Paul Finebaum explains how Auburn has reacted to Bryan Harsin saga

Auburn Tigers head coach Bryan Harsin went through the wringer this offseason, not sure if he was going to have a job for the 2022 season or not. After a long month, the situation was resolved and the program decided to keep Harsin but there has to be a sense that he is on thin ice.

ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum recently went on the radio to discuss the entire saga and how the Tigers should feel after spring practice. Cole Cubic set up the question by saying he was at the spring game and the overall vibe was positive surrounding Harsin and Auburn. Finebaum said he hoped that was the case but does not know if the head coach will survive if they get off to a rocky start.

“Cole, what you just got through saying, I think is how Auburn feels right now but also think that is a natural reaction,” Finebaum said. “I’ve seen this before and I don’t think it necessarily predicts the future because a football team rallies around its coach. If it didn’t rally around him, then I am not sure there would be any reason for Bryan Harsin to continue based on what we saw at the end of last season and in the aftermath. I think we’re way too far away. Until we get the quarterback situation established and then we see what this new staff looks like and whether this is truly the restart. It looks like a restart.

“Now, the question I have is if the record doesn’t improve dramatically, are the powers that be, who were ready to pull the trigger in January — are they going to say ‘ok let’s give this guy a couple more years’? Based on what I saw in January, I don’t think that is a true statement. I don’t know how to go beyond what you said. You were there, you felt it. I’m glad to hear it but if the first six games don’t go very well for Auburn, all of this excitement in April will be forgotten.”

Auburn has a tough first half of the schedule, outside of their opening two nonconference games. Harsin and company will welcome the Penn State Nittany Lions, Missouri Tigers, and LSU Tigers to Jordan-Hare Stadium but will travel to face off against their cross-division rivals, the Georgia Bulldogs.

Games such as Georgia and LSU can be where Auburn head coaches are judged, where losing can cost you your job. Harsin will need to find a way to string along some wins early on, otherwise, Finebaum could see “the powers that be” making a move.