Rednilla

And I think--or at least I hope--we are getting there. This season might well tell the story of Bryan Harsin at Auburn.

Yeah, but you have to have the right mindset to thrive under a guy like Harsin, and there were a lot of the players from Malzahn's time who either never would have had that mindset or else had settled into a different one too much to really fit into the culture Harsin wants to build. What I'm getting at is that it's not as easy as saying okay this group of assembled talent did this well with a less schematically developed coach, so all we have to do is bring in a coach who is better schematically and we'll see improvement. That having been said, there is absolutely no doubt that we need talent to compete, and while Harsin may (or may not) be the kind of guy who can take a group of mostly 3 star talent and build them into a formidable football team (which in turn attracts higher profile talent), he is not going to be given the kind of time it would take to build the program that way. Nor should he be, at least not at Auburn.

I don't remember the particular spat to which you're referring, but I admit that there is something about your manner that is off-putting to me. As far as I can recall, the facepalms I've reacted to your posts with were more because of your attitude than what you had to say. But why did you facepalm my post? I directly asked you that in the comment you were responding to, because I'm trying to figure out if my read on you is right or not. Of course, you call me passive aggressive while making random comments directed at me but which are so vague that another poster thought you were responding to him. And I'm the hypocrite? Also, I probably should make this clear, because it probably didn't come across this way: When I alluded to you as the OG Auburn Basketball Guru, it was really meant as a backhanded compliment, because, again, you do seem to know at least something of what you're talking about, but I suspect it was taken as nothing but an allusion to the troll who used that as a handle on here recently.

No, it was directed at me. Nothing for you to worry over. And Cole, no offense brother, but you do seem to think a lot of your own opinion about basketball. That's not entirely undeserved, but you facepalm me for pointing out that the analytics are down on Zep as an ideal solution offensively at PG, for suggesting something that Bruce Pearl and, as the evidence has come forward, pro scouts think about Chance is realistic (Westry's ability to play the point), or both. I mean, do please forgive me for feeling like you're just saying I don't know what I'm talking about and you're the definitive authority on the subject.

Best of luck Kodi! Cheering for you always!!!

Aw, come on, where's the fun in that!?

Awfully generous of you, abw...good way to make a friend, too, sitting next to each other at Auburn football games. Hope it works out for you guys! WDE!!

I think he's *only* a downgrade on paper, and that's not an admonishment of Bo. I hope like hell that Bo lights it up at Oregon, because to me he will always be a member of the Family, and I want to see him do well. I also think he was best to transfer. Not because of Harsin, but because of the toxic relationship the fans have with him. I think he'll be better appreciated in Eugene, and I think all that pressure of being a legacy 5 star QB coming off will benefit him. I also think that he and Harsin weren't quite seeing eye to eye. This isn't based upon anything other than a feel for the program, which admittedly could be off, but I don't get the feeling that Bo really bought into what Harsin is selling as far as what it takes to be the team leader at QB. And I think Calzada coming in as a new face helps with his relationship with the coaching staff. Instead of having everything at his current school flipped on its head, like Bo did a year and a half ago, Zach is making a clean break and coming into a new situation, and he knows the coaching staff actively wanted him to be a part of the team over other prospects. I would argue that helps one to buy in to the system more easily. To be short, I think Calzada can be better than Bo could have been here this season, and I think Bo can be better at Oregon than he would have been at Auburn. Hopefully, it works out like that, and everyone is better off.

There was a time when Auburn people were proud of being blue collar, hard working, and gutsy. It's not an admonition of class, but rather a mentality. Being blue collar means you're willing to get down in the dirt and work for what you get. That's what stood out to me about the appeal Robby Ashford talked about when he mentioned his meeting with Hars and why he wanted to come to Auburn. It's the right mentality if we are to rise from the doldrums and take our place with the best in the best conference.

I wasn't predicting 10 wins, I was saying that it wouldn't be unattainable so long as we beat PSU. Realistically, it's difficult to know what to expect from this season, but I would be satisfied with 8-4 as long as we don't get too embarrassed by UGA and bammer.

I respectfully disagree. I mean, it'll take a lot, yeah. It'll take the O-line being better than they have been with no one new (of whom I am aware, that is) vying for time. It'll take Calzada taking instruction about footwork and mechanics from Harsin better than he took it from Jimbo. It'll take at least two wide receivers not named Jackson stepping up as play makers. It'll take the defensive line living up to the "scary good" billing my friend called them when we got that last transfer DT. It'll take the defensive secondary replacing an NFL corner and not missing a beat, which is a REALLY tall order. And it will take a very fortunate season, health wise, for the starters and key contributors. If all of those things happen, I do think we have a shot at 10 wins. Would you agree, or still no?

