Best of the rest from Bryan Harsin after Tuesday's practice

AUBURN | Bryan Harsin and the Tigers wrapped up day four of fall camp on Tuesday, battling heat, rain and lightning that pushed them indoors by the end of practice, Bryan Harsin detailed to the media during a 25-minute Zoom session.

We talked about Harsin beginning to create his culture in an earlier story.

Here’s the best of the rest of what Bryan Harsin had to say.

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The offensive line continues to shuffle positions during camp. Harsin isn’t concerned with first team or second team reps quite yet. It’s all about evaluations early on.

“We’re not shuffling every single play,” Harsin said. “They’re in racks of four or six. For that period, they’ll be in that group. There might be a guy that was with the second group now with the first group. It’s little tweaks. It’s not major. I think Coach (Will) Friend has done a good job of that. Early, we’re doing fundamental work, working on technique. Then you get into our team portion, you’re learning the offense. You’re getting a lot of reps of the same play throughout practice. You’re repping the same plays. This guy got three reps on it at guard, then he’s going to get three reps on it at tackle.

“I think it helps them get a better understanding and communication. It allows us some freedom to move guys around and see who the best five is. One of the reasons why, when I was at Boise, I think it was the 2008 or 2009 season, one of those years out of the 12 games we played, we had 11 different line combinations. That’s something that’s always stuck with me. It’s not ideal, but those guys need to be ready. We’re still working on who the best five are.

“Who are the best guys, the toughest guys, who the most consistent? If you want to play on this team, be consistent. Go out there and play good football every single day. Be a guy we can count on. Be reliable. Show some toughness. That’s what we’re working to right now. Who is going to go out there and be a physical player? Who can go out and get into a game and cause some damage? Right now, we’re not there. We are working through that. That has to show up more in those areas.”

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Harsin made official what Auburn Live reported last week: defensive tackle Tyrone Truesdell isn’t a part of the football team anymore.

“As of right now, he’s not a part of this football team,” Harsin said. “That’s where we stand. The guys in camp have worked really hard to be there. We need to keep focused on the things we need to do in this program. That’s a part of our culture each and every day.”

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Bo Nix and TJ Finley are kicking their quarterback competition into high gear as pads go on for the first time this camp. Nix is the presumed starter, but Finley was brought in to compete right away.

“Those guys (Bo and TJ) get along. They listen to each other. That’s the most important,” Harsin said. “They prepare. They push each other, they’re both competitive. TJ, from the summer time, has picked up quite a bit. He’s picked up the position. Both guys are doing a good job. There’s a high standard for that position daily. It’s not just the game. That’s the biggest thing that I hope these guys are getting and understanding. Every rep at the quarterback position is like a game rep. You have to treat it like that because there’s so many things that happen throughout practice and a game. There’s no days off at that position. Bo has done a better job of that and Finley is getting to understand that as well.”

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Visit practice for a few minutes and one will quickly notice that Harsin doesn’t stand around. The first-year Auburn coach has his hands in everything. Harsin is constantly in the middle of the action and that’s exactly how he likes it.

“I love football. I learn every day,” said Harsin. “When I’m on the defensive side, I’m all about tackling. I see it from a different perspective – from what the offensive side might be thinking. I will provide information when needed. That’s the thing about being a head coach — you get to be around the winners. If the defense is winning, I’m going to be around them. The offense is winning, I’m going to be around them. If it’s special teams, I’m going to be around those guys. You get to cheer for each side.”

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