3 schools that can be down bad enough to hire fired ex-Auburn coach

Disgraced former Auburn football head coach Bryan Harsin may be returning to the coaching ranks if KIDO’s Kevin Miller is to be believed.

“We don’t know if Coach Harsin will be appearing at an Halloween parties between now and the big day, however, we applaud his efforts to embrace the spirit of the season,” Miller said of Harsin’s Joker Halloween costume before saying, “We expect the coach to return to college football and will continue to update you on this story as it develops.”

“But who could hire Harsin after such an underwhelming effort on the field and recruiting trail?” you may ask. And the answer is simple: plenty of schools that are down bad and looking for a spark by hiring a big name, even if for all the wrong reasons, with SEC experience. The 2023 season has already seen smaller schools struggle to degrees Tiger fans could never wrap their heads around, forcing those teams to face tough decisions this offseason. For a smaller program looking for added attention, revenue, and a proven name, at the very least, at the Group of Five ranks during his Boise State days, Harsin may not be that tough of a decision.

Here are 3 schools that can be down bad enough to hire fired ex-Auburn football HC

Sam Houston State

No school in the nation is down bad more so than Sam Houston State. Not even close. In the Bearkats’ first season at the FBS ranks, SHSU has gone winless through their first eight games; allowing heartbreak to seep in after predictably losing their first three games with four of their next five being decided by a single score.

Though he’s been head coach for close to a decade, K.C. Keeler may not survive being cut should Sam Houston State come away with a single win in 2023, likely against FCS Kennesaw State. Though Keeler led the Bearkats to a glorious championship win in 2020/21, he may not be the guy to lead SHSU into their FBS era.

Harsin’s experience with Texas is a major plus here. Plus, T.J. Finley did prove that if things don’t work out on the Plains, a Group of Five school in the Lone Star State could be a fine fallback for someone who once disappointed Auburn football fans.

Arkansas State

Harsin’s former employer, Arkansas State, was down so incredibly bad during the first two weeks of the season that it was outscored by 107 points by Oklahoma and Memphis; with the latter matchup being a 37-3 blowout at home. The Red Wolves have corrected course, but Stony Brook, Southern Miss, and UMass are tests that, if not passed, get one fired.

Given that Butch Jones has not had Arkansas State at nearly the level the Red Wolves were at throughout the 2010s, when the last three Auburn football head coaches, Hugh Freeze, Harsin, and Gus Malzahn, plus Blake Anderson, led the Red Wolves to winning records, cutting the cord is not hard to imagine if he produces a third straight losing season.

Boise State

Jon Bon Jovi once asked, “Who says you can’t go home?” And Harsin answered “I certainly can” when he underrecruited his way out of East Central Alabama. Now back in Boise with his family, it’s hard not to connect the dots between Harsin and Boise State.

And what do you know? The Broncos’ Harsin replacement, Andy Avalos, is on the hot seat according to HERO Sports’ Colton Pool.

“It’s tough to believe the favorite to win the Mountain West going into the season might consider firing Avalos, the Broncos’ head coach,” Pool prefaced before saying, “But many fans have been calling for a coaching change in light of their struggles recently. The Broncos are 2-1 in league play but are 3-4 overall with one of those wins being against an FCS team.

“I wrote a couple a couple weeks ago about why such a change for Boise State athletic director Jeramiah Dickey and the Broncos football team wasn’t the right decision. But in the wake of Boise State losing to Colorado State two weeks ago – after leading 30-10 with less than five minutes remaining – the pressure has increased for the Broncos to fire Avalos and move on.”

Harsin was a winner at Boise, he played on the Broncos during his collegiate career, and is clearly only happy unless he’s in Western Idaho. It only makes sense for this reunion to take place at some point.