The path that led Bryan Harsin to Auburn began five years ago in a pool with Allen Greene.
It was at an event in 2015 that the two met, by chance, well before either of them had their eyes on the Plains. Harsin was in his second year as a coach at Boise State, while Greene was the athletics director in Buffalo. Neither gave details of the day, and Greene said on Thursday that he cannot remember the conversation, although he does remember being impressed by Harsin.
“It was clear from our first conversation – not the first conversation in this process, but it was apparent in our first conversation about five years ago,” said Greene, now Auburn athletic director. “… I remember thinking, ‘I like that guy.’”
That chance encounter left a lasting impression on Greene, and Harsin remembered that when he first looked at Auburn’s vacancy. As soon as he read Greene’s biography while doing his own due diligence on the Tigers program, everything worked out for him when he remembered that meeting five years ago.
It turns out that first impressions go a long way, and created a natural connection between Auburn’s athletic director and his newest head coach when they first discussed the position earlier this week.
Harsin was identified early on as a potential candidate for Auburn after the program fired Gus Malzahn after eight seasons. He may not have been the Tigers’ first choice since the start of the nine-day search, but he had qualities that set him apart from the 20 to 25 coaches that Greene and Parker Executive Search contacted during the process. He was 69-19 in seven seasons as a coach at Boise State, has an impressive history of developing defenders and his status as an outsider – which may be seen by some as a concern – was actually a bonus for Auburn, AL. com reported Wednesday.
“Many of you, when the news came out, were trying to find out who this Bryan Harsin is, and many of you went to Wikipedia and tried to research all of his statistics,” said Greene. “He is a winner. Simply put, he is a winner. He is third overall in winning percentage at the national level, behind two people who may be playing for a national championship in a few weeks. He has won division championships several times. He won conference championships. The guy knows how to win. These are the exits; winning is simply a function of the entries. “
Harsin was born and raised in Boise, Idaho. He remained at Boise State as a defender. He spent 17 of his 21 years as a college coach in his alma mater, with brief stops in Eastern Oregon (his first coach job in 2000), Texas (as an offensive coordinator in 2011-12) and Arkansas State (as a head coach in 2012) ). So, after spending most of his 44 years in the Pacific Northwest, what is it about Auburn that got Harsin out of his hometown, Boise?
People, he said.
This started with Greene after his first clash in 2015. It extended to Auburn legend Bo Jackson, who coincidentally spoke to the Boise State team before the 2019 season, when the Broncos ended 12-1. As well as the Board of Trustees member Quentin Riggins, with whom Harsin related to football philosophies during the interview process, and Auburn President Jay Gogue and Lieutenant General Ron Burgess, executive vice president of the university who he also served on the advisory committee for the search.
Harsin had initial conversations about the opening with Greene, who he said was “100 percent right” and transparent about the research – which was painted in a chaotic way in the public sphere, with rumors spreading on social media and several reports of dysfunction. behind the scenes. The further the two advanced in the discussions – delving into coaching beliefs and recruiting philosophies, academics, personal development and other topics – the more excited Harsin was about the possibility of taking the reins at Auburn.
A formal interview took place on Monday through Zoom, and although Harsin impressed those involved, the impression he gave about his own experience portrayed a less optimistic image.
During the interview, Harsin’s Zoom screen went blank. He couldn’t see Riggins or Burgess, but they said they could see him on their screens, so the interview continued despite technical difficulties.
“I was looking at a blank canvas right there, and I thought, ‘It couldn’t get any worse,'” said Harsin. “But I finished, I could feel them. I felt the emotion there. “
When the committee asked Harsin about himself, the first thing he mentioned, Greene said, was his family and his importance to him. This also resonated with those involved, given Auburn’s embrace of the “Auburn family” and the atmosphere promoted in the Plains.
On Tuesday night, Harsin was closing a deal to become Auburn’s 28th coach, as the Tigers managed to lure him away from his alma mater and hometown. It was a decision that Harsin said was “simple”, even after spending most of his life in Boise and maintaining success with the Broncos for the past seven seasons.
“There was no place other than Auburn University that would take me away from a program like this,” said Harsin.
When Harsin first met members of Auburn’s team on Wednesday virtually through Zoom, he remembered that first meeting with Greene at the pool, five years ago. Your message to the players was that you only “have a chance to make a first impression … and that matters”.
This is something Harsin believes in and is ultimately what helped him take him to Auburn, where he left other first impressions on Thursday, during an hour-long introductory press conference.
“I know there are a lot of questions about me,” said Harsin. “I know that many of you don’t know who I am, but I feel like I know who Auburn is. Let me say that. I’m excited to learn more, but from what I’ve been able to gather through it and the people who have been involved in it, that’s why I’m here, and Auburn is about people. That’s what I want to be a part of and that’s what I want my family to be a part of. “
Tom Green is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.