Paul Finebaum makes prediction on Bryan Harsin's future with Auburn

Auburn Tigers head football coach Bryan Harsin’s future with the program is currently up in the air. Amid a lot of speculation over the last week, many players have come to the defense of their head coach, while others have gone against him. When asked about the future of the Tigers coach, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum made it clear that he thinks Harsin’s days are numbered.

Finebaum joined McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning on Monday, where he was asked if he believed that Harsin would still be Auburn’s head coach this time next week.

“No, I do not,” Finebaum responded.

Finebaum went on to elaborate on his thoughts on Harsin. To Finebaum, Auburn athletics rirector Allen Greene doesn’t have the support from higher ups in the athletic department, creating a sticky situation for Auburn’s football coach.

“He had success at Boise, but it wasn’t success like a Chris Petersen,” Finebaum said. “Secondly, Nick Saban had a strong boss in Mal Moore, who gave him the green light to let him do what he wanted to do and had the power with the administration and the people that mattered.”

“So when he makes mistakes, which he clearly did, there’s no one there to support him. Bryan Harsin wants to recruit a certain way, and that may be great for him, but it may not be great for Auburn.”

Auburn went 6-7 during Harsin’s first year at the helm of the program. The Tigers’ staff has seen an exodus after the season, with Auburn’s offensive and defensive coordinators not returning. Harsin brought in Austin Davis to fill the offensive coordinator role, but a month later, Davis stepped down from his position.

Many Auburn players are strongly defending Harsin

Throughout the last week, a lot of criticism has been placed on Harsin. Some of it has been for the culture under him within the program. But a lot of that criticism has come from players that are no longer with the Tigers. That has led to some strong responses from players still on Auburn’s roster.

While Finebaum believes that Harsin’s days are numbered, that would go against what many Auburn players are hoping for.

“I’m not about to let y’all down talk Coach Harsin like his character sucked or he wasn’t a good Head Coach,” tweeted former Auburn defensive lineman Tony Fair. “Everybody has jobs to do and if you’re not doing it then next man up. This man is not y’all momma or daddy. He’s y’all Football coach that believes in winning and competing.”

Auburn tight end John Samuel Shenker is another player to release a statement sharing his adamant support for Harsin.

“Listen and Listen Carefully: @CoachHarsin is my football coach! He is the leader I want to have in my corner,” Shenker said of Harsin. “If you have a problem with his Discipline, Toughness, and Conviction that he instills in his players than get your entitled, selfish, and soft tail out away this program.

“I’ll go into a foxhole with guys who love each other and back up Coach Harsin! Also, if you reporters think this “publicity” is giving you credibility, you are more naive than I thought. Come out to a workout or practice and write about things you see instead of things you want to hear. WDE.”