Dukes the Scoop Take on Our Current Recruiting

[Barnacle 9,064]

I keep hearing that Harsin is a stickler about by the book recruiting. @WarDamnEagleWDE Talked to someone today whose son is on staff. Said his son is concerned that Harsin is going to put us in a big hole, unless we are willing to start recruiting as our rivals do. Curious what you are hearing re: recruiting. 

[bigbird 60,460]

8 hours ago, Barnacle said:

I keep hearing that Harsin is a stickler about by the book recruiting. @WarDamnEagleWDE Talked to someone today whose son is on staff. Said his son is concerned that Harsin is going to put us in a big hole, unless we are willing to start recruiting as our rivals do. Curious what you are hearing re: recruiting. 

Gus burnt a lot of infrastructure that would be helpful in recruiting.  I don't know exactly how CBH will play the game, but it'll take a little time to rebuild relationships if he so chooses to travel that path. I expect '23-'24 to be really good years for recruiting. 

[Barnacle 9,064]

14 minutes ago, bigbird said:

Gus burnt a lot of infrastructure that would be helpful in recruiting.  I don't know exactly how CBH will play the game, but it'll take a little time to rebuild relationships if he so chooses to travel that path. I expect '23-'24 to be really good years for recruiting. 

Let's hope so. I'm not passing judgment on the guy. It's only fair to give him time, but my ears perk up when I hear concerns coming from members of his staff. 

[steeleagle 2,945]

3 hours ago, Barnacle said:

Let's hope so. I'm not passing judgment on the guy. It's only fair to give him time, but my ears perk up when I hear concerns coming from members of his staff. 

I think it also depends on 'where' this staff person works, and to what level is his responsibility. Just hearing it from 'a staff member', doesn't really solidify to me the concern. 

Especially after only being on the job for 7 months and not even finishing his first full recruiting cycle. 

[Barnacle 9,064]

37 minutes ago, steeleagle said:

I think it also depends on 'where' this staff person works, and to what level is his responsibility. Just hearing it from 'a staff member', doesn't really solidify to me the concern. 

Especially after only being on the job for 7 months and not even finishing his first full recruiting cycle. 

I agree, and I'm only passing along what I was told. Ultimately, the proof will be in the pudding. 

[AUwent 3,747]

12 hours ago, Barnacle said:

I keep hearing that Harsin is a stickler about by the book recruiting. @WarDamnEagleWDE Talked to someone today whose son is on staff. Said his son is concerned that Harsin is going to put us in a big hole, unless we are willing to start recruiting as our rivals do. Curious what you are hearing re: recruiting. 

If that were to happen (there's still a strong possibility it won't!) and we had to part ways after a few years, would our ability to find  a quality replacement be completely tanked? (Think the "turned down the TN job" memes--although even they probably could've landed Leach in 2017 if they hadn't fired their AD first.)

Edited July 24, 2021 by AUwent

[DAG 33,964]

On 7/23/2021 at 11:26 PM, Barnacle said:

I keep hearing that Harsin is a stickler about by the book recruiting. @WarDamnEagleWDE Talked to someone today whose son is on staff. Said his son is concerned that Harsin is going to put us in a big hole, unless we are willing to start recruiting as our rivals do. Curious what you are hearing re: recruiting. 

Interesting thought seeing how often this fanbase permeate with the mindset that “we are above the ways” of UGA and Bama. 

[AU-24 3,063]

On 7/24/2021 at 8:47 AM, Barnacle said:

Let's hope so. I'm not passing judgment on the guy. It's only fair to give him time, but my ears perk up when I hear concerns coming from members of his staff. 

Never cared for Paul Finebum. He was asked why Harsin is recruiting so poorly, compared to AU’s past coaching changes. Finebum said I’ve interviewed Harsin three times now and he doesn’t exactly have the charm and charisma that lights up the room. He went on to say: I just don’t see him recruiting with the big boys in the SEC.

I hope he’s wrong but these people that continue to blame Gus for the way Harsin closed last year and currently being rank 64th in recruiting this year really need to move on.

[Gowebb11 9,313]

10 minutes ago, AU-24 said:

Finebum said I’ve interviewed Harsin three times now and he doesn’t exactly have the charm and charisma that lights up the room.

