By: Van Cathcart III
After two seasons, on Oct. 29, Auburn relieved Bryan Harsin from his head coaching duties. The firing came less than 48 hours after the Tigers lost to Arkansas at home by 14 points. The team dropped to 3-5 on the season and is in danger of not getting to participate in a Bowl Game at the end of the year, the first time this will have happened since 2012. Harsin ends his tenure at Auburn with a 9-12 record, a less-than-ideal record when you are playing in the powerhouse that is the SEC.
“President [Christopher] Roberts decided after a thorough review and evaluation of all aspects of the football program. Auburn will begin an immediate search for a coach that 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.” The school said in a statement to ESPN.
Harsin released his statement on Tuesday, a day after his firing, “I am incredibly disappointed that I won’t get to lead the Auburn football program and these players in the future. I poured my heart and soul into this program and team. We stood together in the face of considerable challenges and outside noise.”
This “outside noise” that he mentions comes from an investigation into Harsin after reports saying that he was having a relationship with one of his staff members.
It is estimated that Auburn will have to pay Harsin somewhere around $15 million to buy out his contract. This came after they had to buy out Gus Malzahn’s remaining $21.7 million contract just two years ago.
Carnell “Cadillac” Williams was named interim head coach for the rest of this year while Auburn looks for its new leader in the football program. Williams served as the running backs coach for the last four years. Williams had a very successful career at Auburn and became a fifth overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft. While at Auburn, he set team records for carries (741) and touchdowns (45).
Picture Credits: ESPN