Would you commit to Auburn right now?

[AUght2win 6,816]

I've been loosely following recruiting, and the objective results show *right now* we aren't doing so hot. Some attribute it to Harsin not being a good recruiter.

But here's a question for the board: If you were a four or five star recruit, would you commit to Auburn right now?

I certainly wouldn't.

Gus left us in a bad spot in recruiting. It also doesn't help that Harsin's system is a complete 180 from Malzahn's, so kids who WERE interested in Auburn previously probably have backed off.

Another added element is that Auburn's primary recruiting tool is the campus and town itself. That's why, regardless of coach, from Dye to Bowden to Tubbs to Chiz to Malzahn, they all find success at some point - Auburn sells itself. But we haven't been able to get kids on campus for a whole year to see for themselves the unique appeal Auburn offers. 

But all that is secondary.

If you had options, would you commit to a totally unproven commodity before it even hit the field? Nobody really knows what our offense, defense, even the culture is going to look like in practice. Regardless of how Harsin may sell it.

Eventually, Harsin is going to have to bring in the big dogs. But it would seem illogical - in a Tennessee McDonald's bags way - that we would be doing well in recruiting at this point in his tenure.

I would hope midway through fall there will be enough of a sample size for kids to feel comfortable hitching their wagon to CBH. But for now, I think it's normal we are behind.

[aubiefifty 16,695]

i know most people consider recruiting part of football and i agree but things trouble me. it seems the same four or five teams are always in the playoffs every single year. and i am not saying schools do not bust their butts to get these kids but in the big scheme of things is it really fair? years ago we changed the number of players any school could have to level the playing field. bama damn near kept around a hundred more kids than auburn did, right? so for all the teams that could only have like a hundred or so schollie players did alabama not double that? and what was fair about that? so they changed the rule to 85 and walk ons and it made it a little more fair. now bama is getting five star recruits and all americans at a rate few other colleges can keep up with. how do you come close to that without cheating? i think recruiting is crooked as hell and i believe auburn is paying for it.

   i think it will take time for harsin to get his brand going. but if they trot bo out and he is vastly improved his creds go up.if the d starts whipping some serious butt our creds go up.if returning players get the word out about how auburn has changed etc i think helps. if he gets a signature win people will take notice. i am not so sure people are down on harsin so much as they are just not so sure what to expect. people think they play lesser talent so everyone i think is kind of taking a wait and see approach. and we do have a ton of ground to cover before we catch up. i would be mailing packages to every single high school we recruit. JC's as well.

[tinman 305]

I would commit to AU because, regardless of what the fans on this and other boards are thinking and posting, this coaching staff has proven they can coach, develop, and win.  Sure Harsin came for a smaller school as did some of his assistants, but Mason and Bobo are proven coordinators.  They have assembled a group of assistants (including off field analysts) that are hungry to win and to prove themselves worthy of the jobs they have been given.

But if all I did was pay attention to all the negative Nancy's on message boards I'd go elsewhere.

[Gowebb11 9,307]

1 hour ago, AUght2win said:

But here's a question for the board: If you were a four or five star recruit, would you commit to Auburn right now?

Depends. If my other choices are UAT, Clemson, OSU, UGA, maybe not. Their on field record and NFL draft success is overwhelmingly in their favor vs AU. Beyond that, yes. Perennial winner, Heisman legacy, Jordan-Hare moments like Kick 6, Bo and Cam, 2 Natty appearances the last 10 years. Throw in a pending FOF as nice as any, and a head coach and staff wearing Championship rings. Lots to sell beyond a cool Campus. 

[AUght2win 6,816]

19 minutes ago, tinman said:

I would commit to AU because, regardless of what the fans on this and other boards are thinking and posting, this coaching staff has proven they can coach, develop, and win.  

But see, no... no, they haven't.

I'm sorry, dude. I love Harsin and believe in him. But let's be honest. If your offers are Auburn, Alabama, LSU, Clemson, Georgia, and Florida, guess whose coach is gonna come in last of the bunch as a "proven winner". 