If I were to honestly answer the question about where Auburn needs to steal a game, I think it's Penn State. Beat the Nittany Lions and 10 regular season wins isn't so insurmountable. Lose to them and it's hard to see 8 reg season wins unless pretty much everything else goes right for us. (I know what I said about stealing the Iron Bowl to win the West and get a rematch with Georgia in the SECCG, but for anyone confused, while I don't think much of anything is impossible with Auburn, that was mostly tongue-in-cheek.)

I can't speak for anything anyone on any other site said...or, for that matter, what anyone on this site might have said, because I didn't see it. But we've had a pretty unique set of circumstances beset us over the last couple of years. I'm just trying to encourage you to hold on to a little bit of hope.

Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'm about to the point where I think if we don't win at least 8 games, Harsin may not lose his job, but he'll be on the thinnest of thin ice. And I may be cheering for Harsin in particular more than any other die-hard, because I like finally having an inside connection that isn't related to this message board.

I didn't say the timeline has moved up so much. It's two months. That's also the amount of time that we still have until college football season starts. To wit, how many prospects commit every week? I honestly don't know, but I suspect it's not many at this time of year. And if I'm correct about that, why would you expect us to get rock solid recruiting evidence that things are going right when there's so little going on that isn't behind the scenes?

It's not all the NIL, you're right, but it's a huge part of it. Harsin can recruit, but he's not the recruiting god that Saban is. (I say that semi-mockingly, but his number one asset as a coach is his ability to recruit.) At least, not yet. And maybe he never will be. But he's not a bad recruiter, and he has a definite appeal to blue collar type players.

Are you talking about compared to the way it was before early signing day? Because I *did* mention that, you know.

Oh for the love of...yes, of course we're capable of signing a top 10 class under the NIL. But the head coach needs more support than he's been getting, because apparently he wasn't giving the crowd that offers such support enough access. I'm told he's rectified the situation, but I suspect the money people are going to want to see more than they've seen from Harsin before they start forking over big chunks of change.

Fair enough. I've been following recruiting pretty closely since the now infamous 7 coach visit swayed Carnell Williams to come to Auburn instead of going to Tennessee. Pretty sure that was 2000. However, it's a valid point that we're still exceedingly early in the recruiting process. I hear you about wanting progress in the recruiting ranks, and you're not wrong, exactly...it's just that it seems like you're getting your hopes up about hearing solid information that is positive on the recruiting front, and if you don't get it, you're going to think the worst...

No Auburn head coach before him had to deal with NIL, either.

How long have you been following recruiting closely? The time is shorter now with the early signing period, but there's still a pretty good while before I'm going to be overly concerned with where we are recruiting wise. We've got a LONG way to go with recruiting.

He's not going to have an elite recruiting class this year. I still think we've got more than just a fighting chance at a top 15 class even with just 7-8 wins regular season. But we're not going to get elite recruiting classes unless the NIL money is there. The NIL money isn't going to be there unless the financial brokers believe Harsin has what it takes to put Auburn where we want to be, so unless Harsin pulls a rabbit out of his hat and gets 9-10 wins in the regular season, then I find it unlikely he's going to get the support necessary to have an elite recruiting class *next* season, either.

@Weagle1787

Actually, Stretch will complete his fourth academic season in Spring 2023, so while he will technically have two more seasons of eligibility, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if he graduates next May and moves on (maybe to coaching?). That would open up a scholarship for a big man, plus if we eat the second probation scholarship this year like it currently appears that we will, there will be a scholarship ready and waiting for one of those big men whether Stretch moves on or not.

I just logged on and saw the facepalm reaction to a post I made about something both the head coach and an AUFamily MOD had talked about happening, and before I bothered to go digging up my response to the OG Auburn Basketball Guru, you did it for me. Kudos. As for what type of PG he would/will be, yeah, he's definitely a score-first guy, but there's something to be said for having that on your team. I LOVE Wendell Green at point, because he reminds me somewhat of Jared Harper (especially the way he launches threes from 25-30 feet and makes them with a semblance of regularity), but having a guy Westry's size with a nose for the rim is the biggest piece we were missing last season, IMHO. Maybe I'm getting my hopes up a little too much about his ability to play the point, I don't know.