How Bryan Harsin built reputation as a QB coach

[aubiefifty 16,798]

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How Bryan Harsin built reputation as a QB coach

By Giana Han

5-7 minutes

Beyond the playbook, beyond the footwork and form, there is something that all successful quarterbacks must have. It’s hard to put into words, former Boise State quarterback Bart Hendricks said. You could call it a “feel,” a toughness, or the way a quarterback carries himself before, during and after plays. Hendricks might not be able to describe it, but he knows that new Auburn coach and his former teammate Bryan Harsin gets it.

“That’s a subtlety that I think only people who played the position or understand coaching the position will see,” Hendricks said. “And he sees that.”

Harsin comes to Auburn with a strong reputation for developing quarterbacks, something ESPN analyst Crag Haubert said Auburn fans, who watched five-star Bo Nix take just a small step forward in his second year as starter, should be excited about.

“Great quarterback coach” really became a part of Harsin’s reputation when he first took over as Boise State’s offensive coordinator in 2006. Jared Zabransky was the starting quarterback, and he was coming off a mediocre season, said David Southorn who covered Boise State for the Idaho Statesman and The Athletic. But after just one year under Harsin, Zabransky led his team to an overtime win over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

Then Kellen Moore took over at quarterback.

“And of course, Kellen changed everything,” Southorn said.

Moore is now a Boise State legend after becoming the first quarterback in FBS history to win 50 games, finishing in the top five for the Heisman Trophy twice, and continuing on to play in the NFL. Paul J. Schneider, who was the Voice of the Broncos for 35 years, said Moore did as much for Harsin as Harsin did for Moore. Not only did he bring Harsin and Boise State national publicity, but he displayed qualities that Harsin would instill in future quarterbacks.

But the true testament to Harsin’s skill at developing quarterbacks lies not in the big names like Moore and Brett Rypien, who is with the Denver Broncos, but in the backups, Southorn pointed out. Over the years, the Broncos had to deal with injuries at the position. And yet even when they got down to the third-string quarterback, the Broncos still found success.

“Most guys they’ve had to put into serious roles at quarterback have done, at least, above average,” Southorn said.

That’s something Auburn fans should be able to appreciate since Nix’s backups have been a former minor league baseball player, a transfer from a Group of Five school and a three-star recruit ever since Joey Gatewood transferred. Next season, Harsin will also have four-star Dematrius Davis to work with.

So, the proof is there, but what exactly is it that makes Harsin so good at developing quarterbacks?

There is, of course, the fact that he was a quarterback himself. He gets that “feel,” the “intricacies” that go into playing the position, as Hendricks pointed out. Hendricks, who ranks No. 2 all-time in completions in Boise State history, now works at Boise State and has seen his teammate’s transition from player to coach. He’s been impressed with the way Harsin teaches his players to be tough, both mentally and physically.

Harsin learned that toughness behind Hendricks, who started over him. But Schneider, who has known Harsin since his time as a local high school quarterback, thinks the fact Harsin wasn’t the star actually makes him an even better coach. Schneider noticed Harsin soaked up what his coaches told him and learned the work ethic he needed to be successful when he couldn’t rely solely on pure talent.

Talent is also something to consider when looking at who Harsin worked with as a coach. While Harsin elevated the Broncos’ recruiting — Boise State has been one of the top-75 recruiting classes in the country for the past several years — he’s been scoring four-stars rather than the five-star recruits who choose Power Five schools, ESPN’s Tom Luginbill pointed out, saying four-stars aren’t always as ready to compete immediately as five-stars are. The talent at Boise State was above the competition it faced in its conference, but Harsin prepared his players to go on and compete at the next level as well.

“I think that Bryan Harsin has been accustomed to developing quarterbacks,” said Luginbill, a former quarterback, “So he knows maybe the twists and buttons to push, and maybe identifying where deficiencies are or where strengths are and how do you accentuate those strengths.”

Now, Harsin will be taking everything he’s learned, as a player and a coach, about developing quarterbacks and applying it to SEC-level talent. He’ll be at a school that signed 247Sports’ top-rated quarterback two out of three years with Jarrett Stidham, and Nix, and the top-rated athlete with Joey Gatewood the other year. Now, in addition to Nix, it has a top-10 quarterback coming in with Dematrius Davis.

“So if (Harsin) can continue that track record of IDing and developing quarterbacks who have great success and can put up big numbers and drive offenses, that’s certainly going to help Auburn,” Haubert said. “So I think if you’re an Auburn fan, you’re excited about at least the track record he has in that department.”

[Timeslider 6 269]

CBH seems to be the kind of coach who wants and expects discipline from his coaches and players, discipline is the key to coming through the difficulties a player encounters and allows them to stay the course when everything around them is falling apart. If CBH can get everyone pulling in the same direction at the same time, I think the sky is the limit for his teams. But everyone pulling in the same direction is part of the key to success. One of the first things Saban did, when he arrived at that school across the state, was to get everyone pulling in the same direction. There is a lot to be said for unity in the middle of a storm. Regardless of how you feel, let's get behind the coach. That doesn't mean you agree with him or say he right, it means you are wanting the same thing he wants for this team, to win. 

[leglessdan 1,934]

Genuinely shocked Giana wrote something positive regarding Auburn. 

[aubiefifty 16,798]

21 hours ago, leglessdan said:

Genuinely shocked Giana wrote something positive regarding Auburn. 

hey legs just for the record i see positives from her all the time. so much so i think she might be an auburn fan.