Auburn fires Bryan Harsin, Mark Stoops is a replacement candidate

The inevitable finally happened on Halloween. Bryan Harsin was fired by Auburn.

Sharks swirled around the Tigers’ head football coach throughout the offseason, but the former Boise State coach clung on for two-thirds of the 2022 campaign. Now 3-5 with just one win in SEC play — albeit a lucky one against Missouri — Harsin will collect approximately $15 million to not coach on The Plains ever again.

In the midst of the fallout folks scrambled to create lists of candidates. Of course, Coach Prime, Lane Kiffin and Matt Rhule were among the firsts on many hot boards. On3’s Justin Hokanson included Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops, as did coaching carousel expert Bruce Feldman. Here’s the case Feldman makes for Mark Stoops at Auburn:

Kentucky coach Mark Stoops knows how to win in the SEC. In the previous four seasons, he had two 10-win years, and at Kentucky, that’s a remarkable feat. The Wildcats had only one 10-win season in the previous 65 years. Kentucky is 5-3 thus far, which has felt a little disappointing given how much he elevated the expectations around the program. Would he leave Lexington for another job in the SEC albeit it’s one where prior to Harsin, the last two coaches either won a national title or played for one? It might be hard to say no, but he’s comfortable enough at UK where that may be the case.

Bruce Feldman, The Athletic

Why Mark Stoops would consider Auburn

There’s no denying that Auburn is a mess off the field. Boosters will not hesitate to jump start termination campaigns, even if it will cost more than $20 million in buyout money. Even though that may be a disqualifier for some rationally thinking individuals, every successful college head coach has a big enough ego to believe they can win a National Title.

The crux of the argument is simpler. Auburn is one of about a dozen of jobs in the country where you can win a National Championship. Even though Georgia and Alabama are making that more difficult now than ever, it can be done.

Auburn also has a lot going for it in its NIL department. According to On3’s Jeremy Crabtree, they’re sitting on a stack of about $13 million to pay players to come to The Plains. That’s a lot of money to build a quality football team. The coffers at Nebraska are similarly deep, and that is why the Huskers will find a good coach this offseason.

It’s also worth noting that Auburn made this move on the same day John Cohen informed Mississippi State he is leaving his alma mater to be the athletic director at Auburn. A Mitch Barnhart pupil at Kentucky, Cohen could provide Stoops enough assurance and stability to right the ship at Auburn.

Will Mark Stoops ultimately take the job? We will not know for six weeks or so, but one thing is certain, his name will be linked to almost every job opening on this year’s college football coaching carousel.