[AUght2win 6,816]

6 minutes ago, Gowebb11 said:

Depends. If my other choices are UAT, Clemson, OSU, UGA, maybe not. Their on field record and NFL draft success is overwhelmingly in their favor vs AU. Beyond that, yes. Perennial winner, Heisman legacy, Jordan-Hare moments like Kick 6, Bo and Cam, 2 Natty appearances the last 10 years. Throw in a pending FOF as nice as any, and a head coach and staff wearing Championship rings. Lots to sell beyond a cool Campus. 

I really don't think kids care about legacy or history. It's a perk but not a true draw. If it were, Nebraska, Tennessee, USC and Penn State would be perennial top 5.

[IronMan70 3,277]

It's only logical that all the points in the OP are being used to negative recruit us right now. The "unknown" factor is going to be an issue, that's just the way it is. Sure other teams are in the same situation and some are doing better right now but it's a long race. I'm more concerned with what CH does with the players already ON the team. What did he do about the '21 team roster ? He did an excellent job of salvaging the '21 class and getting transfers in for this year's team. Those are all players that can contribute now and there is every reason to believe he will do the same for the '22 class and team. It's all going to work out.

[augolf1716 21,096]

Hell no they suck.................................

[W.E.D 11,070]

1 hour ago, Gowebb11 said:

Depends. If my other choices are UAT, Clemson, OSU, UGA, maybe not. Their on field record and NFL draft success is overwhelmingly in their favor vs AU. Beyond that, yes. Perennial winner, Heisman legacy, Jordan-Hare moments like Kick 6, Bo and Cam, 2 Natty appearances the last 10 years. Throw in a pending FOF as nice as any, and a head coach and staff wearing Championship rings. Lots to sell beyond a cool Campus. 

Yeah, let's pretend I had a kid that was the #1 QB in the country. He's only looking at OSU, Bama, Texas, Clemson. I'm not trusting his future in an unknown. 

But, luckily there are a ton of kids outside the top 32 players in the country who are still good and will come here

[Gowebb11 9,307]

1 hour ago, AUght2win said:

I really don't think kids care about legacy or history. It's a perk but not a true draw. If it were, Nebraska, Tennessee, USC and Penn State would be perennial top 5.

None of those teams have been to 2 Nattys the past 10 years, or beaten Bama 4 of the last 11. Derek Brown and Marlon Davidson and Kerryon Johnson had huge national profiles. Those are all very recent selling points. We just haven’t had a staff that could capitalize on them. Hopefully the new staff will be better. 

[Rednilla 5,383]

The short answer to your question: Yes, I would.

Now, that's because my parents went to Auburn, I grew up attending games in Jordan-Hare every year, and the doctors were a little concerned when they drew blood and it was this orange and blue tie dye mix. If I were good enough to get a scholarship to play on the Plains, I'd be committed as soon as the offer was made.

That having been said, most kids weren't wrapped in an Auburn t-shirt immediately after being born, and if I were a 4-5 star recruit that wasn't me, I'd probably have a serious wait-and-see attitude...just like most of these kids we've been recruiting seem to be doing.

[AUght2win 6,816]

5 hours ago, Gowebb11 said:

None of those teams have been to 2 Nattys the past 10 years, or beaten Bama 4 of the last 11. Derek Brown and Marlon Davidson and Kerryon Johnson had huge national profiles. Those are all very recent selling points. We just haven’t had a staff that could capitalize on them. Hopefully the new staff will be better. 

I don't think a soul on this staff was a part of either natty run. Except for Etheridge... as a player.

