Former Auburn lineman Cole Cubelic questions hierarchy as Bryan Harsin saga drags on

As Auburn prepares for a big-time SEC opponent this week, the question is once again what happens next for Bryan Harsin if the Tigers lose. SEC Network analyst and former Auburn player Cole Cubelic said he doesn’t know if it’ll happen, but he knows first-hand the toll the situation is taking on the team.

Cubelic played at Auburn from 1996-2001, meaning he was there when the university moved on from Terry Bowden mid-year and eventually hired Tommy Tuberville. The Tigers could be looking at another mid-year change from Harsin, depending on what the university decides to do.

Still, for the players’ sake, Cubelic said he doesn’t like Harsin’s future is the storyline entering the game against Georgia.

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“It’s unfortunate that this has to be the focal point,” Cubelic said Friday on The Paul Finebaum Show. “When I say unfortunate, I mainly speak for the players and I speak as a former player at Auburn University who went through a coaching change in-season. It’s not fun, it’s not enjoyable, there’s no part that’s nice, there’s no big sigh of relief. There’s no part of a player on that football team that’s trying to win games that says, ‘You know, if we could just get our head coach out of here, we could probably find a way to better prepare and go out and win some football games.’ That’s just not a real thing.

“The reality is Auburn doesn’t have a baseline of plays that they can successfully run on a continuous basis and then build upon to go out and move the football for four quarters. It’s not there. They don’t have the talent, they don’t have the guys to be able to go do that against top-tier SEC competition.”

Cole Cubelic: I’m not sure who’s going to make the decision on Bryan Harsin

Cubelic also questioned the leadership situation at Auburn. Former athletic director Allen Greene is out and Rich McGlynn is now in as interim athletic director, and the university recently installed a new president. It’s also important to note this week’s game against Georgia is a rivalry game.

All of that could impact a decision on what’s next for Harsin, even after everything that happened over the offseason.

“I think you look at Bryan Harsin and, obviously, his future is in doubt,” Cubelic said. “If it’s going to happen during the season, Paul, I’m not really sure what the powers that be are waiting for. I’m not really sure who the leadership is that’s ultimately going to make that decision because obviously, you have an interim athletic director in Rich McGlynn, you have a new president that’s in. How do you want to make that decision? When do you want to make that decision, if it were to be made? I have no idea. Is it going to be because it’s a rivalry game? I don’t know.

“I had reporters from all over the country calling me early Sunday morning saying, ‘Today is the day,’ last week. A lot of people thought it was going to happen. I just think it’s unfortunate that that’s the focal point that a lot of the players and a lot of coaches and a lot of people around that football team have to deal with. Do I like Auburn’s chances to win that game? I do not. But I do think Georgia opened the door on a few things that not just Auburn, but a couple of other teams might be able to have success with against them. We’ll see if Bryan Harsin and Co. can find a way to get that done Saturday afternoon.”