Auburn Football

Dan Lanning has no plans to use Oregon as a steppingstone.

The Ducks head coach offered an extended denial of rumors he'd be interested in taking the Auburn head coaching position Monday, telling reporters Oregon "has everything I could possibly ever want."

"First off, I'll say things like this are gonna come up when you have team success and when you do your job and things go the way they're supposed to go. That's credit really to our team. That being said, I think there's a little bit of a problem in society today with people looking for what's next and where there's an opportunity, and the reality is the grass is not always greener. In fact, the grass is damn green in Eugene, right? And I want to be here in Eugene for as long as Eugene will have me.

"This place has everything I could possibly ever want, my family could ever want. I've got an 11-year-old that's lived in eight states. The last thing I ever want to do is leave. I want to enjoy this opportunity here. It's been a phenomenal place for us. And when you talk about things that align, things that match your vision for what you're looking for as a head coach, Oregon checks every box for me.

"I think history maybe shows that this is a great place to be and not a great place to leave. I want to be here. Hopefully, that's the last time I have to really address it. But the reality is this is a destination, not just for me, but for elite players. And why is it a destination? Because reat administration, great fans, great support, and it's a good reason to be here and why we're having the success we're having."

Oregon has seen its last two coaches (Willie Taggart and Mario Cristobal) use the program to boost their resumes before leaving for what they perceived as better jobs (Florida State and Miami, respectively). Taggart lasted less than two seasons at Florida State before being fired, and Cristobal is 4-5 in his first season at Miami.

Lanning, meanwhile, is 8-1 in his first year in Eugene with a shot at making the College Football Playoff. The Ducks recovered from an ugly 49-3 loss to Georgia to open their regular season to reel off eight straight wins, scoring 40-plus points in each contest.

Lanning came to Oregon after working his way up from a high school special teams coach to being Georgia's defensive coordinator from 2019 to 2021, winning a national championship with the Bulldogs last season.

The combination of Lanning's age (36) and history in the SEC makes him a natural target for Auburn, which fired Bryan Harsin on Halloween.

While the program will have little trouble finding interested parties, the Auburn job isn't strong at the moment. The Tigers haven't won 10 games since 2017 and are looking into an uncertain SEC future that includes the impending additions of Texas and Oklahoma. By 2025, Auburn may be the seventh- or eighth-best job in the SEC.

By contrast, Oregon is the pillar of the Pac-12—especially with USC and UCLA set to join the Big Ten.

Jackson State head football coach Deion Sanders denied speculation Thursday that he is taking a flight to Atlanta to discuss the head coaching vacancy at Auburn.

Sanders responded Thursday to a tweet that said he was flying to Atlanta, calling it a "lie":

The writer of the tweet had previously acknowledged that what he tweeted wasn't true:

Sanders, a Pro Football and College Football Hall of Fame cornerback, has enjoyed great success in three seasons as the head coach at Jackson State, including an 8-0 record this season. That has sparked talk that he could be a target for Auburn following the firing of Bryan Harsin on Monday.

After leading Jackson State to an 11-2 record last season and guiding them to a sizzling record in 2022, Sanders has fielded many questions about making the leap to Auburn or another team in a Power Five conference.

He said on ESPN's College GameDay last weekend that he would entertain offers (h/t Mark Heim of AL.com).

Sanders expressed thankfulness this week for being on the Power Five radar as a coach at a historically Black college or university (HBCU) but said nothing to suggest he is thinking of leaving his current situation:

"That's a blessing — that's truly a blessing. Sorry to interrupt, but I've got to get these points out. I don't think too many African-American coaches from the HBCU has ever been attached to anything concerning the Power Five, so that's truly a blessing.

"We love to do things that hadn't been done around here in Jackson State, and this is another prevalent thing that hadn't been done that we're doing."

Before Sanders' arrival at JSU, the Tigers had finished .500 or worse in six consecutive seasons, but he has already ensured a third straight winning season under his leadership.

