Bryan Harsin wears LANK t-shirt, congratulates rivalry week winners

On Monday morning, former Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin posted a congratulations message to winners around the country this past weekend. However, a few eagle-eyed followers noticed something odd about the photo.

In the reflection of the window in Harsin’s photo, it appears that he’s wearing a “LANK” shirt — a piece of Alabama merchandise. Evidently, Harsin’s congratulatory post may have been directed at a specific team. On Saturday, Alabama hammered Auburn 28-14 in the Iron Bowl.

It’d be no surprise to learn Bryan Harsin harbors an ill will toward Auburn. He was the head coach of the program from 2021-22. In his first season with the Tigers, the team finished with a 6-7 record and 3-5 mark in conference play.

James 5:7 “Patience isn’t Passive.” Cheers to the Winners! Championship Week 🏆 pic.twitter.com/6x12KwSPYf

— Bryan Harsin (@CoachHarsin) December 2, 2024

After the Tigers began the following season with a 3-5 record, Auburn fired Harsin on October 31, 2022. He finished his stint as head coach with the lowest winning percentage for a non-interim head coach at Auburn since Earl Brown (1948–1950).

Auburn’s decision to fire Harsin likely isn’t the only issue the 48-year-old former coach has with the program. After the program saw a mass exodus of coaches and players following his first campaign at the helm of Auburn, the university conducted an investigation into Harsin’s behavior.

Although the university ultimately brought Harsin back for a second season, the investigation led to an avalanche of online rumors about Harsin and his family. In an interview with ESPN in May 2023, Harsin discussed the investigation’s effect on him and his loved ones.

“Everything we were going through — these players, this program, the attacks on my character and my family — was bulls***,” Harsin said.

Nonetheless, Bryan Harsin admitted he could’ve handled some of the adversity at Auburn better.

“You learn in every situation, the good and the bad,” Harsin said. “But when you really get tested as we were at Auburn, and it’s the same challenge for your players, your true colors are going to show in how you handle it. Certainly, there are things we could have done better and things we would have done differently if you could go back.

“But as a family, we stood on the things we believed in and held firm on those things. That was our foundation, and that’s the way we’re moving forward.”

For now, Harsin doesn’t have to worry about any issues on the gridiron. Harsin hasn’t coached since Auburn fired him in 2022.