Did an anonymous SEC football coach make anonymous comments critical of former Auburn coach Bryan Harsin? Harsin says no. A report says otherwise.
Harsin’s time at Auburn was brief. He left Boise State to become head coach of the Tigers following the 2020 season. Auburn was 6-7 in the 2021 season and following a 3-5 start to the 2022 season, he was fired. Running backs coach and Auburn legend Cadillac Williams finished the 2022 season as the interim coach and Hugh Freeze took over ahead of the 2023 campaign.
Athlon Sports recently ran a college football preview for the 2024 season. In the SEC portion, some less-than-flattering comments were made about Harsin.
“They aren’t close to the top end of the league, but they are absolutely better than the [Bryan] Harsin rosters at offensive line and receiver, and probably defensive line, too,” an anonymous coach was quoted as saying.
Those comments circulated on social media and were shared by Michael Bratton, host of That SEC Podcast. Harsin responded by not so much taking exception to the comments but by doubting their veracity. Or at the very least, doubting that they came from a coach.
“Coaches do not make these kind of comments,” Harsin said. “They focus on their programs & their problems only. If a coach wants to make a statement about another program he will not hide behind ‘Anonymous’ he will say it publicly & with authority.”
Coaches do not make these kind of comments. They focus on their programs & their problems only. If a coach wants to make a statement about another program he will not hide behind “Anonymous” he will say it publicly & with authority. https://t.co/nXiSpqxEEL
— Bryan Harsin (@CoachHarsin) June 3, 2024
Both Steven Godfrey and Bratton rejected Harsin’s claims.
1. I was in charge of the scouting report, which was a combo of multiple sources in the league.
2. Coaches have been gossiping about each other for as long as I’ve been doing this.
3. I’m the last person on God’s earth to do Hugh Freeze a favor
4. They cooked you, Hars https://t.co/vmiRzpWzAV— Steven Godfrey (@38Godfrey) June 3, 2024
Saying coaches don’t gossip is an incredible statement https://t.co/jR4mxxQqOC
— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) June 3, 2024
Additionally, these comments aren’t exactly coming out of nowhere. Harsin’s recruiting tactics (among other issues) came under heavy scrutiny during his short tenure at Auburn.
[Athlonsports.com, Michael Bratton and Bryan Harsin on X]
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