He has also helped put HBCU football back on the map nationally thanks to his celebrity, Jackson State's success and his ability as a recruiter.

Despite being an FCS program, Jackson State secured the No. 58 recruiting class in the nation in 2021, per 247Sports.

Along with landing his son Shedeur Sanders from the 2021 class to start at quarterback, Coach Prime reeled in cornerback Travis Hunter in the 2022 class, ranked as the No. 1 overall recruit by 247Sports.

That level of recruiting excellence would be huge for an Auburn program that has not won double-digit games since 2017, finished 6-7 last season and is 3-5 this season.

If given the resources of a major college football program like Auburn, Sanders would likely have a strong chance to consistently bring in some of the top recruiting classes in the country.

A Power Five coaching job may be in his future, but his tweet Thursday suggests he is not imminently looking to jump ship from one Tigers football team to another.

Auburn announced Monday it fired head football coach Bryan Harsin following a 3-5 start to the 2022 season.

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported the school could be looking at a $15 million buyout to make the coaching change. In the wake of Harsin's exit, Cadillac Williams, who had been serving as the Tigers' running backs coach, was named the interim head coach, per Chris Hummer of 247Sports.

The only surprise was that it took this long for the Tigers to move on. Harsin's departure became all but inevitable after Auburn went 6-7 in 2021 and proceeded to have a turbulent offseason in which the status of its head coach was in flux.

This now becomes arguably the most attractive opening on the coaching market. Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger cited Lane Kiffin, Hugh Freeze and Matt Rhule as possible candidates.

The manner in which Harsin's tenure unraveled might turn some candidates away, and it's easy to forget how much of a mess the process that led to his hiring was.

Auburn fans and boosters have high expectations, and the latter group includes a lot of voices who aren't always pulling in the same direction.

Gene Chizik guided the Tigers to a 14-0 record and a national title in 2010. He was fired in 2012 after the team went 3-9. Gus Malzahn went 68-35 in eight seasons with the Tigers. Consistently getting to a bowl game and going 3-5 against Alabama wasn't enough to keep everybody happy. And now Harsin is gone after not even getting two full years.

The extent to which Harsin was undermined reflected the general dysfunction of the program as well. He was cooked the moment the Auburn administration said in February it was launching an internal investigation.

Harsin called that time "one of the hardest weeks of my career" and said "the personal attacks on me and my family went too far and were without justification."

A new athletic director at least presents the opportunity for some much-needed stability. Thamel reported Auburn was nearing a deal to poach John Cohen from Mississippi State.

And despite all of the drawbacks, this is one of the few schools that can reasonably assert an ability to compete for national titles. The Tigers were perfect in 2004 under Tommy Tuberville, won a championship with Chizik and reached another BCS Championship Game with Malzahn.

Nick Saban and Alabama obviously cast a big shadow in the state, but the 71-year-old isn't going to stick around forever. A younger coach in particular might relish the chance to challenge Saban and run the SEC West once he's gone.

If nothing else, accepting the Auburn job means you're all but guaranteed to collect a hefty payout if things don't work out.

Auburn head football coach Bryan Harsin reportedly has not been told that he will be fired after the 2022 season despite comments from former Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron.

During an appearance on Slow News Day with the Ringer's Kevin Clark, McCarron said sources told him that Harsin was already informed he is coaching in his final season:

However, Nubyjas Wilborn of AL.com reported that is not the case, as Harsin hasn't even been told "his job status is in peril" let alone that he is done after the 2022 season.

McCarron's comments are not the first time Harsin's job security has recently been under the spotlight.

Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman reported during Big Noon Kickoff that last Saturday's game against Missouri was something of a must-win for the head coach (h/t Barkley Truax of On3).

"If they get beat today by Missouri, I'm told there's a really good chance that they could pull the plug on him as early as tomorrow," Feldman said. "It has felt like a real inevitability that he will get let go at some point this year, but that feels like now it's got ramped up."

