In December, the Tigers hired Davis to replace Mike Bobo
Bryan Harsin has just one season under his belt as the Auburn head coach. He is now looking for a third offensive coordinator. The school announced Monday that Austin Davis, who was appointed in December to replace Mike Bobo has abruptly resigned. Davis was previously with the Seattle Seahawks as the quarterbacks coach and star signal-caller Russell Wilson, from 2019-21.
Davis released a statement saying that the last week was difficult and that he had made the decision to quit coaching football. “Coach Harsin and Auburn University have been tremendous throughout this entire process. From a coaching perspective, I am grateful. Equally important is the way Coach Harsin handled my current situation. Personal reasons are the reason I have decided to resign. After over a decade as a player and coach in the NFL, I have realized how much my family means to me and the desire to spend more time with them. Although I have to leave coaching, I cannot praise enough the Auburn family for the wonderful way they welcomed me into their football program. They are focused on developing young men on the field and in the long-term.
Davis was a seven-year veteran of the NFL. He played in 16 games, eight for the Arizona Cardinals in 2014, and spent seven years there. During his professional career, he threw for 2,548 yard, 13 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. From 2008 to 2011, he was the star at Southern Miss, throwing for 10,892 yard and 83 touchdowns, as well as 27 interceptions.
Here are the top takeaways from Auburn’s announcement that it is currently searching for an offensive coordinator.
Auburn is a disaster
Harsin couldn’t have predicted this. While it would be easy for Davis to move on to a new job, it is quite another for a young coach to quit for a job as a coordinator in the SEC only weeks after he started the job. This indicates that Harsin’s program has never been more in turmoil since Jet-Gate when officials tried to hire Bobby Petrino at night, despite the fact Tommy Tuberville still was employed and preparing his team in time for the Iron Bowl.
This is just two weeks after Derek Mason, the Oklahoma State defensive coordinator, resigned. Mike Gundy is a successful coach in Stillwater. However, it can be considered a lateral decision for a veteran coach who has been in the SEC for eight seasons.
Auburn is no longer a destination program.
Harsin is in trouble
Auburn’s record of 6-7 is unacceptable, even in rebuilding seasons. But Harsin’s first season on the Plains saw him post a 6-7 record, despite beating Ole Miss in New Year’s Six Bowl and topping LSU in Baton Rouge in 1999.
After a two week-long saga that started after fans protested about the possibility of Kevin Steele being hired as a defensive coordinator, Athletic director Allen Greene selected Harsin. After an offensive decline in the last month of the season, Harsin fired wide receivers coach Cornelius Williams and Bobo. Numerous players have entered the transfer portal. This includes Bo Nix who was the Tigers’ starting quarterback for three years. His father Patrick started as the Tigers’ center in the mid-1990s.
Auburn’s greatest rivals, Alabama and Georgia, are 900-pound gorillas that have been pounding college football to submission. Auburn’s program is spiraling out-of-control faster than the eagle that chases its prey. Harsin needs to turn this around by Year 2. Otherwise, the Steele scandal-related power brokers might stop Harsin from having a Year 3.