Look, the move to Harsin has a ton of upside. I'm all for it. But let's not pretend there isn't a downside. He is as unproven as one could be coming into the Southeastern Conference. 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,641]

Over most of the regional contemporaries, no, but if you asked me this question in 10 months after the games are played, I imagine it'd be different

 

It's not just an Auburn thing man, I don't know if I'd wanted to play for anyone, IF I WAS A PRIZED RECRUIT,  without seeing tape on the field. It's not a Harsin thing either. I bet there were dudes who committed to Saban who might've had second thoughts after that loss to ULM 

[AUght2win 6,816]

52 minutes ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

Over most of the regional contemporaries, no, but if you asked me this question in 10 months after the games are played, I imagine it'd be different

 

It's not just an Auburn thing man, I don't know if I'd wanted to play for anyone, IF I WAS A PRIZED RECRUIT,  without seeing tape on the field. It's not a Harsin thing either. I bet there were dudes who committed to Saban who might've had second thoughts after that loss to ULM 

Sure but they could always look at a national title at LSU, success at Michigan State, an NFL stint, etc.

This is Harsin's first power 5 HC job. And it's a top 10-15 program. Doesn't help his previous successes were had at a school in Idaho - not exactly going to be first on the ESPN ticker.

Not taking shots at CBH. On the contrary, I'm trying to get our fans to measure expectations for this moment in time. By October or so, we should start to get a feel of what kind of recruiter he is.

[Beaker 2,457]

I say it's time for Auburn to add some sizzle and unveil some alternate helmets or maybe uniform.

Time to give the kids something new and exciting.   Look, I like traditional, but traditional is not going to be a recruiting advantage, but a more fun, upbeat culture would help us.    A new facility will be nice in 2022, but this would help, right now.

Time for Auburn to get with the times.  We are not bama and we are not michigan, thank goodness....giving the players something is not going to hurt us.

Edited July 4, 2021 by Beaker

[Mikey 16,546]

20 hours ago, AUght2win said:

But here's a question for the board: If you were a four or five star recruit, would you commit to Auburn right now?

Not right now. However, if the coaches were guys I'd like to be around and play for I'd wait until the season was about over before making my decision. If they've had a reasonable year at that point in time, then yes.

[AUght2win 6,816]

11 hours ago, Beaker said:

I say it's time for Auburn to add some sizzle and unveil some alternate helmets or maybe uniform.

Time to give the kids something new and exciting.   Look, I like traditional, but traditional is not going to be a recruiting advantage, but a more fun, upbeat culture would help us.    A new facility will be nice in 2022, but this would help, right now.

Time for Auburn to get with the times.  We are not bama and we are not michigan, thank goodness....giving the players something is not going to hurt us.

This is not even remotely the problem. 

[AUwent 3,747]

If Harsin can't recruit, that shows he was a bad hire. No ifs and buts about it.

Edited July 4, 2021 by AUwent

[bigbird 60,368]

1 hour ago, AUwent said:

If Harsin can't recruit, that shows he was a bad hire. No ifs and buts about it.

Give it a rest. We get it, you think CBH is a terrible hire. Good Lord, it's literally the only thing you post and it's every single thread.

[augolf1716 21,096]

2 hours ago, AUwent said:

If Harsin can't recruit, that shows he was a bad hire. No ifs and buts about it.

But you left out your mancrush Napier

[Beaker 2,457]

2 hours ago, AUght2win said:

This is not even remotely the problem. 

I am not saying there is a problem.   I think I said toss  the players a bone and something exciting.   Giving players something exciting helps build.....EXCITEMENT.   As coach builds his program,  this could be exciting.

 

That's all I am saying.  

Oh, and if Coach Bruce Pearl was the HC of the football team and wanted new helmets, I bet 90% of us would say, "oh yeah, that's a great idea!"    

 

[AUght2win 6,816]

3 hours ago, Beaker said:

Oh, and if Coach Bruce Pearl was the HC of the football team and wanted new helmets, I bet 90% of us would say, "oh yeah, that's a great idea!"    

 

You really must be new to the Auburn fanbase. Our uniforms are iconic and the vast majority doesn't want them to change. It's rare these days to see a brand maintain itself without giving into gimmicks. Auburn has been able to do that. 