The Tigers escaped that game with a 17-14 overtime victory that only happened because Missouri missed a chip-shot field goal at the end of regulation and fumbled in the extra period.

It was an ugly win, but that is still better than the ugly loss Auburn experienced the previous game when it fell at home by 29 points to Penn State. McCarron indicated it was after that defeat that Harsin was told he would eventually be fired.

The idea Auburn could fire him after the season is notable because Feldman said his buyout would be $15.3 million if he was fired during the campaign.

Last season was Harsin's first with the Tigers, and they went just 6-7 with a Birmingham Bowl loss to Houston. This season could be a daunting one for Auburn as well if the Penn State game is any indication considering it still faces Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, Arkansas and Texas A&M.

There have been issues during Harsin's tenure outside of the wins and losses, as Auburn investigated his handling of the program after an exodus of players and assistant coaches following his first season.

"There was an inquiry," Harsin told reporters at SEC media days. "It was uncomfortable. It was unfounded. It presented an opportunity for people to personally attack me, my family and also our program. And it didn't work."

It has been a rocky start at Auburn for the head coach, but he can at least take solace knowing it reportedly isn't a surefire thing that he will be fired after the season.

There is reportedly some belief that Auburn will fire head football coach Bryan Harsin if the Tigers lose to Missouri on Saturday.

Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports said during Saturday's Big Noon Kickoff (h/t Barkley Truax of On3) that there is a "really good chance" Harsin will be fired as soon as Monday if Auburn can't beat Mizzou.

Feldman added that Harsin getting fired at some point in 2022 has felt like a "real inevitability" and would reach new levels if Auburn falls to 2-2 on the heels of last week's 41-12 blowout loss against Penn State.

After Harsin went 69-19 in seven seasons at Boise State, Auburn hired him prior to the 2021 season. His first year with the Tigers was largely disappointing, as they went just 6-7 and lost to Houston in the Birmingham Bowl.

Harsin's short tenure at Auburn has also been marred by controversy, as the university launched an investigation into his conduct as head coach after the 2021 season ended.

The investigation started after 18 players and five assistant coaches left Auburn following Harsin's first season at the helm.

Auburn decided to keep Harsin for the 2022 season, and Harsin later called the inquiry into his conduct "unfounded" and a "personal attack" on himself, his family and Auburn's football program.

While Harsin survived the investigation, Feldman suggested Saturday that there isn't a great deal of support for him within the Auburn program anymore.

Feldman made reference to the fact that Allen Greene, who hired Harsin, was forced out of his role as athletic director last month and replaced by Rich McGlynn on an interim basis.

Harsin isn't helped by the fact that Auburn has the No. 56 recruiting class in the nation and the worst-rated recruiting class in the entire SEC, according to 247Sports, which is a rarity for a program that is usually a contender in the SEC.

One thing that has perhaps saved Harsin thus far is the financial implications that would come along with firing him.

Per Feldman, Auburn will owe Harsin a $15.3 million buyout if it fires him, and half of it would be due within 60 days of his firing.

Entering Saturday's home game against 2-1 Missouri, Auburn was a 7.5-point favorite to win.

Auburn quarterback T.J. Finley was arrested Thursday in Auburn, Alabama, and charged with attempting to elude police.

According to WRBL, Finley was taken into custody at the Lee County Detention Facility after an interaction with the Auburn Police Department.

Additional details weren't available as of Thursday afternoon, and Auburn University has yet to release an official statement on the matter, other than to say it is aware of the situation.

The 20-year-old Finley is a Louisiana native who originally committed to LSU and started five games for the team in 2020.

Finley went 2-3 and completed 57.1 percent of his passes for 941 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions that season.

He transferred from LSU to Auburn in May 2021 and went on to appear in nine games last season, starting three of them. Finley posted an 0-3 record and completed just 54.7 percent of his passing attempts, but he threw for 827 yards with six touchdowns and just one pick.

