Bryan Harsin’s first interview since leaving Auburn is revealing

Bryan Harsin is having the time of his life away from coaching Auburn football into the ground.

After the worst tenure of Auburn football we have seen in over a century, Bryan Harsin is having the time of his life away from the coaching profession.

Harsin recently spoke with ESPN’s Chris Low about what he has done since his disastrous year and change down on The Plains.

I had hoped the hire would work over time, but it went to hell in a hand basket for Harsin faster than you can say War Eagle. He didn’t fit in with the fanbase and had an acrimonious relationship with the boosters the entire time. It also cost Allen Greene his job, too.

It wasn’t that long ago we almost had a freaking coup at Auburn, trying to oust him in year one…

"“I wasn’t going to let it eat at me, no matter how s****y some of the things were that my family had to endure. There were things we didn’t like. There were things that were disappointing, on and off the field. There were things that I wish I would have done better, and there were things where we got a chance to see some of the worst in people. At the same time, here we are. We’re thriving.”"

Despite having tremendous success at Boise State and Arkansas State previously, Harsin is dealing with high-profile failure for the first time in his career. Hopefully, he can turn this around.

Bryan Harsin regrouping after a disastrous run driving Auburn into the ground

Look. This had everything to do with Auburn as it did Harsin. It brought out the absolute worst in them. Auburn remained a cliquey, fractured mess, while Harsin suffered a massive blow to his otherwise stellar coaching career. With Hugh Freeze taking over the Tigers, there is hope he can provide the unity this fragmented program needs. He is the guy John Cohen hitched his wagon to.

As Harsin takes a year, or more, off relaxing in Boise, he has to choose his next job carefully. I don’t think it would have to be as a coordinator, or even a Nick Saban coaching rehabilitation project, but his stock did take a hellacious beating. Spitting teeth out of his skull like a battle-tested hockey player, Harsin must pick up the pieces. The big question is what type of job will make sense next?

The only other Power Five experience Harsin had prior to Auburn was a two-year run as Texas’ co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach. Texas was a declining program under Mack Brown by that point, but Harsin parlayed that into a one-year run leading the 2013 Arkansas State Red Wolves before taking over his alma mater’s program in 2014. Frankly, he should have stayed put.

I don’t know if Harsin can replace the man who replaced him in Boise, as Andy Avalos is a former Broncos player as well. In theory, if Avalos isn’t the guy, then sure, but I think it serves Harsin to keep close tabs on what could be opening up in the Big 12, Pac-12 and Mountain West. He could get a Mountain West job fairly easily should one open up, but he may want a Power Five gig more.

In the Big 12, Neal Brown faces an absurd amount of pressure with a new athletic director at West Virginia. Matt Campbell could potentially leave Iowa State for a sought-after Big Ten gig at some point. As for the Pac-12, do you really want to go to a place like Cal to replace someone like Justin Wilcox? For all we know, Harsin could be making his triumphant return to the SEC as a coordinator.

Ultimately, it is hard to tell good from great, but when it’s bad, it’s bad… It became very apparent that Harsin was not for long at Auburn. Again, this is one of the hardest, if not, the hardest, job in the country. Your three biggest rivals are Alabama, Georgia and LSU, three teams who have won a combined two-thirds of all College Football Playoff championships to date. It’s hard being Auburn.

Harsin will probably get back into coaching at some point, but his re-entry point will be fascinating.

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