This QB situation is as bad as it gets. Harsin is trying to play coy and dumb by saying everyones at practice today.... note not that everyone is practicing. TJ definitely out. Calzada can't decide if he wants to play or not. Harsin wants him to play, Calzada's not sure if he should or shut it down for a medical RS.

Robby and Geriner are the only two we know will suit up on Saturday, but we're not sure if either fully knows the playbook. A giant mess

We've had issues with players in leadership positions on the team not taking personal accountability for a couple years now... or shifting it to an entire unit

-TJ today.

-Nix gets on radio Monday after Ga. State last year and says he didn't think he played that bad.

-Shenker has made some head-scratching comments the past couple weeks.

-Trox gets up there and preaches about fundamentals after he was the one mostly getting destroyed all day.... while looking like he wasn't trying.

Not calling for anyone to have a Tebow moment, as great as it'd be, but damn, I just wish an AU player would get up on the podium and say "I played like garbage today. I am a better player than that, and I promise you this won't happen again"

Our best way forward is for Roberts to keep that football GM position he created with Drew Fabianich and let Fabs fill the AD's role in hiring the next coach. He's the most qualified person we've had in a while to vet candidates, imo

Freeze is the only guy that I've seen fans say "I'll burn my AU gear" or "I'll give up my tickets" if we hire him. People would puke with guys like Muschamp, but we'd talk ourselves into it.

Hugh's problem is that he doesn't own the bad boy role. Lane does and embraces it and uses it to his advantage. Hugh tries to cover it by acting high and mighty and Reverend Hugh. Then looks like a hypocrite and fake, the two things most people can't stand

The Calzada situation seems like a mess. Long story short don't bank on seeing him, and Hoke's saying that it's not up to the coaches. Reading between the lines I bet his camp is thinking of shutting him down and going for a medical redshirt. 

@abw0004 Wilborn from al.com saying get ready to possibly see Geriner get trot out there. Sounds like he'll be backup at minimum. No choice with TJ out and Calzada possibly not wanting to go. And hell I remember it being said Robby is gimpy too.

Not sure what you're hearing on that front. Hopefully Geriner brings it this week. Would at least like to see him play for the guy that recruited him in one game.

6 hours ago, RunInRed said:

If you think AG didn’t have any input into what happened post Malzahn you haven’t been paying attention.

What about Lt. General Burgess and board member Quentin Riggins? How come they don't get blame? I remember Harsin saying those two gentlemen and ADAG interviewed him via zoom. It was not just ADAG.

Riggins apparently asked Harsin the questions about his football philosophy since ADAG is not a huge football guy. My point here is that I don't think this was solely ADAG. He had some powerful men alongside him. He just took the fall. 

It's important we acknowledge this because many in here will blame ADAG but then call for Burgess and Riggins to clean this up. In reality all three men did this together and got us here.

I want Deion because it's time for drastic action, despite the risk. Let's take a leap because the ceiling is catching Bama and UGA. Or we can play it safe and get back to 8-4 while continuing to standby.

If we want to play it safe though, Stoops is a good choice. He is basically gonna implement the Boise way, but instead of an outsider like Hars he is an SEC guy

Calzada next week. Depending on how long Harsin survives, he'll probably trot out Geriner at some point just to say he played his guy.

One thing I find ironic is that if you look at Harsin at his best in his career, it was with QB's like Moore, Rypien, and Bachmeier. Semi-mobile pro-style QB's that weren't overly talented, but super smart.

He gets here and decides to go opposite. Dual threats (Nix/Ashford) and statue (TJ) who have great physical talent, but not much IQ. Stare down receivers, etc.

I really wonder how things would have played out if a guy like Bachmeir came here with him. It's hindsight at this point and doesn't matter, but it's a lesson to never forget who you are and abandon what got you where you were. Harsin overthought it

5 hours ago, AUinfusion said:

After running off half of our talent and failing wildly in recruiting, the excuse was that Harsin only wanted “tough nosed, blue collar kids”. I don’t even see that. He has failed in every measurable aspect, and set this program back who knows how far.

Harsin is extremely loyal to the guys he inherited. Look at who makes all the costly mistakes.... it's literally always a senior or super senior.

Shenker, Troxell, Pappoe, Shedrick, Simpson and Pritchett. I've had enough. Nothing against Troxell for example, but I can't take watching him get whipped anymore. I've done it for three years. These guys aren't gonna improve.

Would much rather watch a youth movement. Throw em to the wolves and let em take their lumps in a lame-duck year. Yea it'll be ugly, but guess what, it's ugly with all these 6th years looking like FCS players out there, so at least it will be new

Never thought I'd say this, but there's only one man that can get our roster close to what we need to compete with the big dogs..... Deion Sanders. Pinch your nose and do it

Haven't wanted a game this badly in a minute. Lot at stake for everyone in the program, obviously

7 hours ago, DAG said:

So apparently he wasn’t good enough or healthy enough to make the first or second spot. Now he is getting 1/3rd of starters rep against one of our biggest test of the seasons. Makes sense. If we are throwing darts out , might as well let the freshman get his reps too. 

