Harsin wants to expand recruiting footprint

[aubiefifty 18,231]

al.com

 

Bryan Harsin wants to expand Auburn's recruiting footprint

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

7-9 minutes

---

Bryan Harsin isn’t concerned about his lack of experience recruiting in the SEC; rather, Auburn’s new coach is excited about the challenge presented by the opportunity ahead.

Harsin has spent most of his life and most of his coaching career in the Pacific Northwest, save for a two-year stint as Texas’ offensive coordinator and one year as head coach at Arkansas State in 2012, so he hasn’t had to do much recruiting in the South. That means he also hasn’t had to compete against the likes of Alabama and Georgia, among others, for recruits throughout his career.

As far as culture shocks in moving from Boise, Idaho, to Auburn go, that may be the biggest one awaiting Harsin after he as named the Tigers’ new coach earlier this week. And that’s OK with him.

“That’s part of the excitement about this opportunity,” Harsin said. “You’ve got to compete. You’ve got to compete in recruiting. You’ve got to work. You’ve got to do it every single day. You’ve got to be committed to it. You’ve got to be able to have these players see how they fit in your program… That’s a major responsibility that I have, is that vision for who they are and how they fit.”

Harsin was an effective recruiter at Boise State, where he signed the Mountain West’s top recruiting class in each of his seven seasons at his alma mater. While out-recruiting the rest of that league is one thing, the Broncos’ classes still ranked in the mid-50s to mid-60s nationally each season, according to the 247Sports Composite team rankings. Boise State’s highest-ranked class during Harsin’s tenure came in 2019, when the Broncos landed the nation’s No. 54 class.

Auburn, meanwhile, has traditionally competed for top-10 recruiting classes, though this year the program currently has the nation’s 47th-ranked class.

Rankings aside, Harsin was always able to find “our kind of guys” — the type he thought would fit Boise State’s culture and what the Broncos were trying to accomplish as a program year in and year out.

“You’ve just got to find them,” Harsin said. “… We did that with our eyes, our ears. They fit our program, they fit who we are. And they were guys that when they got there, make no mistake about it, you’ve got to develop them…. You’ve got to have coaches, you’ve got to have a plan, you’ve got to have things in place in order to help these players develop. The talent part of it? Fantastic. You still have to develop your game. It’s still game. It’s got to be developed every single day, so you’ve got to have guys that will be willing to do that.”

How does Harsin plan to carry over that process to Auburn, where he will have greater resources even if he currently lacks familiarity and relationships in the Tigers’ traditional footprint of Alabama, Georgia and Florida? Auburn’s new coach laid out some of his recruiting philosophy on Thursday during his introductory press conference, as recruiting — as it pertains to the 2021 class — will be one of the main focuses during his first month-plus on the job.

“Recruiting, in Boise State it was challenging,” he said. “The kind of guys that we were trying to go after, it wasn’t just you go after a certain type, but you go after the very best. That’s how you recruit. You go after the very best, and you do it every single day. And at Auburn, we have the opportunity to go after the very best and to share with them the vision and the direction that we want to go and how they fit into that.”

While Harsin acknowledged the challenges he will face as an outsider and newcomer on the Plains. He doesn’t know the area just yet, and he doesn’t have relationships with high school coaches across the state or across the border in Georgia and Florida, where Auburn typically heavily recruits. Boise State only signed a handful of recruits out of Georgia and Florida—including Roswell, Ga., tight end Tyneil Hopper (a high school teammate of former Auburn quarterback Malik Willis) and Jacksonville, Fla., quarterback Riley Smith (a high school teammate of former Auburn quarterback Joey Gatewood) during Harsin’s tenure.

The first step, he said, will be establishing those relationships. How Harsin fills out his inaugural staff at Auburn could assist in that regard, depending on who he hires and whether any of his assistants will have ties to Auburn or the SEC, though he plans to be deliberate with making those hires in the coming weeks.

“There’s obviously a lot of things that we have to do to connect with the high school coaches and the people that are important for us to be able to go out and recruit the type of guys that we want to,” Harsin said. “But I feel like with the staff we put together, that’s a part of why you put together a great staff—because they’re going to be able to do those things. Great coaches, they understand this…. It starts with your staff. It starts with you identifying the things you’re looking for in players and guys that are going to be a part of this program. And then you got to go do it every single day and be relentless when you do it.”

Auburn will continue to recruits its own backyard, as it always has, but Harsin said the Tigers won’t be limited to their traditional footprint. While Auburn has made inroads in Texas and Mississippi in recent years, Harsin plans to cast the net much wider for his program given his West Coast ties.

“We have to make sure we are going out there and getting the best of the best,” Harsin said. “And so, where do we do that? Well, all over the country. I’m coming from a long ways away; I can tell you that when I flew in today, that’s a long flight. Alright, but I’m going to tell you now those guys from the West Coast, myself included, they’re going to come here, they’re going to want to be a part of this.”

