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Auburn fans’ long national nightmare is finally over. The Tigers announced the firing of head football coach Bryan Harsin on Monday afternoon.
Harsin finishes his Auburn tenure with a 9-12 record. But in reality, his run was doomed from the start. Then-Tigers Athletic Director Allen Greene hired Harsin in 2021 after firing previous head coach Gus Malzahn. Harsin came to Auburn after seven successful, if unspectacular years as the head coach at Boise State.
But he had just one prior year of experience working in the southeast, which concerned Tigers fans about his ability to recruit in SEC country.
After a tumultuous 2021 season that saw Auburn lose its last five games and finish with a 6-7 record, those fears came to life. Auburn signed just the 21st-ranked recruiting class in the country according to 247Sports.
But that was just the start of Harsin’s troubles. A number of players, including starting QB Bo Nix, transferred out of the program. That sparked an investigation by the university into his behavior. Though Harsin continually reaffirmed his innocence. There were also rumors about his personal life which sparked a scathing response from both his wife and daughter.
Things reached a boiling point when Harsin and the Tigers returned to the field for the 2022 season. Auburn began the year 2-0, but a Week 3 blowout loss to Penn State sent fans over the edge.
Multiple losses and yet another wild report later, and the Tigers have finally decided to cut bait with the failed coaching hire.
Auburn Fans Are Overjoyed After Finally Being Freed From The Shackles Of Bryan Harsin
Brandon Marcello of 247Sports first broke the new of Harsin’s firing on Twitter.
BREAKING: Bryan Harsin has been fired at Auburn.
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) October 31, 2022
And it didn’t take long for Auburn fans to quickly start the celebrations.
HE ANSWERS PRAYER!! https://t.co/Y9pB0dGGep pic.twitter.com/1IHsWW0UVa
— D Wayne🥂 (@D_Wayne_3) October 31, 2022
THANK YOU https://t.co/YprXJDWcJu
— 👑Young King 🤟🏽 (@AyoPopi) October 31, 2022
no take backs https://t.co/C9vSwVJJ61 pic.twitter.com/0y1BYTEdOH
— Landon ⚔️ (@landonb94) October 31, 2022
Auburn has yet to name an interim head coach, but fans are already speculating about who gets the job long-term. One popular name seems to be Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.
You know what to do @AuburnFootball https://t.co/I3TjWO2BnX pic.twitter.com/76C0pCrVPM
— 🅱️en 𓅓⁶ (@Ben_Doin_That) October 31, 2022
I have the perfect man for the position https://t.co/3UdBFZkrNm pic.twitter.com/pvRkXcZomQ
— Chris Wagner (@ThisChrisWagner) October 31, 2022
Though other names such as Matt Rhule…
It’s time: https://t.co/dHnZ4N58wz pic.twitter.com/4rTDV2vZoe
— Cat Crave (@CatCraveBlog) October 31, 2022
…and Deion Sanders have been suggested.
ITS TIME https://t.co/zIwp1WYXAl pic.twitter.com/KhrnTiDKjF
— Icy 🥶 (@23rdwonder) October 31, 2022
It’s not all bad for Harsin, who stands to collect a pretty nice paycheck for having been fired.
Auburn fired Bryan Harsin. They're expected to owe him more than $15 million in buyout money, half of which is due in 30 days.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 31, 2022
But for now, Auburn fans just seem happy for it to be over.