A look at the Harsin staff so far.....EDIT: Rocker Hire......

[JMR 2,118]

Just when we’d begun to worry about the fact that new Head Coach Bryan Harsin seemed to be moving at an uncomfortably slow pace in assembling a staff, he has proven those worries to be unfounded.  Personally, I’ve enjoyed the fact that, unlike the “search” for a head coach, the hiring of staff has been subject to very little speculation and media coverage.  While we all want to know what’s going on, and would love a bombshell announcement of a complete staff replete with highly successful and widely respected coaches, that’s not really practical. What IS practical is assembling a group of coaches who know their craft, are known to work their tails off, and are the kind of men you would want teaching and mentoring your own kid, both on and off the field.  And the “judge” of those qualities is the Head Coach. So far, in my opinion, Bryan Harsin has done a great job of that.

Let’s start with Defensive Coordinator Derek Mason.  I am personally delighted with this hire.  Mason is widely regarded as an exceptionally intelligent defensive guy, one of the top defensive minds schematically in college football.  On top of that, he is a tireless worker, a high-character guy, and one whom kids love to play for.  Hired by Jim Harbaugh at Stanford, and quickly promoted to DC there by David Shaw, Mason quickly earned a sterling reputation in the profession.  Anxious to prove his mettle as a head coach, Mason took a bad job, becoming head coach at Vandy.  Now, I look back and remember that James Franklin somehow managed to win at Vandy, and wonder why Mason couldn’t pull that off.  They are two very different people, with very different approaches to competing at this level. Franklin is an outstanding coach, and is willing to push the rules to the edge of the boundaries.  Mason is also an outstanding coach, but is prone to follow the letter of the law.  Big time college football is not pure, as we all know.  You can probably read into those statements and understand the difference in the two.  Bottom line, I am genuinely excited about Mason joining the Auburn staff.  The players will love him, as he is smart, tough, and not afraid to fight, both physically and figuratively.  Bottom line, GREAT hire, and one I’m impressed with Harsin for making.

I have no doubt that Mason and Harsin are working hand-in-hand to assemble a defensive staff.  Harsin is primarily an offensive guy, and he will expect Mason to run the defense.  To that end, the two of them have so far brought on Jeff Schmedding as ILB coach, and former Auburn DB Zac Etheridge as CB coach.  Schmedding was DC at Boise last year, after 15 years in various defensive positions, including DC, at FCS power Eastern Washington.  

Etheridge was cornerbacks coach at Houston last season, after spending a year in the same position at Louisiana under Billy Napier.  A team captain on Auburn’s National Championship team in 2010, Etheridge worked in various roles at Penn State, Georgia Tech, and Western Carolina.

Now to the offense. Hard to evaluate Mike Bobo as OC.  For one thing, during his years at UGA, Mark Richt was the head coach.  Richt is an offensive guy, and old college QB, and a bit of a QB “whisperer” himself.  So with the outstanding QB play Georgia enjoyed during Bobo’s time there, it’s tough to know how much of that was Bobo, and how much was Richt.  I think that’s what drove Bobo to take the job at Colorado State…..a chance to do it on his own.  I think the fact that Bobo was able to convince OL Coach Will Friend to leave a prestigious program like Georgia to join him at Colorado State says a lot about Friend’s regard for his friend.  Friend was extremely successful at UGA, and even at Colorado State.  After Bobo was let go at CSU, Friend ended up at Tennessee, where he was not quite so successful.  Word from a Tennessee staffer is that Friend was not allowed (by the Head Coach) to hold his players accountable, a recipe for disaster.  In any event, now that Bobo is once again part of a premiere program, at our own Auburn, he has Friend once again at his side.  Friend was a two-time All-SEC offensive guard at Alabama, and in my opinion, one of the premier offensive line coaches in college football.  I’ve been very impressed with his effort so far on the recruiting trail, as he has already made offers as far out as the class of 2022, and as far away as Seattle.  I fully expect a very different look for the offensive line under his tutelage.

Former Auburn great Cadillac Williams has been retained as running backs coach.  one-time NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Caddy has the credentials to open doors on the recruiting trail.  It’s impressive that a young guy with limited coaching experience was able to convince Harsin and Bobo that he should be retained.

Harsin has brought on another former Boise coach in Tight Ends Coach Brad Bedell.  Bedell  has six years of NFL playing experience, which will surely help him on the recruiting trail.  Harsin’s (and Bobo’s) offense uses multiple tight ends, and Auburn happens to be well-stocked at that position.  They like to use the tight ends to manipulate leverage on the edge, and have done so very well in the past . It will be fun to see if they are able to bring that heretofore missing element to the AU offense.  

Harsin has also filled some key off-field staff positions in his short time in the wheel house, including Strength Coach Jeff Pitman.  The strength coach is always a key position on a football staff, as he and his staff spend more time with the players than any coach on the staff.  That position is absolutely critical to setting expectations of the players.  Pitman was S&C Coach for Harsin at both Arkansas State and Boise, so the two have spend 8 years together.  In total, Pitman has more than three decades of experience in the field, and his former players speak extremely well of him.  

