Some of this will be redundant, as @Jay G. Tate and @jhead34382 did a great job covering this on the Saturday night 251 edition of The Rundown.
There is no "tomorrow" or "next year" for Auburn football. The limp to last season's end and the following failed coaching coup accelerated the AU football team's status progression critical to terminal. Harsin was already in a war, a somewhat self-generated one, as he battled two cultural transitions. The first being overhauling what had become a laissez-faire football operation under the watch of the former head coach. The second being his own adaptation to a football world far bigger than he was accustomed to, and the means at which he has to navigate it in the midst its perennial evolution.
Replacing departed coaches with internal hires familiar with him is part of a necessary circling of the wagons. Harsin has to bet on his way right now, as the acclimation period is over. It is also in part that very few sought after coaches would be willing to join a program right now in such a state of discord (see Kyle Pope). There's also been a documented emphasis on team building activities, which are always a part of off seasons but now become more important, because what is left in the locker room must be completely galvanized to be successful.
Going into spring Harsin is doubling down on what he has, because what he has is all he has. Auburn can't bank on established portal additions upgrading the roster, because AU is considered a risk right now. Players they add will have to be gambles on talent, ability, and evaluated intangibles. The current roster has to be developed to reach its maximum potential, because there isn't likely any major help coming. "Coaching them up" is what Harsin prides himself on. It is what he will have to do, and do well to win enough this year to keep the AU program from entering the SEC's basement.
The recruiting close was a failure. Many attribute that to a reluctance of the HC to buy into and promote NIL as a tool, especially in regards to a particular LA RB. Recruiting can't be the emphasis of the coaching staff now, because their collective backs are against the wall in regards to on field performance. So again, it is win now in order to put a product on the field that will lend itself to a recruiting uptick. "Coaching them up" is necessary, and has to be done at an all time high level this season, but without recruiting that model doesn't sustain in the SEC. If it did, the kids with Vanderbilt credentials would win 8-9 a year.
This staff has to get an OL to move people at the point of attack, they have to develop wide receivers that can create separation and effectively catch the football, they have to find a QB who can lead the team from a collection of SEC cast offs and unproven youngsters, and they have to supplant several critical pieces on a defense that will demand more aggression. It all has to be done now. A strong spring is vital, a great summer is a necessity, a productive and healthy fall camp has to happen, all to create a respectable season that keeps AU from becoming an anticipated win the likes of the Mississippi schools on everyone else's schedule for the foreseeable future. If it is done in spite of the current hyper-stasis on the plains, it will be one of the more impressive coaching jobs I have ever seen.
TL DNR, SIW!
There is no "tomorrow" or "next year" for Auburn football. The limp to last season's end and the following failed coaching coup accelerated the AU football team's status progression critical to terminal. Harsin was already in a war, a somewhat self-generated one, as he battled two cultural transitions. The first being overhauling what had become a laissez-faire football operation under the watch of the former head coach. The second being his own adaptation to a football world far bigger than he was accustomed to, and the means at which he has to navigate it in the midst its perennial evolution.
Replacing departed coaches with internal hires familiar with him is part of a necessary circling of the wagons. Harsin has to bet on his way right now, as the acclimation period is over. It is also in part that very few sought after coaches would be willing to join a program right now in such a state of discord (see Kyle Pope). There's also been a documented emphasis on team building activities, which are always a part of off seasons but now become more important, because what is left in the locker room must be completely galvanized to be successful.
Going into spring Harsin is doubling down on what he has, because what he has is all he has. Auburn can't bank on established portal additions upgrading the roster, because AU is considered a risk right now. Players they add will have to be gambles on talent, ability, and evaluated intangibles. The current roster has to be developed to reach its maximum potential, because there isn't likely any major help coming. "Coaching them up" is what Harsin prides himself on. It is what he will have to do, and do well to win enough this year to keep the AU program from entering the SEC's basement.
The recruiting close was a failure. Many attribute that to a reluctance of the HC to buy into and promote NIL as a tool, especially in regards to a particular LA RB. Recruiting can't be the emphasis of the coaching staff now, because their collective backs are against the wall in regards to on field performance. So again, it is win now in order to put a product on the field that will lend itself to a recruiting uptick. "Coaching them up" is necessary, and has to be done at an all time high level this season, but without recruiting that model doesn't sustain in the SEC. If it did, the kids with Vanderbilt credentials would win 8-9 a year.
This staff has to get an OL to move people at the point of attack, they have to develop wide receivers that can create separation and effectively catch the football, they have to find a QB who can lead the team from a collection of SEC cast offs and unproven youngsters, and they have to supplant several critical pieces on a defense that will demand more aggression. It all has to be done now. A strong spring is vital, a great summer is a necessity, a productive and healthy fall camp has to happen, all to create a respectable season that keeps AU from becoming an anticipated win the likes of the Mississippi schools on everyone else's schedule for the foreseeable future. If it is done in spite of the current hyper-stasis on the plains, it will be one of the more impressive coaching jobs I have ever seen.
TL DNR, SIW!
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