An hour after his plane landed on the plains, Bryan Harsin gave his first press conference as Auburn’s new football coach.
The Tigers announced their new leader on Tuesday night, nine days after firing Gus Malzahn. Harsin comes to Auburn from the state of Boise, where he was 69-19.
When Auburn made it official, Allen Greene, Auburn’s athletic director, described Harsin as a “proven winner”. Harsin has won at least nine games each season in Boise State, with the exception of this season, which was shortened by the pandemic. He is also 3-2 in bowl games.
Like Malzahn, Harsin has an offensive past. He was a quarterback at Boise State before becoming a coach. He spent time training many different positions, including running backs, wide receivers, tight end and quarterbacks, before becoming an offensive coordinator. His first position as head coach was in the state of Arkansas, where he took over after Malzahn left.
Harsin and his wife landed in Auburn on Thursday, eight days before the Tigers ply Northwestern at the Citrus Bowl on January 1. Below is a summary of what he said at his first press conference:
PRESIDENT JAY GOGUE:
– This is a “very, very” great day in the life of Auburn University.
– “We aim high and reach high.”
– “We heard your voice,” he said to all Auburn fans who shared his thoughts.
– “We are excited to have a new football coach.”
– “I want to make sure that Allen Greene and his people get a lot of credit.”
GREENE:
– The process was quite exhausting and it is not something they want to do again.
– Thanks to all the people who helped.
– There was a “high level of interest” from university coordinators, university technicians and NFL technicians.
– They discussed their coaching philosophy, recruitment philosophy, some offensive and defensive strategies, academics and community service. It was clear from the first conversation, five years ago, at a casual event.
– Many people tried to find out who this Bryan Harsin is. “Simply put, he is a winner.” He is third overall in winning percentage nationally. He won division championships and conference championships. But those are just the “results”.
– The first thing they talked about was family. As the Auburn Family is very serious, this was very important.
– He also talked about integral development, discipline at all stages. He is a demanding competitor. He’s a good man.
– Please help him to welcome the 28th Auburn coach.
HARSIN:
– “War Eagle. Good to say that. “
– “I know it’s Christmas Eve. I want to thank you for being there. “
– It means a lot to be Auburn’s football coach and be part of this program.
– He discovered that there are amazing and special people on the show, and they plan to do amazing and special things.
– The first thing to know about him is that he is family.
– That decision was simple. His wife, Kes, was excited about this.
– His family made sacrifices so that he was in the position he is in. He lived in his father-in-law’s basement while trying to do this.
– “We need to have a mentality of room and one every day, because there are no days off when you think so.”
– Thanks to the people involved.
– “Let’s get into the X’s and O’s. We will go into the bush a little later … but it is very simple. We want to win championships. “
– “I believe that football is a development game. And life too. “
– “Okay. Boise State.”
– He spent most of his career there. He told his team what it’s like to go through changes. He had a wonderful experience there. There was nowhere but Auburn that would take him away.
– The news traveled fast. This was not how he wanted his players to find out. But many of them congratulated him. Boise State will be in good hands.
– “We left on good terms. They know that I will be back (State of Boise) at some point. “
– “Okay. The program.”
– When he had a chance to find out how this program was built, he said he knew it was all about people.
– “There is no bigger platform than Auburn University and Auburn football.”
– When Bo Jackson reached out to him while he was in Boise, he said “Bo Jackson like the Bo Jackson I’m thinking of?” Jackson appeared in front of his Boise State team. He had his attention.
– The Broncos went 12-1 after that.
– “Back in Auburn … I understand the expectations. I understand what it takes to win championships. The areas that we need to improve, we will discover this as we move forward. “
– He heard it will be challenging and difficult. That’s what he wants because he is a competitor.
– “This will not change week after week. So you better be a competitor. “
– He had a chance to contact the current team through Zoom. He didn’t do a head count, but he believes everyone was there.
– First, he told them who he is. He told his story, told them about his family. He said he may not have recruited them, but he chose Auburn for the same reason he did.
– “Recruitment: this is obviously a big part of what we do.”
– Harsin gets ready to focus on the guys in Auburn’s “backyard” as well as across the country.
– Harsin said he is more focused on finding the right team than on finding a team quickly. He wants to find people who understand what he is trying to do.
– They plan to bring in the best players while giving current players the best they have.
– “War Damn Eagle.”
– When asked about the Iron Bowl, Harsin said that every game and every day is important. Otherwise, days like the Iron Bowl become too big.
– Harsin understands rivalry. He said Auburn is no different than any other team that has been successful in the league.
– “We can certainly embrace the past. We will attack the future by moving forward. “
– When asked about recruiting against Georgia and Alabama, he said “You have to compete”. There are the right people out there, you just need to find them.
– He does not know what are the concerns with him recruiting in an area that has no experience. He said it goes back to what he already said. Work every day, compete. In addition, you must build relationships.
– He admits it’s a fair question, but recruiting was difficult at Boise State too.
– He will enjoy Christmas and then focus on the players when they return. Then, they will start to assemble a team and do whatever is asked.
– “Did someone ask me how you play in the league games? Well, you win every game that leads to that. “
– They will start by PRACTICING good football and let the little things take care of themselves.
– Rankings are important, but they are not his focus.
– He knows some of the coaches here. He asked what he can do to help them. They are all good men. That is why they are in the positions they are in. He knows that coaching changes are difficult for families.
– “A whirlwind.” That’s how this process went for him. Everything that has been said about Auburn has proven to be true so far.
– “When people and our fans watch Auburn’s game, I want them to be proud of what is happening in this field and for them to be proud of me being the head coach of Auburn University.”
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