The 6'7" signal-caller was rated as a 3-star prospect by 247Sports coming out of Ponchatoula High School, and was ranked 499th among all players and 19th among pro-style quarterbacks in the 2020 class.

On Tuesday, Finley made history by becoming the first college football player to sign a name, image and likeness (NIL) deal with Amazon.

Per AL.com's Tom Green, Finley will sell customized merchandise such as "clothing, tote bags, phone cases and pop sockets" on the platform.

Finley is in a quarterback competition at Auburn, as Tigers head coach Bryan Harsin has yet to name a starter for the 2022 season.

Texas A&M transfer Zach Calzada, Oregon transfer Robby Ashford and freshman Holden Geriner are all competing with Finley for the No. 1 quarterback job.

Auburn football head coach Bryan Harsin apparently had a dramatic experience amid the school's internal investigation into his handling of the program earlier this year.

Speaking to reporters at SEC media days on Thursday, Harsin called the investigation "an opportunity for people to personally attack me, my family and also our program."

In February, the school confirmed to ESPN's Pete Thamel it was making an inquiry into Harsin's status as head coach after 20 players and five coaches left the program following the 2021 season.

After the inquiry was complete, Auburn announced on Feb. 11 it was retaining Harsin as head coach.

According to Thamel, Auburn officials spoke with players, assistant coaches and staffers to gather information about Harsin's tenure.

Harsin told Thamel that any attacks on his character were "bulls--t."

During his press conference Thursday, Harsin said the Tigers didn't have the most player losses in the SEC West.

"That's not mentioned, whether that's relevant or not just, it is what it is. Coaching changes happen, and we brought in new players," he said.

Harsin also pointed out the difficulty of a program bringing in a new coach during the COVID-19 pandemic:

"The first team meeting was in the indoor facility with the swamp coolers on six feet apart, everybody wearing masks and nobody could hear anything. And you're trying to bring this energy and enthusiasm and it was a bad environment. And we had to meet over in the business building and there was a lot of things that didn't allow us to come in right away and establish."

There was no discernible hit to the Tigers in recruiting following the investigation. They finished 21st nationally in 247Sports composite team rankings for 2022 with 18 commits.

Auburn hired Harsin in December 2020 after Gus Malzahn was fired. The 45-year-old had a successful seven-year run with a 69-19 record at Boise State from 2014 to 2020.

Things started out well for the Tigers under Harsin. They were 6-2 after eight games, highlighted by back-to-back wins over Arkansas and Mississippi.

Auburn finished the season with five consecutive losses, including a 17-13 defeat at the hands of Houston in the Birmingham Bowl. The Tigers came close to upsetting Alabama in the Iron Bowl, losing 24-22 in four overtimes.

Former Auburn quarterback Jeff Klein died Wednesday at 42 years old. 

He had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer known as metastatic squamous cell carcinoma.

Klein's wife, Adrienne, posted a statement announcing his death on CaringBridge.org: 

“His passing was peaceful and immediately followed the ceasing of life support. After two long and painful days, I finally get to see our precious boys. Please continue to pray the Lord would grant me the words and wisdom on how to talk to my babies about how our lives have been completely changed.

“Thank you to everyone who has continued to reach out and prayed without ceasing. The outpouring of love and support from loved ones, friends, acquaintances, health care professionals, and even perfect strangers has been an overwhelming blessing. I’m grateful for every single one of you, and every prayer said. Please continue to pray for me, our boys and our families as we attempt to navigate through the heartbreak.”

Klein went to the hospital complaining of severe back pain, and an MRI revealed cancerous spots. His condition quickly deteriorated, with Klein suffering a stroke and brain bleeding before being placed on life support.

The Klein family decided to end life support Wednesday.

Klein threw for 1,139 yards and seven touchdowns during his playing career at Auburn, appearing in 13 games. After his playing career, Klein became a teacher and coach at Loachapoka High School in Alabama. 