Staff turnover is always a difficult time in a program.  Players form attachments to their coaches, and so do fans.  But the Head Coach absolutely has to put together a staff that he believes will give him the best chance to be successful.  I’ve been impressed with the way Harsin has gone about this difficult task, and the results so far. Lots to look forward to.  So far, I'm happy!

Tracy Rocker Hire: 

I  wanted to amend my original post to include some thoughts on the hiring of Tracy Rocker. To be honest, I was not happy at first. One of the greatest Auburn players of my lifetime, and an outstanding coach, Tracy Rocker has pretty much never pulled his weight on the recruiting trail.  To be fair, recruiting isn't for everybody. I have friends who actually got out of coaching because they couldn't stomach being greeted at a kid's door with "What y'all gonna give me?".  I can understand that. Unfortunately, that's a part of the game today. 

After thinking on it a while, I'm ok with the hire, mainly because it had to have been approved (maybe even initiated) by Derek Mason.  Mason has spent years in the SEC  East with Rocker, and I'm sure knows the man better than any of us. Plus, with Rocker's son  an outstanding pitcher on the Vandy baseball team, I suspect the two have talked on occasion.  If Mason is in favor of having Rock on his staff, who am I to object?  Besides, he is an OUTSTANDING teacher of DL technique (something we have been missing), and a terrific on-campus recruiter. Bottom line, if Mason is for it, I'm all in!

 

Edited January 14, 2021 by JMR
neatness

[abw0004 10,110]

Glad to see you posting again @JMR!

[WarNole 141]

Great insight !  Thanks coach.

[weagl1 1,782]

Thanks coach.  I’m glad to see someone with some actual football knowledge is pleased with the hires so far.  

[IronMan70 3,277]

Thanks Coach, it's good to read your input on this.

[Dobb 7]

Great insight from a coach. 

[WarTim 3,456]

Thanks as always Coach. God bless and War Eagle 

[AUBiker77 9]

Glad to have you back posting. Thank you for your insight!

[saminbama 740]

2 hours ago, abw0004 said:

Glad to see you posting again @JMR!

Same here.  Always enjoy your insight.

[RunInRed 16,404]

Thanks @JMR - good stuff!  I as well share your optimism.

[RunInRed 16,404]

Interesting commentary on Mason/Franklin as well as Cadillac.  Again, a really good read.

[UncleOwde 3]

Is it college football season yet?  I am excited.

[ellitor 33,091]

1 hour ago, UncleOwde said:

Is it college football season yet?  I am excited.

Nope. It’s Sharife Cooper season!

[Britt in GA 53]

4 minutes ago, ellitor said:

Nope. It’s Sharife Cooper season!

True that!  It's a different team with him on the court.  Living in the Athens area, it sure was nice watching him go off on UGA last night, even if I had to watch it on TV.

Edited January 14, 2021 by Britt in GA

[CleCoTiger 1,957]

Thanks, JR! Your opinion carries weight, well earned.

[dilligas 581]

This article is better than any of the Auburn beat writers ever produce.  

[Rednilla 5,390]

15 minutes ago, dilligas said:

This article is better than any of the Auburn beat writers ever produce.  

The Auburn beat writers are journalists. JMR is a coach. Therein lies the difference.

[looney 794]

You had me at "I fully expect a very different look for the offensive line"

[Beaker 2,457]

Thanks Coach and this is well written.   Tremendous insight.   The part about  Friend  offering kids in Seattle is encouraging.   Surely with the avail playing time and a top tier program, we can reestablish ourselves on the recruiting trail.

 

 

[RunInRed 16,404]

3 hours ago, UncleOwde said:

Is it college football season yet?  I am excited.

Welcome to the boards!

[JBiGGiE 2,488]

Great writeup as always, Coach!

[PikesEagle 168]

As everyone has said, great summarization on the current selections coach. With that said, and all names being associated with the remaining positions, who would you bring in to round out the staff? I'm not asking for your predictions, just who you believe would be the best fit.

[bigbird 60,512]

On 1/14/2021 at 6:38 PM, PikesEagle said:

As everyone has said, great summarization on the current selections coach. With that said, and all names being associated with the remaining positions, who would you bring in to round out the staff? I'm not asking for your predictions, just who you believe would be the best fit.

There are so many really good coaches that could fill the role that it'd be hard to say.  If it were me, I'd lean more towards a coach that has a track record of producing effective pass rushers as opposed to an elite recruiter. 

[AuburnNTexas 7,140]

As usual you show you know the game and you have a knack of being able to share that knowledge via the printed word. Thank you that was an informative enjoyable read. 

[bigbird 60,512]

3 hours ago, AuburnNTexas said:

As usual you show you know the game and you have a knack of being able to share that knowledge via the printed word. Thank you that was an informative enjoyable read. 

You're welcome. 😉