I wonder how Finebaum rated Gus’s charm and charisma. 😅 Seriously, I agree that CBH doesn’t have an electric personality but I think he has a lot of charisma as a leader. 

[AU-24 3,063]

2 minutes ago, Gowebb11 said:

I wonder how Finebaum rated Gus’s charm and charisma. 😅 Seriously, I agree that CBH doesn’t have an electric personality but I think he has a lot of charisma as a leader. 

Hope so! Agree on Gus’s charm and charisma, but I think we need to stop blaming and just move on to the here and now!

[Gowebb11 9,313]

9 minutes ago, AU-24 said:

Hope so! Agree on Gus’s charm and charisma, but I think we need to stop blaming and just move on to the here and now!

Agree. Gus actually connected well with recruits and I believe CBH will too. 

[AU-24 3,063]

20 minutes ago, Gowebb11 said:

Agree. Gus actually connected well with recruits and I believe CBH will too. 

Sure hope so, right now, that is my biggest concern.

[mom2kid 216]

Uhhh. Gus had no charm and made tons of stupid faces.  Harsin is sharp in every way and full of charisma.  He comes off like a strong coach and leader focused on football.  And he has a pleasant manner when he speaks. I for one am so proud how he represents AU.  Elephant ears is a jerk.  Saban has n charm.  Give me a break.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,652]

1 hour ago, DAG said:

Interesting thought seeing how often this fanbase permeate with the mindset that “we are above the ways” of UGA and Bama. 

If we have to a goody two shoes epically underperform in recruiting to illustrate to this fanbase how outdated that perspective is, I'm almost all for it. Just look at the gap between late era Richt's Georgia and any stage of Georgia since that dweeb has taken over. We could end up being the reverse of that 

[Cardin Drake 1,821]

I'm not sure what happened to recruiting in Gus's last year, but it was a disaster. Perhaps word of the change was leaking out; perhaps the staff was mailing it in. The thing I liked about Gus is that he was a terrific recruiter, and really, that's about 90% of a head coach's job.  I think Harsin did a good job after he came in of getting transfers to fill out the class, and we wound up with a decent group, especially so from where we started.   I think a lot of people thought that Gus's recruiting was a floor that the new coach could easily match.  The truth is that his recruiting has been the ceiling for us for the last 50 years or more. Coming in and matching it and/or exceeding it is a real challenge. We need a good season desperately to build recruiting momentum this year.  If we have a bad year on the field, we will likely have a weak class and a situation that is almost unrecoverable.  This is the life of a football coach though. Here's hoping we rock the football world in the fall.

[steeleagle 2,945]

1 hour ago, AU-24 said:

Never cared for Paul Finebum. He was asked why Harsin is recruiting so poorly, compared to AU’s past coaching changes. Finebum said I’ve interviewed Harsin three times now and he doesn’t exactly have the charm and charisma that lights up the room. He went on to say: I just don’t see him recruiting with the big boys in the SEC.

I hope he’s wrong but these people that continue to blame Gus for the way Harsin closed last year and currently being rank 64th in recruiting this year really need to move on.

Give me a break. Finebaum on recruiting? He's horrible to get that question.

And people are going to take his take on Harsin not having charm and charisma? Does Saban have charm and charisma? Of course not. He came across as all business, work the process, no fun, etc.

His personality in the beginning came across as abbrasive, and still does, to the media like Finebaum...BUT bc he won and has won big, now they look at his personality as part of his 'charisma' to recruits.

Harsin can be who he is...and if he wins....recruits will follow. Period.

[DAG 33,964]

20 minutes ago, steeleagle said:

And people are going to take his take on Harsin not having charm and charisma? Does Saban have charm and charisma? Of course not. He came across as all business, work the process, no fun, etc

People are just being reactive right now. It is funny to see because in several months the tune will change and they will be riding with CBH. “I knew it all along.”

[Barnacle 9,064]

2 hours ago, DAG said:

Interesting thought seeing how often this fanbase permeate with the mindset that “we are above the ways” of UGA and Bama. 

I'm not above any of it, and screw the NCAA. 

Edited July 26, 2021 by Barnacle

[steeleagle 2,945]

2 minutes ago, DAG said:

People are just being reactive right now. It is funny to see because in several months the tune will change and they will be riding with CBH. “I knew it all along.”

