Auburn football: 3 alumni who should be considered for HC if Bryan Harsin is fired
Auburn football is on the verge of being a dumpster fire if Paul Finebaum was right about the Penn State Week 3 matchup being a ‘bellwether’ for the rest of the season. After a 41-12 rout that was slipping away by halftime and in the books by the start of the third quarter, Bryan Harsin was on the defensive at Monday’s press scrum — talking down to reporters and giving credence to the idea that his seat has white hot.
Bryan Harsin said "we want to run the football," but says "you guys" aren't in the team meetings and aren't aware of what Penn State was running on defense.
— Justin Hokanson (@_JHokanson) September 19, 2022
To be fair to Harsin, these same reporters were creating problems when there weren’t any all last season pestering him about his stance on the COVID-19 vaccine when he let it be known he didn’t want to talk about it, nor was he legally required to do so. Still, it was jarring to see him snap about legitimate football questions in 2022 after a notably bad loss.
The issues between Harsin and the Auburn football brain trust run deep. Seven months deep, to be exact. Since the witch hunt of an inquiry into his behavior that came back devoid of concrete evidence he did something against AU’s conduct policy, Harsin has been recruiting uphill against it and trying to pick up the pieces of a program that isn’t fully behind him for reasons beyond his control.
And before you go off about a northern man not being a good fit in the south, I kindly point you in the direction of Auburn basketball coaching legend Bruce Pearl, who doesn’t face these same issues.
When it comes to the next Auburn football head coach, perhaps keeping it in-house is the best call. These 3 current coaches are worth a look if Harsin ends up being fired…
Auburn football RB coach Cadillac Williams
Even when Auburn had had a great quarterback over the past decade, the run game has been a relevant part of that signal-caller’s arsenal. Cam Newton and Nick Marshall were run-heavy QBs that were able to make spectacular plays because of their statuses as run-threats.
Cadillac Williams knows a thing or two about Auburn being RBU, having paired with Ronny Brown to lift the 2004 Tigers to an undefeated season. Williams was kept on in the Gus Malzahn-Bryan Harsin transition and his development of Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunrer has justified it. If both had a better front five, who knows what the ceiling would be.
Williams could tailor the team’s offensive game plan to its personnel, and may be one of the best interim HC options in the event a Harsin firing happens midseason.
Auburn football DB coach Zac Etheridge
Losing Smoke Monday and, in particular, Roger McCreary has left the secondary in a bit of a bind considering the talent and experience drop to their replacements.
With that said, Oregon transfer DJ James’ preparedness has been a testament to the coaching job DB coach Zac Etheridge has done in the wake of that pair’s NFL departures.
McCreary was the lone draft pick for Auburn in 2022, which is a damning sign for the program at large but a strong feather in the cap for Etheridge. As a defensive holdover from the Gus Malzahn staff, Etheridge has proven indispensable on the Plains. Perhaps a step up to head coach is the best way to reward his work so far.
Auburn football Director of Football & Recruiting Relations Trovon Reed
Perhaps it’s because his social media fires Fly War Eagle up every time a recruit comes to the program or even before the season when the former Auburn cornerback had us convinced this season could have 2013 vibes (no comment anymore), but Trovon Reed would be one of the most exciting choices possible.
We know Reed understands, well, reads on the field from his dominance up to the NFL level, and we also know from last year’s in-stadium hype video that the 201- draft pick is one hell of a motivator.
What most makes Reed such an interesting option, though, is his Louisiana ties. Reed has made a difference on the recruiting trail with prospects from his home-state in the past, and getting in-roads in a talent-rich state could pay serious dividends. His presence will also help land in-state talent that grew up watching his teams win big for the region during his own Auburn football playing career.