This is a bad "look" for Auburn. It will be perceived as instability, unrest, and disfunction. It will be up to Harsin to prove that wrong in short order, all the while recovering from yet another recruiting handicap that he just created.
Oklahoma State was a fringe playoff team last season with a solid defense, and a lot of returning talent. Gundy is an established coach who is on solid ground. If you're a coordinator looking to move up to a HC spot, attaching yourself to something stable is the best route. Not to mention there is plenty of T Boone Pickens money. It was not a lateral or backward move for Mason thinking short term. That said, no one in house was trying hard to stop him from leaving either.
Schmedding is a solid tactician, and the scheme he's employed in the past is better suited for the variable concepts seen in the SEC, and maximizes SEC athleticism to a better degree. Robinson is a homerun as an ace recruiter and energy catalyst in the room. He will be the star of this renovation. He will have to be. The Brumbaugh hire is very underwhelming. He's an AU man, and was a great player. As a coach he's had to move around a lot, and went from on field coach to analyst recently. I think that is an indicator or effectiveness, unfortunately. I hope I'm wrong! When I was a kid I used to draw the Iron Man tattoo he has on his arm on mine before backyard football games. I'm a fan.
Recruiting will take a hit here, and some damage control needs to be done in house not to lose anymore defensive players to the portal. I'll be anxious to see what happens with Ethridge as well. I hope he stays and continues his development towards being an exceptional coach and recruiter for Auburn.
Auburn had put themselves in position to be a strong defensive team in '22, a necessity with so many uncertainties on the offensive side of the ball. Now they've manifested uncertainty there, too. I think this series of events makes year 2 a make or break season, there has to be improvement, there has to be better tangible results record wise, scoring wise, etc... Auburn isn't a patient place. With all of the money spent on resources of late, and the arms race that college football has become, no coach at any major program will get a third year without establishing obvious positive trajectory.
Oklahoma State was a fringe playoff team last season with a solid defense, and a lot of returning talent. Gundy is an established coach who is on solid ground. If you're a coordinator looking to move up to a HC spot, attaching yourself to something stable is the best route. Not to mention there is plenty of T Boone Pickens money. It was not a lateral or backward move for Mason thinking short term. That said, no one in house was trying hard to stop him from leaving either.
Schmedding is a solid tactician, and the scheme he's employed in the past is better suited for the variable concepts seen in the SEC, and maximizes SEC athleticism to a better degree. Robinson is a homerun as an ace recruiter and energy catalyst in the room. He will be the star of this renovation. He will have to be. The Brumbaugh hire is very underwhelming. He's an AU man, and was a great player. As a coach he's had to move around a lot, and went from on field coach to analyst recently. I think that is an indicator or effectiveness, unfortunately. I hope I'm wrong! When I was a kid I used to draw the Iron Man tattoo he has on his arm on mine before backyard football games. I'm a fan.
Recruiting will take a hit here, and some damage control needs to be done in house not to lose anymore defensive players to the portal. I'll be anxious to see what happens with Ethridge as well. I hope he stays and continues his development towards being an exceptional coach and recruiter for Auburn.
Auburn had put themselves in position to be a strong defensive team in '22, a necessity with so many uncertainties on the offensive side of the ball. Now they've manifested uncertainty there, too. I think this series of events makes year 2 a make or break season, there has to be improvement, there has to be better tangible results record wise, scoring wise, etc... Auburn isn't a patient place. With all of the money spent on resources of late, and the arms race that college football has become, no coach at any major program will get a third year without establishing obvious positive trajectory.
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