Harsin expects to do ‘special things’ as he takes over Auburn football program
Former Boise State football coach Bryan Harsin met Auburn Athletic Director Allen Greene five years ago at an offseason event.
The duo was staying at the same hotel and spoke one night in the pool. Neither remembers the specifics of the conversation, but whatever was said left an impression on Greene.
“I remember thinking, ‘I like that guy,’ ” Greene told reporters Thursday during Harsin’s introductory press conference in Auburn, Alabama.
Harsin was announced as Auburn’s new head coach Tuesday, ending a stint at Boise State that began as a player and continued as offensive coordinator and eventually seven years as the head coach, which included three Mountain West championships.
He opened his first press conference as Auburn’s coach with a familiar phrase.
“War Eagle,” he said. “It feels good to say that.”
Harsin said he has followed Auburn for years, but his respect for the university grew in 2019 after a chance encounter with Auburn legend Bo Jackson.
Jackson was in Boise on business and former Boise State running backs coach Lee Marks suggested asking him to speak to the team.
A couple days later, there Jackson was sitting in Harsin’s office. The duo spoke briefly before Jackson addressed the Broncos, who were watching a highlight reel of his when he walked in.
During his speech, Jackson pulled out his wallet and asked who the fastest player on the team was. Former Boise State wide receiver John Hightower raised his hand, to which Jackson replied, “I bet I can beat you,” before admitting he was joking.
“You could have heard a pin drop in there, because I believed him,” Harsin said.
Jokes aside, Jackson left the Broncos with a message that remains on the dry-erase board in the team room: Do something better today than you did yesterday.
Harsin plans to take that approach at Auburn.
“There are tremendous and special people in this program and we plan to do special things along the way,” he said.
Harsin said Thursday that he’s had other opportunities to leave Boise State, but none have excited him quite like what awaits him in the Southeastern Conference.
“I had a wonderful experience at Boise State and there was no other program other than Auburn that was going to pull me away from that,” Harsin said.
Former Auburn coach Gus Malzahn went 67-33 in eight seasons as the Tigers’ head coach, racking up a national coach of the year award, two SEC West titles, one SEC championship, a national title appearance and two New Year’s Six bowl berths.
Malzahn was fired Dec. 13 after Auburn finished the season 6-4. Three of their losses were against ranked teams: Alabama, Georgia and Texas A&M.
Malzahn’s contract buyout was $21.4 million. Harsin’s was $250,000.
“There is no bigger platform from a football standpoint,” Harsin said. “We’ll get into the Xs and Os later, but it’s really simple: We want to win championships, and we want to do it a certain way.”
Greene said Auburn’s interest in Harsin was easy to explain because of his track record. Harsin went 69-19 as the Broncos’ head coach, led them to four straight Mountain West championship games and had them ranked in the AP Top 25 at some point every year.
“Simply put, he’s a winner,” Greene said. “The dude flat out knows how to win.”
Harsin met with his former players Wednesday after many learned that he was leaving on social media.
“The one thing those guys know is I bleed blue and always will,” Harsin said.
He also met with many of his new players via Zoom, telling them to enjoy Christmas with their families before they return to campus Saturday to begin preparing for the Citrus Bowl against No. 14 Northwestern, which is scheduled for Jan. 1.
Harsin said he’ll likely attend the bowl game.
He also took plenty of questions about recruiting in the SEC against more established coaches that already have strong ties to the area. His answer was that it’s all about the staff.
“It’s critically important that we get the right coaches in here,” said Harsin, who added his staff will focus on Auburn’s “backyard” first but will recruit nationally.
Boise State has signed the top-ranked class in the Mountain West every year since 2013, according to 247Sports. Harsin replaced Chris Petersen as head coach in 2014.
Harsin said he met the majority of the Auburn staff during a Zoom call Wednesday, but he didn’t go into specifics about which assistants would remain on staff or if he planned to bring any with him from Boise State.
Williams, Bates declare for NFL Draft
Two Boise State seniors have opted to pass on the extra year of eligibility offered by the NCAA and instead test the NFL waters.
Two-time Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year Avery Williams announced Thursday afternoon on Twitter that he intends to declare for the draft.
“I am very grateful that I was given the opportunity to walk on at Boise State,” Williams said in the Tweet. “Boise State is a gateway of opportunity for those coming and leaving, and my time here is something I will always cherish and never forget.”
Williams earned his second special teams player of the year award this season after returning two kickoffs for touchdowns. He also returned a punt 69 yards for a score in the Broncos’ loss to San Jose State in the Mountain West championship game.
The Pasadena, California, native also blocked two punts this fall and recovered one in the end zone for a touchdown in the Broncos’ blowout of Colorado State.
Last season, Williams returned two punts for touchdowns and led the Mountain West with 13.2 yards per punt return.
Tight end John Bates announced Thursday morning that he’ll take his chances in the NFL instead of returning next season, too.
The 6-foot-6, 256-pound redshirt senior earned honorable mention all-conference honors last season with career highs in receptions (22) and receiving yards (273).
He matched career highs with five receptions in each of the Broncos’ first two games this season, but after suffering a hamstring injury Nov. 6 in a loss to BYU, his role on the offense was significantly diminished. He finished the year with 12 catches for 117 yards.