Along with recruiting locally in Idaho, Harsin’s classes at Boise State were littered with players from California, Texas, Colorado and Arizona. Auburn’s recruiting out west has been limited, especially during Gus Malzahn’s tenure. Outside of junior college transfers and the Carlson brothers — Daniel and Anders — Auburn hasn’t signed a player from the Mountain of Pacific time zones since 2012, when it landed offensive linemen Alex Kozan and Shane Callahan, the latter of whom transferred from Auburn before the 2014 season. Auburn hasn’t signed a high school prospect out of California since 2004, when two-star tight end Charles Mullen joined the program.

Harsin’s connections out west can help expand that footprint, though he has no plans or forgetting the Tigers’ bread and butter on the recruiting trail.

“We’ll be right here in our backyard, number one, and making sure the best players that are right here surrounding us, that they want to be at Auburn University,” Harsin said. “And then the other players in the country that want to come play and play for championships and be a part of the best program in the country, we’re going to go after them as well. But I want them to believe in what they’re getting into. And I want them to know what they’re getting into. And to know that this is challenging, it’s hard. It takes tremendous discipline, takes tremendous toughness, and takes tremendous conviction for you to come in here and be successful like we need you to be.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our

[toddc 13,197]

Throw in a California kid or two is okay by me.

[AUCE05 369]

Strange idea.  Look for the best regardless of the state.  

[DAG 34,754]

I love it.

I know some of you traditionalist will have a hard time with this. 

[Sani-Freeze 552]

It's an interesting question and certainly sounds good in theory - I just wonder how realistic the long distance recruiting idea is. I think Tuberville's approach was to focus on guys within a 250-mile radius or so. He did well early on, mainly in AL/GA/FL and some in TN. But then, he largely quit putting effort into recruiting after Jetgate so it's hard to use him as a gauge. 

Under Chizik, the staff spent more time chasing guys 1000+ miles away but in the end still didn't pull in many of them. In the 2012 class they mentioned, we got the OLs Kozan and Callahan from CO and Diamond from IL, but only one of those ended up contributing. That made me question whether it was worth the travel time etc. 

I was encouraged that Morris was getting some Texans for a change - I'd be happy if Harsin could use some old ties there to continue that new trend. 

 

 

[j0hnnyRingo 1,445]

Im all for it, and hope it works.  CBH seems quite determined.  I like his fire.

[McLoofus 35,182]

12 hours ago, toddc said:

Throw in a California kid or two is okay by me.

Absolutely. 

We need to build our roster primarily with kids from the southeast because the southeast is where the vast majority of the talent is. Especially along the defensive line. The defensive line is what separates the SEC (and, now, Clemson) from the rest of college football, and it's because there are just way more 300+ lb kids in the southeast that are as strong as bulls and can move like cats. And there is additional value in going after kids from the area. 

But yeah, when there's a kid west of the Rockies or north of Virginia that we need, we need to be able to go after him.

[steeleagle 2,945]

I have no problem expanding our recruiting footprint, especially since Harsin definitely has ties out west and southwest due to his recruiting base he had at Boise.

But I still hope and feel that he HAS to try to dig into GA/FL/AL again to keep those state teams from getting their states best. 

If his offense becomes successful, he will draw more interest again from top OL, RB, WR, QB to get us in better shape there than under GUs.

[McLoofus 35,182]

52 minutes ago, steeleagle said:

I have no problem expanding our recruiting footprint, especially since Harsin definitely has ties out west and southwest due to his recruiting base he had at Boise.

But I still hope and feel that he HAS to try to dig into GA/FL/AL again to keep those state teams from getting their states best. 

If his offense becomes successful, he will draw more interest again from top OL, RB, WR, QB to get us in better shape there than under GUs.

Honestly, I think he'll be more successful with the OLs just by actually prioritizing them. 

[auburn4ever 1,266]

Go get'em coach Harsin.

[johnnyAU 3,745]

Branch out to California, Texas, etc...sign the best you can find that will fill the spots that need fillin' and has the right work ethic/attitude. 

Let's go.

[TigerPAC 1,021]

47th?????  man, he has LOTS of work to do.  and i hope he can do it!

[auburn4ever 1,266]

I love the idea that coach Harsin is gonna expand our recruiting territory to other states.

[Zeek 16,953]

Our recruiting class this year

Florida - 3

Alabama - 2

Georgia - 1

Texas - 3

Missouri- 1

Kansas - 1

Oklahoma - 1

Australia - 1 (technically Chapman counts to this class)

 

We've done a weird job of not getting Georgia and Bama kids this year.

[meh130 1,056]

This is good, and important. Casting a wider net is necessary. A California 4-star over an Alabama or Georgia 3-star may make a difference.

[woodford 3,732]

21 hours ago, Zeek said:

Our recruiting class this year

Florida - 3

Alabama - 2

Georgia - 1

Texas - 3

Missouri- 1

Kansas - 1

Oklahoma - 1

Australia - 1 (technically Chapman counts to this class)

 

We've done a weird job of not getting Georgia and Bama kids this year.

