Bryan Harsin's presence at Cal has coincided with several transfer portal departures, and many in Berkeley are worried about the Golden Bears' future given their first-year offensive coordinator's troubled past.
Write For California's Avinash Kunnath deemed Harsin's long rap sheet "concerning" before recapping the infamous February 2022 inquiry into his regime.
"Cal fans, given recent events, the Bryan Harsin Auburn reports are concerning," Kunnath wrote.
"Disliked low-income players who leveraged NIL.
"Used position coaches to chase off players.
"Did not listen to feedback from assistants.
"Couldn't relate to players from different demographics."
Cal's starting quarterback, top five running backs, five of its top seven wide receivers, and top tight end have all bolted in the last week.
Harsin making an enemy out of Cal and Auburn would brand him universally hated by two very different fan bases. It'd be an impressive feat to say the least.
If Harsin were to flame out in northern California, there'd be practically no chance of even getting another coordinator job. He'd be looking at the analyst-to-assistant pipeline, but if things get bad enough outside the Bay Area, who knows if a program would even be willing to take a look.
It's a horrible look that Harsin was one of the NIL era's first major misfires as a head coach. Things got so bad at Auburn that dysfunction became the narrative on the Plains from a national view. In many ways, it's a miracle he's working in college football right now.
This "miracle" probably won't last too long at Cal at this rate.