I’m way too amused to work up any righteous indignation over the way events have unfolded at Auburn, but that hasn’t stopped Andy Staples ($$). He has some shame to send the school’s way, while acknowledging that Harsin hasn’t exactly done himself any favors with the way he went about his business in his first season there.
Bryan Harsin already had little chance to succeed at Auburn. Based on his actions and his public statements, he seems to believe that he can compete in the SEC at Auburn the same way he competed in the Mountain West at Boise State. Anyone with even an inkling of understanding of the levels of major college football knows this isn’t true. Talent acquisition is the most important aspect of a job like Auburn’s, and Harsin’s second recruiting class at Auburn showed he is hopelessly behind annual rivals Alabama, Georgia and Texas A&M. Allow a different SEC coach to explain what truly matters in these jobs.
What did Georgia’s Kirby Smart do last month? That’s right. He won the national title. That would be the thing Auburn aspires to win, the thing Auburn did win 12 years ago when it had one of the best college players to ever wear the uniform. Auburn won’t win one of those with Harsin if he continues to sign classes where the highest-ranked player would rank No. 18 in Alabama’s class, No. 20 in Texas A&M’s class and No. 15 in Georgia’s class, according to the 247Sports.com composite. Recruiting rankings are wrong individually, but in the aggregate, they’re almost always correct. Smart, Alabama’s Nick Saban and Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher — all of whom have led teams to national titles — are trying to play an entirely different sport than Harsin.
Now, Andy makes a fair point that even if Harsin has had his come to Jesus moment about recruiting, it likely doesn’t matter in the short term, because Auburn has completely destroyed his credibility as a recruiter. So, yeah, I get it.
It’s just that I can’t get worked up about it. Auburn’s self-neutered and I’m all here for that. Couldn’t happen to a more deserving bunch.
Get The Picture 
Harsin doesn’t strike me as the type who can be brought to Jesus.
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Lord Xenu maybe?
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Maybe Zod.
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Dale from Boise strenuously objects.
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Andy has got a point! Genius observation! No way Auburn won in 2010 without knocking it out of the park on the recruiting trail. They certainly weren’t dragging around 18th ranked recruiting classes!! That would be insane! Checks notes… lets see…
Auburn’s recruiting class rankings prior to National Title season:
2009 19th
2008 20th
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Now all they need is another high-talent, low character player who can individually raise the level of play around him to heights not seen before or since at the school!
It would likewise be helpful for all the highly talented kids and coaches at Bama, UGA, Pay&M and LSU to disappear into the darkness.
To the Portal!
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If they could recruit a decent HS qb they’d be ahead of Gus.
When your high water mark at HS qb recruiting is a legacy recruit named Bo Nix, you’re really fucking up. Never understood how a guy who NEVER recruited a decent HS qb could get that contract extension.
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Depending on the NFL Draft analyst, Auburn had a first round QB (perhaps the first QB drafted) in the 2022 draft on their roster. Malzahn went with a freshman named Bo Nix.
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Derek,
Ours is not to wonder why…
Ours is but to…
Clap our hands and thank the Good Lord above that the east alabama reform school is a bunch of dumbasses,
Contract extension??
Then fire his worthless ass without a plan??
Woe Damn eagle!!
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As FU did, gentlemen, to the port-o-let, let’s see what is swirling about…#AUBURN SUCKS!
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Pay&m
Lol
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If you want to know what the 2010 Auburn team would’ve looked like without Cammy Cam, just look at last year’s Auburn squad. Actually, even that might be generous, since the 2021 team could at least play a little defense.
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Actually, all you have to do is look at the 09 and 11 AU squads. They both sucked. 🙂
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I saw the headline for that piece, and declined to read it because 1) the conclusion is so obvious I was pretty sure I could write the article – just nothing to learn, and 2) the whole situation amuses me greatly and I don’t want to ruin that feeling.
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Nitpicking…when you toss a body off the roof of a 20 story building, it doesn’t matter if it lands on concrete or asphalt…it’s still gonna look like a well done chili burger. (Still a great scene from Ozark with a dash of Honeymoon in Vegas)
Harsin is/was doomed to fail…people can do pre/post mortem all they want, but, his tenure at the Barn is going to be a giant grease spot on the program.
“Like the King says, ain’t nothing guaranteed but coupe devilles and hookers!”
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JABA, baby.
JABA all day, every day, 247 at The Barn.
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Please allow me, to even fucking bring up that 2010 barner season as having one of the best ever to wear a uniform is not only indisputably in correct, it’s insulting to my one good brain cell, if this ass wipe had any journalistic integrity, he would detract that statement and apologize to the world for his utter ignorance and accept the facts, the prettiest little cesspool on the plains bought and paid for that season, inbred muthafuckers…#AUBURN SUCKS!
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Unfortunately, for AU, their best play right now is to sit tight and save as much money as they can, then the day Saban retires, go out and buy the biggest name you can get.
In their current situation, nobody big is gonna want to come there.
1. As long as Saban and Kirby are in place, you’re sandwiched between the two greatest recruiting powerhouses currently in the sport (A&M might join that discussion, but it’s gonna take more than one class)
2. Napier and Cristobal are also Saban disciples, and they will value recruiting above all else. The state of FL is gonna get harder to get recruit the next few years.
3. So where do you go for big time recruits? Not too many options. Why would a big name want to go there right now?
But the day Saban retires, they should go all out. I’m sure Bama will land somebody decent, but the #1 rule in coaching is you never want to be the man who follows The Man. Once Saban is gone, that will be AU’s opportunity to strike – that’s when their appeal to bigger names goes up.
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I’m all in with what Aubruun is doing now.
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My esteemed colleague from the Rockies, I too endorse the shitshow in Opelika.
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Dude it’s a basketball school
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“ABC. A Always, B Be, C Closing. Always Be Closing!”
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Recruiting used to be a whole lot of things. But in the year 2022 (and since like 2002, really) it’s all that… and a PR battle. None of the old crap matters once the PR battle is lost.
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The best meme right now is:
“My favorite college football rivalry is Auburn vs their own boosters.”
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A, Gator writer chiding Barners by pointing out Kirby us the kind of winner they want to have but can’t get or catch.
What a time to be alive. HBTFD.
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With a wink and a dash. So glad Harsin’s got the full support of Auburn Nation to get to the title game. Truly a dysfunctional program.
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