Bruce Feldman evaluates comparisons between Bryan Harsin to Auburn, Kalen DeBoer to Alabama

The search to replace Nick Saban appears to be reaching its conclusion as Alabama is finalizing a deal to hire Washington’s Kalen DeBoer to succeed him. He doesn’t have any ties to the SEC from prior coaching stops, though, which adds to the intrigue around the hire.

In fact, some fans compared the situation to the one Auburn was in ahead of the 2021 season. That’s when the Tigers brought in Bryan Harsin — another offensive-minded coach with West Coast roots. He spent less than two full seasons on The Plains before his firing, though.

According to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, though, Harsin and DeBoer are different from one another. While they both came up through the offensive coaching ranks, Feldman said the different circumstances around their hires make it hard to compare the two.

“I’ve seen comparisons within the last 24 hours about him and Harsin, but you know, they’re not very similar, to be honest,” Feldman said on The Paul Finebaum Show. “They don’t come from the same coaching tree, they don’t have the same temperament. They’re both offensive guys at the core, they both come from small towns from far away. But I think that’s kind of where the similarity ends.

“And also, Harsin jumped into a really bad situation. They didn’t want him there. As you know, the dynamic was all screwy from the moment he got there. I think here, you have an AD who really wants you. It’s a tough situation, but I just think the dynamic is way different.”

Harsin’s tenure at Auburn was a tumultuous one. He had a 9-12 record with the Tigers after amassing a 69-19 record in seven seasons at Boise State, and a 7-5 mark at Arkansas State.

As for DeBoer, his resume is impressive. In his nine years as a head coach — four at NAIA Sioux Falls from 2005-09, two at Fresno State from 2020-21 and two at Washington from 2022-23 — he has a 104-12 career record. That includes a 25-3 record with the Huskies, taking the program to its first-ever national championship game, where they fell to Michigan Monday night in Houston.

Kalen DeBoer is known as an impressive offensive mind, spending most of his career as an offensive coordinator before becoming a head coach. Washington had the No. 12-ranked offense in the country in 2023, averaging 462.1 yards per game, and the Huskies’ passing offense ranked No. 2 with 343.7 passing yards per game. Michael Penix Jr. also became a Heisman Trophy finalist as part of a monster season under DeBoer’s watch.