Those Alabama and Georgia numbers are fireable offense on their own

[woodford 3,732]

Unpopular recruiting opinion: Geography doesn't matter that much these days. For almost a decade, every single game has been on TV. No PPV or anything like that. Mama and co can watch their boy every game without having to jump on a plane. Auburn is 2 hours from the busiest airport in the world that has direct flights from all the big football states not near Alabama (Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, California, Virginia). 

I think it's a dated argument to make these days. And, most of all, players will flock to great coaches with zero regard to location (see SoCal kids going to Athens and Clemson). 

 

 

[McLoofus 35,182]

14 hours ago, woodford said:

Unpopular recruiting opinion: Geography doesn't matter that much these days. For almost a decade, every single game has been on TV. No PPV or anything like that. Mama and co can watch their boy every game without having to jump on a plane. Auburn is 2 hours from the busiest airport in the world that has direct flights from all the big football states not near Alabama (Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, California, Virginia). 

I think it's a dated argument to make these days. And, most of all, players will flock to great coaches with zero regard to location (see SoCal kids going to Athens and Clemson). 

It matters for us because we are located where the overwhelming majority of the talent is. It's inefficient to fly to California to recruit a kid when there are 10 just as good right in your back yard. It's rare that the kid in California really is that much more special. 

It's also rare that a California kid is perfectly happy going to some small college town on the East coast where he's 3 time zones and a long, expensive flight from home. Yeah, 2 hrs to Atlanta... then an hour at the airport... 2, 3, 4 hour flight... transpo from the airport... same trip in reverse to get back to campus... who knows how much the ticket cost... $9/day minimum for parking in ATL... maybe the flights are on time, maybe not... maybe they were lucky enough to get a direct flight, but maybe they had to connect through Dallas or Charlotte... what if there's a family emergency back home... what if a West Coast kid gets to a conservative Southeastern campus and realizes he just doesn't fit in at all... etc)  It's a lot. Remember, bama had to find Tua's family jobs and a place to live- and give his brother a scholarship- to land him. Yes, SoCal kids go to Athens and Clemson and Eugene and Columbus. But they are in the extreme minority at at least 3 of those schools. 

 

[gravejd 3,304]

We have had a problem getting out of state recruits to stick around even when we do get them. There are some success stories like Ben Tate, Emory Blake, Kozan...etc but many more that don’t work out. 
 

But I’m all for cherry picking a couple guys from outside our normal zone to supplement or normal contingent of Alabama, Georgia, and Florida guys. They don’t always hit but when they do they are worth the resources as you can see from my short list above.

[keesler 5,957]

My Lord, all Harsin has to do is look at where our SEC brethren are pulling their talent.  Auburn has to go the aggressive route, we can't sit back and be pleased with snagging a few of their leftovers while they're getting the lions share of the 4-5*'s.  I trust he has a vision for recruiting and a plan to bring in top 5 classes just like our mail rivals. 

[AUnCullman 601]

I never have understood any kid wanting to go to turdville(well, they have been winning lately I guess). It literally smells like a sewage dump and its not just that im an Auburn fan. Get away from the campus and that place is a dumpster fire. I can imagine what the families of players from all over think when they go to visit. Unless they make them ride in cars with blacked out windows so they cant see. 

[Gowebb11 9,871]

Kids will gladly relocate anywhere to be part of a championship program, putting guys in the league. Not so much for an inconsistent program. If Harsin can bring them here and produces what he promises, we will be able to recruit nationally. 

[Hank2020 3,355]

On 12/28/2020 at 9:23 AM, McLoofus said:

Absolutely. 

We need to build our roster primarily with kids from the southeast because the southeast is where the vast majority of the talent is. Especially along the defensive line. The defensive line is what separates the SEC (and, now, Clemson) from the rest of college football, and it's because there are just way more 300+ lb kids in the southeast that are as strong as bulls and can move like cats. And there is additional value in going after kids from the area. 

But yeah, when there's a kid west of the Rockies or north of Virginia that we need, we need to be able to go after him.

Not sure where OSU’s recruiting footprint is but they sure matched well against Clemson. Will see how they match up against SEC.

[McLoofus 35,182]

14 minutes ago, Hank2020 said:

Not sure where OSU’s recruiting footprint is but they sure matched well against Clemson. Will see how they match up against SEC.

They're the rare brand that can and does truly recruit nationally. And Ohio is probably the 5th-best state in the country in terms of talent. 

 

[Harp_AU2013 221]

10 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

They're the rare brand that can and does truly recruit nationally. And Ohio is probably the 5th-best state in the country in terms of talent. 

 

Ohio Kids rarely leave Ohio. Clemson and Alabama have had some success. AU grabbed Prince Micharl Sammons from Ohio but not much luck.. If Ohio State calls, they come and now that UC is doing what it is, the ones that Ohio State doesn't pick up go to UC. MR. Ohio Evan Prater from 2 years ago was a 4 start I believe that is at UC now.