Unfortunately nothing makes sense right now, but, I can believe it since TJ and Robby are having turnover issues. That drives Harsin nuts more than anything, with emotional QB's being a close second, lol

I've seen it from three "insiders" now, with the latest one saying that not only is he getting first team reps, but he's getting 1/3rd of them. Harsin was pissed, rightfully so, at his Monday PC regarding QB play.

However, while ZC is still nicked up, I don't buy the injury excuse. I'm sure it was part of it, but I also think he got out-worked and beat out fair and square. Sounds like he took it as a wake up call and has done something to get back in good graces.

Since Hoke is reporting that Calzada has gone from dead to getting a ton of attention from Harsin this week AND first team reps at practice, I'm going with they won't be prepared for him to come in. I'm sure they've watched film, but TJ and Robby have probably taken the most attention from them.

2020 early signing day, led by Steele a week before Harsin was hired:

Garner Langlo, Dematrius Davis, Marquis Robinson, Landen King, Hal Pressley, Kamal Hadden, Grant Calcanterra, Ahmari Harvey, Tobechi Okoli, Ian Matthews, Lee Hunter, and AD Diamond.

-- Note that Diamond is the only guy who was exclusively Steele, as Steele flipped him from Louisiana Tech on that day. He was not associated with Gus.

Regular signing day that year, led by Harsin and company:

Cayden Bridges, Tarvarish Dawson, Juwan Gaston, Jarquez Hunter, Eku Leota, Colby Smith, and Joko Willis.

Trust me guys, it's not fair to credit/criticize a new staff for those December guys when they were hired a week after they were officially signed.

On 9/13/2022 at 10:51 PM, Mikey said:

Please.....check things before putting foot in mouth. Leading WR Javon Baker, transfer from bammer brought in by Gus.

Ryan O'keefe a senior, Heupel holdover

Jaylon Griffin Freshman brought in by Gus

 Xavier Townson, freshman brought in by Gus

Those are the only four WR that have recorded a catch this season. Only one of them is a Heupel holdover. The other three are Gus's guys.

You got me. But even still, is that scenario that much better? The freshmen Gus has recruited to a G5 school are better on day 1 than his best receiver at an SEC school that he had a year to develop? When he was getting classes that were high in rank

1 hour ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

I know very very little about the defensive side of things, but that game was the first one that demonstrated to me the importance of having linebackers nowadays that can defend the pass. They just made a killing throwing the ball right outside of our LBs relatively limited coverage radiuses. 
 

I’ve listened to all the guys that do know more and thought more critically about what I saw last game, and I feel like our newer philosophy of giving a ton of space will only exacerbate the problem…

Pappoe's strength is supposed to be as a pass-covering LB I thought, but he was nowhere on Saturday it seemed. Riley seems super rangy, but was banged up. 

8 hours ago, AuburnNTexas said:

So in your way of looking at recruiting. If a coach leaves and a new coach comes in any player signed before the 2nd coach comes in doesn't count even though the new coach gives the signed players the option to leave. Part of what the new coach does is convince the signed players to stay which we did with Langlo. So he does count for Harsin.  

I know you hate Harsin but sometimes you have to bend over backwards to show your hate.  Where is the Mikey who years ago said he is my coach so I support him.   It is funny for years you preached the mantra we need more LB's because there is a high failure rate in that position. I agreed with you and I also think the same thing could be said for O-Line.  I am proud of the super seniors who stayed with us all this time they obviously love Auburn but to be honest I doubt if any of them would be starters on most SEC O-Lines. We should have been bringing in younger players every year under Malzan and under Harsin.

Harsin and Friend deserve some of the blame for where we are at with O-Line as they have not recruited the position well at all but I don't see how you can still seem to say that Malzan is also not partly responsible for the situation we are in.

I give Harsin and Friend a small pass on 1st year coming in Late and bringing in Smith but they get no pass for single O-line last year and I am waiting till end of this cycle before passing judgement on the class they are currently recruiting. I will admit that at this point they are not looking good.

I actually agree with him on counting previous guys with the old staff. The season Harsin was hired was messed up timing wise due to covid pushing it all back. As a result, Gus was canned on like December 10th after the MSU game instead of end of November, and ENSD was a week later.

Due to the season being pushed back, Harsin wasn't hired until like a week after early signing day. He had no chance to assess the class and determine who to sign. So Langlo, your example, was signed before Harsin took the job. He had no opportunity to convince Langlo to sign or tell him to pound sand.

Thus, imo, everyone from that ENSD belongs to Malzahn's staff. Not fair to blame or credit Harsin and co for those December guys who they had no control over. Reference how Billy Napier barely let anyone sign in December at Florida last year for example. He wanted to eval himself and make decisions on who to send papers.

Trust me, while it hurts your example with Langlo, overall it's fair to Harsin. The main contributors from that 2021 class are gonna come from the February singing day that he and his staff ran. Many of the December guys from that class busted.

1 hour ago, gr82b4au said:

Are any of the transfers playing well for their new teams? It sounds like they are not playing or not producing. 