I hope so. 

[Barnacle 9,064]

26 minutes ago, steeleagle said:

Harsin can be who he is...and if he wins....recruits will follow. Period.

The Harsin isn't recruiting well because he is too much business and not enough fun take is the worst take out there. 

[meh130 1,043]

24 minutes ago, Barnacle said:

The Harsin isn't recruiting well because he is too much business and not enough fun take is the worst take out there. 

Yep. Demari Alston said it was CBH's "business" attitude that sold him on Harsin.

Harsin's pitch obviously worked with the transfers. Getting transfers is recruiting too. But it makes sense that a transfer is looking more for a business like approach, especially graduate transfers. It is also understandable it could turn off some highly ranked high school players that expect to be catered to.

If it is true Harsin saw problems that needed to be fixed in the near term, and that takes a "tough love" approach, it is hard to have one attitude towards the incumbents on your team, and another on the new recruits. This could all be a calculated move on CBH's part. Be tough the first year, then lighten up some. You lose a little in recruiting on the front side, but you build a foundation for the future.

I think this is kind of like the approach Mike Norvell took at FSU. That said, there is no way Auburn was in as bad a shape as FSU.

[AU-24 3,063]

1 hour ago, meh130 said:

Yep. Demari Alston said it was CBH's "business" attitude that sold him on Harsin.

Harsin's pitch obviously worked with the transfers. Getting transfers is recruiting too. But it makes sense that a transfer is looking more for a business like approach, especially graduate transfers. It is also understandable it could turn off some highly ranked high school players that expect to be catered to.

If it is true Harsin saw problems that needed to be fixed in the near term, and that takes a "tough love" approach, it is hard to have one attitude towards the incumbents on your team, and another on the new recruits. This could all be a calculated move on CBH's part. Be tough the first year, then lighten up some. You lose a little in recruiting on the front side, but you build a foundation for the future.

I think this is kind of like the approach Mike Norvell took at FSU. That said, there is no way Auburn was in as bad a shape as FSU.

I didn’t look it up but I think FS-shoe is currently eighth in recruiting with 17 recruits or something like that? All we are saying is, it is certainly a concern at this point.

[AuburnNTexas 7,134]

2 hours ago, Cardin Drake said:

I'm not sure what happened to recruiting in Gus's last year, but it was a disaster. Perhaps word of the change was leaking out; perhaps the staff was mailing it in. The thing I liked about Gus is that he was a terrific recruiter, and really, that's about 90% of a head coach's job.  I think Harsin did a good job after he came in of getting transfers to fill out the class, and we wound up with a decent group, especially so from where we started.   I think a lot of people thought that Gus's recruiting was a floor that the new coach could easily match.  The truth is that his recruiting has been the ceiling for us for the last 50 years or more. Coming in and matching it and/or exceeding it is a real challenge. We need a good season desperately to build recruiting momentum this year.  If we have a bad year on the field, we will likely have a weak class and a situation that is almost unrecoverable.  This is the life of a football coach though. Here's hoping we rock the football world in the fall.

If in the future Harsin can match the class ranking Gus had but with better balance across all position groups (O-Line), then retain the players and coach them up we could be a really good team. You are correct that on paper Gus was the best recruiting coach at Auburn the problem was the recruiting was great in certain groups but less then stellar in O-Line, add to that how many highly rated players transferred or dropped out and that explains why the Gus Win/Loss record was middle of the pack and below his recruiting rankings.  

[1716AU 728]

3 hours ago, mom2kid said:

Uhhh. Gus had no charm and made tons of stupid faces.  Harsin is sharp in every way and full of charisma.  He comes off like a strong coach and leader focused on football.  And he has a pleasant manner when he speaks. I for one am so proud how he represents AU.  Elephant ears is a jerk.  Saban has n charm.  Give me a break.

This.

If you actually think Harsin has no Charisma or Charm, let me introduce you to the light of the world, Nick Saban.  I have said that fool has the personality of a banana peel and exudes ZERO charm.  His wife does.

Screw Finebaum said. What that man knows about football fits in a thimble. That man got what he wanted from you guys with that one statement.

[augolf1716 21,101]

2 hours ago, Barnacle said:

screw the NCAA. 

Don't think you're going to have to worry about NCAA down the road.