[k7baixo]

He’ll be tested early and often but I think Auburn made a good hire.

[Mississippi Alabama Line]

Originally Posted by k7baixo

He’ll be tested early and often but I think Auburn made a good hire.

Harsin is a good coach, and he will do fine, but he’s essentially a younger Malzahn. Hiring him isn’t a bad move, but paying 21M to get him is kinda strange.

Auburn is really weird when it come to that football program.

[MinivanDriver]

Originally Posted by Mississippi Alabama Line

Harsin is a good coach, and he will do fine, but he’s essentially a younger Malzahn. Hiring him isn’t a bad move, but paying 21M to get him is kinda strange.

Auburn is really weird when it come to that football program.

I think Harsin is a better program manager than Malzahn, and better by a wide margin at player development. The fact that Nix made literally no progress in skills between his Freshman and Sophomore seasons speaks volumes.

[Illinoisblows]

Auburn is about to get Walloped by the Wildcats

[MinivanDriver]

Originally Posted by Illinoisblows

Auburn is about to get Walloped by the Wildcats

Could be. Wouldn't surprise me.

[Rick In Madison]

Given how some of the allegations of backroom boosters working the firing of Malzahn; I wonder how long Kevin Steele will be with the program.

[MinivanDriver]

Originally Posted by Rick In Madison

Given how some of the allegations of backroom boosters working the firing of Malzahn; I wonder how long Kevin Steele will be with the program.

The guy is 62, making $2.5 million a year, and has two more years on his contract. And Auburn is a pleasant place to live. If he went elsewhere, I seriously doubt he'll get that kind of cash.

If Harsin asks him to stay on, he'd be absolutely stupid to leave. Auburn's sputtering offense is what has kept the program down of late, and Steele is very well-compensated.

If Harsin can right the ship on offense and develop players, while Steele can tweak the defense, Auburn performs at a considerably higher level.

[Mississippi Alabama Line]

Originally Posted by MinivanDriver

I think Harsin is a better program manager than Malzahn, and better by a wide margin at player development. The fact that Nix made literally no progress in skills between his Freshman and Sophomore seasons speaks volumes.

Spoken like a true Auburn fan.

I just remember nobody complaining about these things back in 2013 and 2014. He then has a down year and builds back up in 2016 and 2017, all the while boosters behind the scenes are telling him who to recruit. The 2013 and 2014 teams were handpicked by Malzahn. I mean the guy's offense won a national title then they kick him out after a rebuilding year in 2011 where he lost the QB and the whole OL. We know what happened in 2012 after he left.

You could say that he doesn't have a backbone, in order to stand up to boosters. Perhaps Harsin is better about that, but we won't know for a few years. I personally believe it's up to the Athletic Director to make sure the coach has the power, maybe this new one they have will do that, but after he spent 21M to get rid of Malzahn, I just don't know. I know that it technically wasn't AU's money, but still.

[MinivanDriver]

Originally Posted by Mississippi Alabama Line

Spoken like a true Auburn fan.

I just remember nobody complaining about these things back in 2013 and 2014. He then has a down year and builds back up in 2016 and 2017, all the while boosters behind the scenes are telling him who to recruit. The 2013 and 2014 teams were handpicked by Malzahn. I mean the guy's offense won a national title then they kick him out after a rebuilding year in 2011 where he lost the QB and the whole OL. We know what happened in 2012 after he left.

You could say that he doesn't have a backbone, in order to stand up to boosters. Perhaps Harsin is better about that, but we won't know for a few years. I personally believe it's up to the Athletic Director to make sure the coach has the power, maybe this new one they have will do that, but after he spent 21M to get rid of Malzahn, I just don't know. I know that it technically wasn't AU's money, but still.

Well, sure. You don't really judge a coach until year 3 of his term. That's when his skills at program development can be accurately judged.

To me, the big knocks on Malzahn were two things: Skills development and consistent recruiting, specifically in the lines. If you look at Auburn's best years under Malzahn, those were when it had an OL stacked with seniors. As in 2013, 17, and 19. I would literally look at the incoming recruiting classes and ask, "Where are the offensive linemen?" And I don't really believe the boosters were standing over him telling which players to recruit. If anything, the knock on Malzahn by them was that he didn't listen to them.

Whereas Saban and Smart have been able to keep good players in the pipeline, Auburn was inconsistent. By the time you get to the 8th season managing a program, you shouldn't have these massive fluctuations in talent.

In terms of game day coaching, Malzahn was sneaky good but, again, maddeningly inconsistent. One one hand he could outfox Nick Saban with lesser talent. On the other hand, he'd blow a game against a team as dismal as South Carolina. Go figure.

[Mississippi Alabama Line]

Originally Posted by MinivanDriver

And I don't really believe the boosters were standing over him telling which players to recruit. If anything, the knock on Malzahn by them was that he didn't listen to them.

There are a few things in this life I actually know a few things about, and the inner workings of Auburn is one of them. The booster involvement there is one of the biggest drawbacks that program. No reason they shouldn't be doing the same things Alabama is doing - they just can't all get in line and do it the right way.

Was Gus the right guy? Maybe, maybe not. But he's pretty good. Not Saban. Beyond that is speculation. He could have been better at discipline, which makes me think he doesn't really have a backbone, which sort of 'allowed' more booster activity than normal. The old AD certainly had no spine. But a system coach like that must be allowed to pick and choose players that fit his system. That did not sit well with boosters who want to do things like they were done in 1983.

If I were Malzahn, at my next stop, I would take control of the playcalling again, and instead of hiring an OC, I'd hire a game manager or program manager type of guy, to handle general level duties of the flow of the game and running a program, because like you say, that's where he struggled.

He should have gone home to Arkansas last year, but who can blame him, I would not have walked out on that buy-out either.