New culture different but exciting

[aubiefifty 18,231]

al.com

 

 

By Giana Han

4-5 minutes

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Coach Bryan Harsin talks to his team toward the end of Auburn football's first day of spring practice on Monday, March 15, 2021 in Auburn, Ala. Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

The Auburn football players have only had workouts and two days of practice to judge, but from what center Nick Brahms has seen, the new staff’s philosophies aren’t better or worse than the old staff’s. They’re just different.

“It’s a lot different, but it’s a fun experience,” Brahms said.

The process, from the day Gus Malzahn was fired to the installation of Bryan Harsin’s staff, was not an easy one. As Brahms said, the players built relationships with people, “and then, you know, the next day, they’re gone.” Linebacker Owen Pappoe said it caught them all off guard.

But they realized change is something that inevitably happens in life and decided to take it as a learning lesson.

“Change is hard to go through,” quarterback Bo Nix said. “But sometimes, if you take advantage of it, on the other side of change, it can present an opportunity. And I think that’s what we have right now.”

Harsin came in and replaced everyone on the coaching staff except running backs coach Cadillac Williams. Luckily, all the new coaches are “great people” — every single one of them, Pappoe said. They’ve done a good job building relationships and helping the players get through the transition.

As the head coach, Harsin has set the tone by being open and in constant communication. He’s told the players to let him know if they need anything, and it’s clear he cares for his players. After going through four coaches in the four years he played for Boise State, Harsin understands what change like this can be like and tries to use that to help the players through the transition.

“I think that speaks volumes, when a coach knows exactly what a player is going through,” Nix said.

Before any of the players got the chance to really know Harsin, Pappoe did some asking around to figure out what they were getting into. He was told that everything is “fourth-and-one” with Harsin and that he doesn’t “let any crazy stuff fly.” Over the past three months, the Tigers have seen proof of that.

When it comes to discipline, Harsin has never let his players get away with behavioral issues. That doesn’t change much, Pappoe said, since Auburn doesn’t really have discipline problems or any “knuckleheads running around.”

But the discipline shows itself in other ways. Harsin is passionate and relentless. In the weight room and on the field, he’s particular that they do everything right because the little things count — and he looks at those little things very carefully.

“He’s extreme when it comes to that, which is, I think, what we really need,” Nix said. “We have some young guys that kind of have to take the next step, as we’ve talked about, to be in important roles for next year.”

Already, a culture has started to grow, both within the position groups and among the program as a whole.

While the players may miss their former coaches and be grateful for the time they had together, they’ve decided to embrace the new with excitement. As they got ready to step on the field Monday, there was a sense of discovery as they prepared to learn the new coaches and systems.

“So far, everything’s going good,” Pappoe said. “We love these guys. We’re buying into the culture.”

[ToomersStreet 798]

On 3/18/2021 at 7:00 AM, aubiefifty said:

al.com

 

 

By Giana Han

4-5 minutes

---

Coach Bryan Harsin talks to his team toward the end of Auburn football's first day of spring practice on Monday, March 15, 2021 in Auburn, Ala. Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

The Auburn football players have only had workouts and two days of practice to judge, but from what center Nick Brahms has seen, the new staff’s philosophies aren’t better or worse than the old staff’s. They’re just different.

“It’s a lot different, but it’s a fun experience,” Brahms said.

The process, from the day Gus Malzahn was fired to the installation of Bryan Harsin’s staff, was not an easy one. As Brahms said, the players built relationships with people, “and then, you know, the next day, they’re gone.” Linebacker Owen Pappoe said it caught them all off guard.

But they realized change is something that inevitably happens in life and decided to take it as a learning lesson.

“Change is hard to go through,” quarterback Bo Nix said. “But sometimes, if you take advantage of it, on the other side of change, it can present an opportunity. And I think that’s what we have right now.”

Harsin came in and replaced everyone on the coaching staff except running backs coach Cadillac Williams. Luckily, all the new coaches are “great people” — every single one of them, Pappoe said. They’ve done a good job building relationships and helping the players get through the transition.

As the head coach, Harsin has set the tone by being open and in constant communication. He’s told the players to let him know if they need anything, and it’s clear he cares for his players. After going through four coaches in the four years he played for Boise State, Harsin understands what change like this can be like and tries to use that to help the players through the transition.

“I think that speaks volumes, when a coach knows exactly what a player is going through,” Nix said.

Before any of the players got the chance to really know Harsin, Pappoe did some asking around to figure out what they were getting into. He was told that everything is “fourth-and-one” with Harsin and that he doesn’t “let any crazy stuff fly.” Over the past three months, the Tigers have seen proof of that.

When it comes to discipline, Harsin has never let his players get away with behavioral issues. That doesn’t change much, Pappoe said, since Auburn doesn’t really have discipline problems or any “knuckleheads running around.”

But the discipline shows itself in other ways. Harsin is passionate and relentless. In the weight room and on the field, he’s particular that they do everything right because the little things count — and he looks at those little things very carefully.

“He’s extreme when it comes to that, which is, I think, what we really need,” Nix said. “We have some young guys that kind of have to take the next step, as we’ve talked about, to be in important roles for next year.”

Already, a culture has started to grow, both within the position groups and among the program as a whole.

While the players may miss their former coaches and be grateful for the time they had together, they’ve decided to embrace the new with excitement. As they got ready to step on the field Monday, there was a sense of discovery as they prepared to learn the new coaches and systems.

“So far, everything’s going good,” Pappoe said. “We love these guys. We’re buying into the culture.”

We've got some veterans that need to do that as well.