Auburn fired coach Bryan Harsin on Monday after a 41-27 loss to Arkansas, ending an uncomfortable and unsuccessful tenure on The Plains. Harsin was relieved of his duties as the Tigers fell two games below .500 to 3-5 on the season with the program dropping 10 of its last 13 games and nine of its last 10 against Power Five opponents dating back to last season. “Auburn University has decided to make a change in the leadership of the Auburn University football program,” the school said in a statement. “President Christopher Roberts made the decision after a thorough review and evaluation of all aspects of the football program. Auburn will begin an immediate search for a head coach who will return the Auburn program to a place where it consistently competes at the highest levels and represents the winning tradition that is Auburn football.” Harsin finishes 9-12 (4-9 SEC) in less than two full seasons on the job after taking over for Gus Malzahn following the 2020 campaign. Malzahn was 67-35 (38-27 SEC) in eight seasons at Auburn. Harsin entered the 2022 season on one of the hottest seats in the country despite only spending one year on The Plains. After a 6-7 debut in 2021 that ended with five straight losses, school officials attempted a coup to oust Harsin from his position. Frustrations with the roster and coaching staff, as well as Harsin’s failure to sign a player on the traditional National Signing Day in February, set off a weekly saga in which powerful people associated with the Auburn athletic department sought to fire the Harsin for a reason. The move would allow incumbents to avoid paying a roughly $15 million buyout. The attempt ultimately failed. Auburn retained Harsin for a second season, though he was by no means on solid ground. In August, athletic director Allen Green, who was instrumental in Harsin’s hiring, announced he was leaving the program. With the Tigers having to hire a new AD, Harsin’s survival became even more tenuous. Auburn is in the process of hiring Mississippi State AD John Cohen to the same role, according to multiple reports. Harsin did little to quell the growing tension in Year 2. Auburn beat San Jose by just eight points in Week 2, a win that came before a blowout at home by Penn State and a wild overtime win over of Missouri in a failure . The Tigers followed that up with losses to LSU, Georgia, Ole Miss and Arkansas in quick succession to send Harsin packing. A former quarterback at Boise State, the 45-year-old Harsin arrived at Auburn after a successful run at his alma mater, where he went 69-19 and won three Mountain West titles. His tenure in Boise came after one season as the head coach at Arkansas State, where he went 7-5 in 2013 and won a share of the Sun Belt championship.