Auburn University announced Friday that it is retaining Bryan Harsin as its head football coach despite an investigation into his handling of the program.

ESPN's Pete Thamel and Chris Low reported earlier Friday that Auburn had decided to keep Harsin in the fold.

Per Thamel, the investigation into Harsin was launched after 20 players and five coaches left the program following Harsin's first season as head coach of the Tigers in 2021.

Auburn went a disappointing 6-7 and lost to Houston in the Birmingham Bowl, sealing the Tigers' first losing season since 2012.

Thamel reported that Auburn interviewed players, assistant coaches and staffers in an effort to gather information about Harsin's tenure. Harsin called all rumors and speculation of misconduct "bulls--t."

As noted by Thamel, Auburn would have owed Harsin $18.3 million over five years if it fired him, with $9.15 million of it being owed over the next month.

Auburn hired Harsin in December 2020 after firing Gus Malzahn. The school was banking on Harsin's success at Boise State translating to the SEC.

After going 7-5 in his only season as the head coach at Arkansas State in 2013, Harsin went 69-19 in seven seasons at Boise State. That included three Mountain West titles and three bowl wins.

Of the players who have transferred from Auburn under Harsin, quarterback Bo Nix is the most notable name.

Nix was Auburn's primary starter under center for the past three seasons and threw for 2,294 yards, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions in 10 games in 2021, but he made the decision to transfer to Oregon.

On the coaching side, defensive coordinator Derek Mason left Auburn for Oklahoma State despite having to take a $400,000 pay cut, per Thamel.

Also, offensive coordinator Austin Davis resigned just six weeks after getting hired due to "personal reasons."

Amid ongoing speculation regarding Bryan Harsin's status as Auburn's head football coach, one former player has opened up about what he experienced playing for the Tigers. 

Defensive tackle Lee Hunter, who transferred to Central Florida last month, wrote about Harsin in an Instagram post on Friday. 

"The reason I chose to leave Auburn because we got treated like we wasn't good enough, and like dogs," Hunter wrote.

Per Nathan King of 247Sports, Hunter's post has been liked by several current and former Auburn football players. 

Hunter's comments come in the wake of multiple key departures from Harsin's coaching staff. 

Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo was fired on Nov. 30. Austin Davis, who was hired as Bobo's replacement on Dec. 18, resigned on Monday for personal reasons. 

Derek Mason announced last month he was leaving the Tigers after spending one season as defensive coordinator. ESPN's Adam Rittenberg reported on Jan. 26 that Mason will take the same position at Oklahoma State. 

Defensive line coach Nick Eason left the program to join Dabo Swinney's staff at Clemson as defensive-run game coordinator and defensive tackles coach. Eason is a Clemson alum and played in 47 games for the program from 1999 to 2002. 

Per Bennett Durando of the Montgomery Advertiser, a total of 19 players from the 2021 Auburn roster have entered the transfer portal. 

Quarterback Bo Nix, who started 34 games over the past three seasons, announced in December he was transferring to Oregon. 

Coming out of National Signing Day on Wednesday, Auburn ranked eighth among SEC schools by 247Sports' composite rankings.  

Despite the recent coach and player turnover, Harsin told ESPN's Chris Low and Pete Thamel he remains committed to the program:

"I'm the Auburn coach, and that's how I'm operating every day. I want this thing to work, and I've told our players and told everybody else there is no Plan B. I'm not planning on going anywhere. This was and is the job. That's why I left the one I was in, to come here and make this place a championship program and leave it better than I found it."

Harsin was hired by Auburn in December 2020 to replace Guz Malzahn as head coach. The 45-year-old was coming off a successful seven-year run as head coach at Boise State where he went 69-19. 

After a 6-2 start under Harsin, the Tigers finished the 2021 season with five consecutive losses. They were competitive in their final three games, losing to South Carolina, Alabama and Houston by a total of 10 points.