Analysis: This Bryan Harsin-Auburn football mess will end in one of two ways

The five-game losing streak Auburn football endured to end the 2021 season pales in comparison to the mess unfolding this offseason.

AU has pinned itself into a corner as it continues evaluating coach Bryan Harsin’s future. Auburn officials are “collecting information from a variety of perspectives” before deciding Harsin’s fate, the school announced Monday.

Perhaps the only thing less appealing than firing a coach in February, just 14 months after ousting the previous coach, is retaining a divisive coach whose future has been scrutinized by AU’s administration and whose leadership style has been publicly criticized by multiple former players.

Behind Door No. 1: Fire Harsin.

Firing Harsin now would put Auburn at a hiring disadvantage. Many of the coaches who might have been willing to change jobs already have secured richer contracts or new jobs.

TOPPMEYER: If Bryan Harsin can’t win the locker room, then Auburn football cannot succeed

Also, some job candidates will view Auburn as a no-fly zone if it fires a second coach in a span of 14 months. Already, the school has a reputation for meddling boosters.

AU fired Gus Malzahn in December 2020 despite him never posting a losing record in eight seasons. That made Malzahn the fourth consecutive Auburn coach to be fired despite either playing for a national championship or recording an undefeated season. After ousting Malzahn, Auburn endured a muddled coaching search that resulted in Harsin arriving with seemingly divided support. Athletics director Allen Greene wanted Harsin. Some powerful boosters reportedly did not.

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Plus, Harsin would be owed a buyout of about $18.2 million unless Auburn negotiates a settlement or fires him for cause, which could kickstart an arduous legal process. Harsin seems unlikely to go quietly into the night.

Behind Door No. 2: Retain Harsin.

Proceeding with Harsin now probably would delay his firing by about nine months.

Auburn’s 2022 roster doesn’t project as being better than its roster last season, which produced a 6-7 record. The Tigers lost more than they gained in the transfer market, and they signed their lowest-ranked recruiting class since 2009. Auburn’s schedule remains daunting.

Differing opinions are common on football teams featuring more than 100 players, particularly opinions pertaining to first-year coaches.

But it’s uncommon for a player – even a disgruntled one – to publicly call a coach a dictator, as former Auburn wide receiver Kobe Hudson labeled Harsin last week. It’s also uncommon for a player to publicly state that a coach treats players “like dogs,” as former Auburn defensive lineman Lee Hunter wrote on Instagram.

“He’s a dictator, bro. This is a dictatorship,” Hudson said of Harsin on Instagram Live.

Hunter and Hudson, who each transferred in Januaryto play for Malzahn at UCF, don’t speak for everyone. Members of Auburn’s 2021 roster spoke out for and against Harsin.

Nonetheless, how can a coach who already was struggling in recruiting expect to attract prospects in the 2023 signing class after enduring such public and sharp criticism from past players? How can a coach who has had to replace five assistants in the past 4½ months expect to attract and retain quality staffers?

It’s not as if Harsin vowed to evaluate his leadership in an attempt to improve as a coach, either. Just the opposite.

In an interview last week with ESPN, Harsin arrogantly dug in his heels and said he’s done nothing wrong.

Harsin told ESPN that any attack on his character is codswallop – Harsin used a stronger word – and he insisted he’s got this figured out.

“No one is going to have a better plan than I do,” Harsin told ESPN.

Harsin is saying it’s his way or the highway.

Many Auburn players chose the highway. Nineteen Tigers entered the transfer portal since the regular-season finale.

Considering Harsin’s disappointing 13½ months on the job, coupled with no recruiting momentum, Auburn decision-makers ought to be tempted by the highway, too.

The best arguments for retaining Harsin are that he’s expensive to fire, and the timing of a firing would stink.

Those are weak reasons to keep a coach.

Blake Toppmeyer is an SEC Columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer. If you enjoy Blake’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Bryan Harsin-Auburn football mess will end in one of two ways