Shivers is the only one who has had great games in both weeks. Nix had a career game against Eastern Washington.

2 hours ago, AU-24 said:

Tough to make a catch when because of injuries and personal reasons you’re not even dressing for the games.

He was with the team for game 1 and then left after that game. If Malzahn's best WR at Auburn can't play for him at UCF due to Heupel leaving better players, what does that tell you? It tells me that our transfers that left were not great.

8 hours ago, Mikey said:

Something isn't right with Jones. In his early years at AU he under performed and now he seems to be slipping back. I'll be really surprised if he doesn't enter the portal before Christmas break. He's capable of a lot more than what he's been doing lately. I have a friend who subscribes to some sort of site where NFL scouts grade college guy's performance. Jones graded out as "poor" in the SJSU game. I think the only player rated below Jones was Ashford at QB but I'm not sure exactly what they are basing their grades on. Some guys I thought had a good game only graded "average" or "below average".

He's a weird case. 2020 he seemed to show promise in the run game but a poor pass set. Last year he apparently really cleaned up his pass set and continued to do well. This year he has looked bad when he gets in. He's played worse than Council, which with all respect to Council, is tough to do. Maybe he's still working through that injury he had at the beginning of camp, because I'm with you, his drop off seems puzzling 

7 hours ago, AU-24 said:

Loser: Auburn Tigers

Bo Nix had a topsy-turvy career with Auburn, but the dude made plays and was a legacy whose dad, Patrick, is deeply involved with the program, so when he left for Oregon, it signified deeper-rooted issues.

Leading receiver Kobe Hudson resurfaced at UCF after getting booted from the team, and projected starting offensive guard Tashawn Manning decided to leave for Kentucky.

Defenders bolted the Plains, too. Edge rusher Romello Height is going to be a big part of the defensive rebuild for Lincoln Riley's USC Trojans, and safety Ladarius Tennison departed for conference foe Ole Miss.

https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/10046281-br-cfb-recruiting-winners-and-losers-of-the-transfer-portal-part-2.amp.html

 

You do know that Hudson went to UCF, got buried on the depth chart, didn't get any catches, and is currently away from the team for "personal reasons", right? Gus basically saying that the most talented dude he recruited here is not good enough to start at a G5 program.

Nix I agree, but nobody should lose sleep over losing him. It's nothing against him, but there's zero guarantee Nix changes things here. This is a guy that you didn't know if you'd get a good SEC QB or D2 level QB week to week. 

The rest are all poor to solid (Shivers/Manning) players. But none of them were sleep-loss worthy. If Wooden or Javarius Johnson had left, I'd be right there with ya. Those two are extremely good players.

He won't get a call from them, unless maybe he has a great season and their search stretches out

10 hours ago, Mikey said:

That's going to be an interesting mix to put on the field against SEC competition. As far as the imaginary recruits go, when will this recruiting surge start? As you well know, that was my original question. You said a new O-line will be out there next year. When will we start getting those O-line people in? Or do you seriously think we are going to go with walkons?

New OL can include younger guys currently on roster. They will just be "new" because they haven't started before. 

I think there's a solid chance that Tate Johnson (C), EJ Harris (G), and Colby Smith (RT) all start next year respectively. Stutts, Jones, and Wright could all come back to compete with Harris for the guard spots. Too early to know.

Theoretically, the only position where I'm pretty certain our starter is not on roster right now is LT. Smith is the only guy with the potential to do it, but I don't think he's got the feet or bend right now.  

For new guys, we need 4 HS, a 5th if the right guy is available. 2 Juco OT's to backup at each OT spot. 2 portals (LT and swing), but possibly up to 4 depending on roster circumstances. Do Stutts and Jones return, does Tate play well enough to lock down center, does one of Jernigan or Irvin return to back him up at center, etc.

I'm definitely pessimistic on new OL recruits coming in, so I'm with you there. HS is highly important, but that's a long-term play. Instant impacts will have to come from Juco and portal, and those two markets won't really kick off big time until December. We are in talks with a few Juco's, but they can't visit until December when their seasons are over.

In terms of the ability to game-plan and prepare a team for a game from an X's and O's standpoint, I personally think Harsin is pretty good at this. In fact, Saturday was the first time that I was disgusted with his game prep.

The "coaching issues" with Harsin last year were not X's and O's related, rather, it was game management decisions in crucial moments. Harsin would likely fit better as an NFL OC than a college HC for many reasons.

In terms of recruiting, while the Boise boys are easy targets, I think they are a red herring that disguises the real issues. The real issues are Jimmy Brumbaugh and Will Friend. We need trench players more than anything this cycle, and they simply can't deliver. Ironically they are also the two biggest "SEC guys" on staff, yet are pulling the lest amount of weight.

Don't get me wrong, Schmedding and Kiesau aren't good on the trail, but 1. they were never expected to be, as they were brought here by BH to help implement his culture and schemes and 2. They are now coordinators, which allows them to do more of that while letting the position coaches clean up on the trail.