Auburn football: How can Bryan Harsin save his job in Year 2 with the Tigers?
By John Scimeca
Auburn football head coach Bryan Harsin had an optimistic start to his first season in charge on the Plains in 2021, leading the Tigers to a 6-2 (3-1) record and the No. 12 AP poll ranking by the end of October. Quarterback Bo Nix was looking crisp, the defense made plays, and Auburn beat LSU and Arkansas on the road before defeating then-No. 11 Ole Miss.
Things quickly unraveled after that.
The Tigers looked flat in a 20-3 loss at Texas A&M and never regained their mojo. They would go on to lose their next four games, concluding the season with a five-game losing streak that left a sour taste in many fans’ mouths.
It didn’t help that Auburn football had several missed opportunities in an upset bid of its archrival Alabama in the Iron Bowl, losing in excruciating fashion (double-overtime) to the Tide.
The emotional roller coaster continued into the offseason for Harsin and the football program, as several boosters tried to drum up accusations against the first-year coach for losing the locker room and being generally incompetent.
After several tense days rife with speculation amid a reported internal “inquiry,” Auburn leaders issued their statements of support for the embattled coach and tried to throw their focus toward the spring recruiting signing day and offseason practices.
Bo Nix, for all of his Auburn bloodlines and commitment to the Tigers, transferred to Oregon in order to improve his NFL aspirations.
Harsin is still in charge of the Auburn football team, and the former Boise State head coach looked cool and confident at SEC media days last month. It’s one thing, however, to make an impressive appearance in July to media members — it’s another to win football games in the fall.
Harsin did his best on the recruiting trail, too, by helping the Tigers compile the nation’s No. 21-ranked class according to 247Sports.
After slumping to a 6-7 finish and a Birmingham Bowl loss to an AAC team (Houston), followed by an overly dramatic offseason, what kind of performance does Harsin need to coax out of Auburn in 2022 in order to keep his job?