plains that he’s got what it takes.
From the very beginning, Harsin has made it clear that recruiting in the state of Alabama and keeping talent in the state is a top priority. That trend continues into the spring, per Auburn Undercover, as the evaluation period begins and the Tigers’ coaching staff will hit the road:
"“This spring evaluation period is a huge opportunity for our coaches to get out and connect,” Harsin tells Auburn247. “They will be able to watch and evaluate the guys we feel can make Auburn football better, but just as important is the opportunity to canvas the entire state of Alabama, from top to bottom and everywhere in between. Spending time at those schools, with coaches and other staff members–a Tiger takeover–that’s our primary focus as we begin the spring eval period.”"
Jason Caldwell reports that over the next six weeks, Auburn football coaches plan to visit 230 schools across the state of Alabama before spreading out around the country:
"“We’ll spend that quality time in-state–in our own backyard–and make it a priority to get to almost every high school in Alabama,” Harsin said. “Then we’ll expand out, plant the Auburn flag in Georgia and throughout Florida, down into south Florida, and criss-cross into a number of other talent rich areas and states where we know the Auburn brand is strong and we have guys who want to come be a part of this program.”"
The upcoming months will be extremely busy for Harsin and his coaching staff as they work to add elite talent to the Tigers’ recruiting class of 2023.