If you want an alternate, do it during the spring game. I'm all for that. But during the season, unless it's an orange throwback, no thanks. 

[AUght2win 6,816]

5 hours ago, AUwent said:

If Harsin can't recruit, that shows he was a bad hire. No ifs and buts about it.

There's actually a pretty significant "but" in there.

If he can't recruit, but can win anyway, then who cares. Winning is the only thing that matters.

Tubbs did it as a pretty poor recruiter but great developer. But those two don't have to be mutually exclusive and hopefully CBH can do both. 

[Sizzle 3,909]

2 hours ago, AUght2win said:

There's actually a pretty significant "but" in there.

If he can't recruit, but can win anyway, then who cares. Winning is the only thing that matters.

Tubbs did it as a pretty poor recruiter but great developer. But those two don't have to be mutually exclusive and hopefully CBH can do both. 

Tubbs got lucky. He wasn’t going against the Alabama of today. You’ve got to get big time recruits. There’s no other way around it. It’s only so far you can take this developing thing

[Aubie the Tiger 50]

I have a theory on this.  Tell me what you think.

Chizik, Malzahn, and Jay Jacobs were all believers in building a culture and image of Auburn as a wholesome family-oriented place.  They pushed the 'Auburn Family' idea pretty hard.  They did it because it matched their values, fit well in a small southern town, and frankly was a strong sales pitch for recruiting.  This resonated well with a lot of the kids we offer, and even more so with their parents.  Some of these kids come from rough backgrounds, and need to be somewhere where they won't get in trouble.  Some were raised by single moms who look to coaches to be fatherly figures to their sons.  Some see Auburn as a good fit with Christian values.  Some just think it's warm and comforting.

Allen Greene and Bryan Harsin are outsiders with fresh perspectives.  Perspectives that are needed in Auburn where things had gotten a little stale.  They don't necessarily disagree with the above paragraph, but the vision Harsin is trying to transfer from Boise State to Auburn is first and foremost a blue-collar culture where you pride yourself in working harder than everyone else.  He sees that as noticeably deficient in the program he has inherited, and has made it his primary focus.  

However, from a recruiting perspective, this philosophy does not sell well.  It doesn't have the emotional pull.  Kids often go to programs with this culture either because they have a chip on their shoulder (Boise State) or they're making a business decision (Bama).  Look at the resumes of head coaches at local schools, and several have either national championship credentials (Bama, Clemson, LSU, Texas A&M), or at least major accomplishments at SEC schools (Georgia, Florida, Ole Miss).  In contrast, Harsin is 0-0 in the SEC.  

We used to make a different pitch, and try to recruit kids and parents with a different personality than those who chose Bama or Georgia.  Now we're going after the same crowd, but with a similar but weaker pitch.  I acknowledge there are other elements (Covid lockdowns, new staff), but we're not the only school managing this situation.  

The solution?  Harsin is not going to be able to build a formidable SEC resume in one season, but that isn't very important if he exceeds expectations this year.  Most new coaches who have surprise success build up enormous amounts of hype.  The current expectation for Auburn is about 6 or 7 regular season wins.  Can he beat that?  (Forgive me if this reads as way too obvious.)

The second solution is for Harsin to do something that Gus never learned how to do.  Evolve.  Acknowledge that the California kids that made up the bulk of his previous team are culturally different from Alabama kids.  Football is football, but Boise State isn't Auburn.  I don't deny that he was hired by Greene out of admiration for Boise State's culture and the opportunity to bring it here, but good translation usually takes a little creative license.  The idea of 'Auburn Family' may sound a little cheesy, but it's southern culture in its best form.  Lean into it.  Take the elements of Gus' culture that worked and synthesize it with Boise's rather than raze it to the ground.

I don't know if Harsin is going to succeed or fail at Auburn.  But I do know that since the moment he was announced as Auburn's next head coach, the most probable cause of failure was not leadership skills, talent development, or football smarts.  It was recruiting.  He has to solve this.