Former Auburn coach Harsin linked to Cal’s offensive coordinator job
Cal head coach Justin Wilcox is reportedly close to bringing on Bryan Harsin as the Bears’ new offensive coordinator, a development that raised eyebrows in Berkeley and other corners of the college football world on Monday.
Harsin has been considered one of the top offensive coaches in the country, but has been out of college football since a messy dismissal at Auburn in October of 2022 after less than two seasons as the Tigers’ head coach.
Harsin hasn’t been heard from much since he was fired, other than occasional social media posts – mostly conservative political views, which fans picked up on and could make his potential arrival in largely liberal Berkeley a little tricky.
Most Cal fans Monday on BearInsider.com wanted to give Harsin a chance, but others wondered how well he’d fit the Cal community.
A deal with Cal deal could be finalized soon, according to a report by ESPN’s Chris Low and Adam Rittenberg. Last week Cal announced it was seeking a replacement for Mike Bloesch after his one season as offensive coordinator for the Bears, who play in the Los Angeles Bowl on Dec. 18.
It would be a reunion for Wilcox and Harsin, who were coordinators at Boise State from 2006-09 on Chris Petersen’s staff.
Harsin, 48, succeeded Peterson in Boise in 2014 and went 69-19 in six seasons before he was hired at Auburn. But he didn’t even get through his second season and many Tigers fans blame Harsin for the program’s fall from national powerhouse to the bottom tier of the SEC.
Auburn struggled on the field – they were 9-12 when he was fired midway through his second season with $15.3 million remaining on his contract – and there were numerous off-field controversies.
There was a mass departure of players, including current Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, and coaches after his first season, which saw the Tigers lose 10 of their final 13 games. One former player, Lee Hunter, said the players were treated “like dogs.” Harsin was criticized for his handling of players and his approach to recruiting, leading to a university inquiry. He was retained for another season, but after a 3-5 start in 2022, Harsin was fired.
In February 2022, shortly after Auburn announced no recruit signings on National Signing Day, the Montgomery Advertiser quoted an unnamed source who called the program under Harsin “toxic” and “dysfunctional.” The source said “All the issues in the (Auburn) program have to do with the head coach. He treated players and coaches poorly. He couldn’t empathize with players. He wasn’t genuine. And he ran off many of his best players.”
Harsin disputed the characterization of the state of the program. This spring, he told ESPN, “There were things that were disappointing, on and off the field. There were things that I wish I would have done better, and there were things where we got a chance to see some of the worst in people.
“At the same time, here we are. We’re thriving.”
And now, apparently headed to Berkeley.
Cal finished the regular season strong, including a thrilling comeback win over Stanford in the Big Game, but the offense has struggled with consistency. Cal averaged 26.1 points per game this season, 82nd out of the 133 FBS teams. Adding insult to injury, top quarterback recruit Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele from Hawaii flipped his commitment from Cal to Oregon last week.
Harsin would become Cal’s fourth offensive coordinator since 2022.
In addition to serving as head coach at Auburn, Boise State and Arkansas State, Harsin spent two seasons as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Texas in 2011 and 2012.