Auburn football: Bryan Harsin high on Bydarrius Knighten, other transfers

Auburn football coach Bryan Harsin said in his Monday press conference he expects transfer safety Bydarrius Knighten to play a big role in 2021. The Tigers open the season at 7 p.m. EST on Saturday against Akron.

Knighten spent the first four years of his college career with Southeast Missouri State of the FCS. The 6-foot-1, 201-pound senior recorded a total of 255 tackles, six interceptions and 18 passes defended.

Harsin said that experience is a major part of why Knighten is slated to play such a big part on defense.

“Knighten’s played,” he said. “That’s the one thing about some of these guys that transfer in. I think one difference is they’ve been through fall camp, they’ve been through the learning curve and so I think there’s a better understanding of what to expect. Sometimes as a freshman, it’s not so much that you can’t learn it or it’s so different necessarily; it’s just something they haven’t been through before. You know, once guys have been through something, once they understand like, okay, this is how it is, these are the things that I have to do as a player to have myself ready each and every day — once you learn that, I think it makes that process of learning something new a little easier and you have more confidence in yourself.”

The Tigers have six transfers on defense including Knighten. Defensive coordinator Derek Mason has already sung the praises of another transfer, UAB’s Tony Fair.

Knighten and Fair are both listed as starters in Week 1, along with Kansas transfer Marcus Harris.

“I think these guys that have transferred in and are older players, they know that they can learn it. They know the work necessary to do that. And unlike a freshman where it’s like: Alright how much do I have to do here? What is the expectation, really of yourself? And those younger players are working through that — they’re setting those right now. These older players know that, so it’s a matter of just: This is what it’s going to take for me to be sure that I’m prepared and ready. I thought our transfer players and older players have done a pretty good job of that.”

This is Harsin’s first season as coach of the Tigers. He spent the past seven years coaching Boise State, where he amassed an 88-69 record. Auburn finished 6-5 in 2020 and fired coach Gus Malzahn, who is now the coach at UCF.

If Harsin hopes to make an impact in his first year at Auburn, he will lean on the help of Bydarrius Knighten and other transfer players.