Auburn Fires Head Football Coach Bryan Harsin

FILE – Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin is shown during the Tigers’ loss to LSU in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)

Auburn University has announced that head football coach Bryan Harsin has been fired.

This is the statement released by the university:

“Auburn University has decided to make a change in the leadership of the Auburn University football program. President Roberts made the decision 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 is consistently competing at the highest levels and representing the winning tradition that is Auburn football.”

Harsin is being fired eight games into his second season on the Plains. His overall record is 9-12 (4-9 SEC). Currently, the Tigers are at 3-5 this season, with four games left to play in the regular season.

Harsin’s final game was a 41-27 loss at home to Arkansas on Saturday. That extends Auburn’s current losing streak to four games.

All season, he was considered one of the coaches most at risk of being fired. He finished his first season at 6-7. Early this year, there was an attempt to replace him, due to staff and player transfers and the Tigers’ struggles with recruiting. The university investigated his handling of the program but decided to keep him.

Allen Greene, Auburn’s athletic director who played a major role in his hiring, announced in August that he was stepping down, which left Harsin without the support he once had. Auburn is working on a deal to hire Mississippi State Athletic Director John Cohen to replace Greene.

Harsin was hired in December 2020 from Boise State, where he once played quarterback and where he had a 69-19 record and won three Mountain West titles. His contract with Auburn was for six years at $31.5 million. Auburn will owe Harsin 70% of his remaining contract, which adds up to more than $15 million. Half of that must be paid within 30 days.

Harsin’s tenure ends with Auburn owing another huge payout. Like his predecessor, Gus Malzahn, the amount remains the same even if Harsin accepts another job. The school paid Malzahn, now the coach at the University of Central Florida, $21.5 million after his firing.

Auburn canceled its weekly football football news conference about 90 minutes before Harsin was scheduled to speak. The university didn’t immediately name an interim coach. The Tigers play at Mississippi State on Saturday night.

(Copyright 2022 The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)