A message board poster on the Swamp247 forums made an apt comparison between Florida head coach Billy Napier and former Auburn football head coach (and a public enemy of the Plains) Bryan Harsin.
Napier is heading into his second season with the Gators after bringing his previous Group of Five program (Louisiana) to a conference championship. In his first season as head coach of an SEC institution, Napier’s team went 6-7 and is losing its defensive coordinator, Patrick Toney, after just one season. If that sounds familiar, it’s because Harsin also brought his previous Group of Five school (Boise State) conference championship glory and then would part ways with his first defensive coordinator hire, Derek Mason, after just one season.
The message board poster’s comparison was shared by the Message Board Geniuses Twitter account:
Billy Napier is #Florida’s Bryan Harsin. pic.twitter.com/uMkLaP7lWC
— Message Board Geniuses (@BoardGeniuses) February 25, 2023
Bryan Harsin lives in Auburn football infamy
Had Harsin been picked up by a new school during the last hiring cycle, he would’ve had a chance to reshape the narrative he is now part of in college football circles. It seemed Colorado had interest in Harsin, but the Buffs ultimately swung for the fences and brought on Deion Sanders to overhaul its struggling program.
Unfortunately for Harsin, the program he left no longer needs him. New head coach Andy Avalos just led Boise State to a 10-win season and a Mountain West conference championship appearance. Making the jump to the Plains is a decision that paid him well, but leaves him with few options moving forward.
The best decision for Harsin career-wise may be to take a quarterbacks coach role or other offensive analyst position with a Power Five school to boost his brand back to a hirable coach with a bright future in the sport. Until that happens, though, his time as Auburn football head coach will be one ridiculed for its underachievement and unpreparedness.