AUBURN, Alabama – Finally, Bryan Harsin completed his first coaching commission at Auburn when the hiring of defensive line coach Nick Eason was made official, replacing Tracy Rocker. There was no time to relax, however, with the national signing day less than a month away, while Auburn was looking to improve on a 2021 class that was ranked No. 49 in the country.
Still, the team had some fun with that. Harsin spent the past week testing his new sign of commitment on Twitter – the equivalent of Gus Malzahnthe old “Boom!” posts – while he enigmatically shared part of Auburn’s recruitment success. Other team members also participated in social media, expressing their enthusiasm for a recruit’s promise and even sparking some future developments for the recruiting class.
This week, at the Auburn football complex, Harsin said he enjoyed spending time with his new team and getting to know them and their recruiting styles even better – even if most of the time together in a room was passing a phone to speak to a recruit.
“I am very proud of our team for working to get where we are now,” said Harsin on Wednesday during a Zoom conference call with reporters.
Auburn signed six new Tigers on Wednesday – three security stars and South Alabama flip Cayden Bridges, four-star wide receiver Tar’Varish Dawsonfour star security Juwon GastonNorthwest pass-rusher transfer Eku Leota, four star offensive tackle Colby Smith and internal linebacker number 2 outside the college ranks, Joko Willis – and Harsin said they were not finished, with “several” vacancies to fill. The new Tigers coach said, however, that he does not expect more letters of intent to be sent to Auburn on Wednesday.
Harsin is especially pleased with the way his new team members were able to connect with Auburn’s recruitment goals in such a short time. Some of Harsin’s team members may have come across these recruits before, but many – like Jeff Schmedding from Boise State and certainly Eason from the NFL – are having to develop relationships quickly and efficiently.
Obviously, the dialogue inside the Auburn building had to be on the same page for the past few weeks, and Harsin was also satisfied in that area.
“I think there was a lot of communication,” he said. “I think we did a good job of making sure that we not only communicated the players we were recruiting, but also the family, but also internally. Where are we? What are some of the things we need to do to move on? And we’ve had these conversations. I think the team did a good job of staying connected and making sure that the questions that were asked were answered and that we really showed a vision of what we want to do here and make sure the guys can see it and how they fit together and how they will be part of this program.
“With the change in coaching and without the chance to get there and come face to face, many conversations had to be made to give this vision and many points of connection needed to be made to ensure that we had the information back and move forward so that we can make the right decision. “
The challenges arose not only with the change of coach and staff review, but also with the fundamental recruitment disadvantages that have existed since the NCAA banned personal visits due to COVID-19.
As Malzahn said so many times after the coronavirus came into play in college sports, Harsin noted that Auburn is very affected because the campus aspect of recruiting a player in Auburn – plus the “vibe” of the university city in general – is one of the program’s greatest assets.
Sign up for the Auburn Undercover Newsletter and get the latest news from Auburn in your inbox
So Harsin and his team had to work overtime to make connections with potential clients, high school coaches and player families, while doing everything over the phone or Zoom.
“I think players and families appreciate that and, at the end of the day, you know, they know they are in good hands,” said Harsin. “They know that they will be in a very good program with men of high character who will train them and will be developed in our program.”
With some vacancies remaining to be filled with 2021 high school candidates or the transfer portal, Auburn’s recruiting class currently ranks 30th in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite ranking.
“Our team now, we feel good about the position we are in, we feel good about the work that has been done, the guys who were hired, who are on this program now,” said Harsin. “But it will continue and we need to finish this class. We need to finish and make sure that our numbers have been filled and we have our depth and competition in those positions.”