Three-Point Stance: Jimbo Fisher, 2024 QBs, Bryan Harsin
Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney talks more about Texas A&M on the offensive side of the ball, how Julian Sayin is making his recruitment even more interesting and wonders how much longer we will see Bryan Harsin as Auburn’s coach:
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WOODY VS. GORNEY: Week Six College Football Picks
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MORE THOUGHTS ON JIMBO
ESPN’s Andrea Adelson and Dave Wilson wrote a phenomenal story this week about Texas A&M’s struggles on offense, how coach Jimbo Fisher’s offense isn’t exactly so difficult but takes time to completely understand and why the Aggies have been so haphazard on that side of the ball.
It was a great article and really made me think about what’s happening in College Station.
The CliffsNotes version is that there is so much placed on the quarterback in Fisher’s offense much like an NFL look that in today’s game of transfer quarterbacks (Max Johnson) or players without a ton of experience in a system like that (Haynes King) it’s tough to grasp things quickly.
It makes sense. Watch any Texas A&M game - especially last week at Mississippi State - and Johnson is second-guessing almost every throw, late with the ball, the pocket is collapsing, there seems to be no real vision of how to move the ball downfield and the speed of these elite receivers like Evan Stewart and Chris Marshall isn’t being utilized.
Offensive stats out the wazoo points to the fact that Texas A&M’s offensive output is anemic. Total offense, Texas A&M is dead last in the SEC. Max Johnson has the fewest passing yards in the conference. On and on.
One quote from the ESPN article really struck me and it was when one coach was once told by former Nebraska coach Tom Osborne when times get tough to get our your eraser, not your pencil.
There’s no question Fisher is a fine play-caller and coach. But maybe putting down all those papers and notebooks he carries during a game is the best answer to Texas A&M’s problems. Be more like Mississippi State coach Mike Leach or USC coach Lincoln Riley, who both call plays from basically an index card.
Gobs of money have been thrown at Fisher not to prove how smart he is or how intricate his playbook is, we all know he’s a great football coach, but to win games. And he’s not winning enough games.
There’s another saying in coaching - K.I.S.S. - which stands for “keep it simple, stupid.”
We all know Fisher is smart. But is he wise enough to not outsmart himself?
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SAYIN MAKES THINGS INTERESTING
Quarterbacks in the 2024 class are starting to come off the board with No. 1 Dylan Raiola picking Ohio State and four-star CJ Carr committing to Notre Dame among others and one who was expected to be close to a decision was five-star Julian Sayin.
Georgia and LSU had emerged as the front-runners for the Carlsbad, Calif., standout and those two programs are still very much in the picture for his commitment but now things got way more interesting because Sayin is taking another trip to Alabama.
The Crimson Tide have been on the fringes of Sayin’s recruitment but that could really ramp up when he visits for the Mississippi State game later this month. What makes this even more interesting is that it looks like Georgia could be making a serious run at Avon (Conn.) Avon Old Farms’ Ryan Puglisi and if he pulls the trigger then that could negate the Bulldogs in Sayin’s recruitment.
Quarterback recruiting is all about timing and putting the pieces of the puzzle together. It looked like Sayin was ready to make a choice with Georgia and LSU leading but now the Alabama behemoth has gotten more in this with a visit now scheduled.
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IS THIS IT FOR HARSIN?
During the Respect My Decision podcast this week, I had AuburnSports.com senior editor Bryan Matthews as my guest and I asked him point blank, “Will we see Bryan Harsin as Auburn’s coach in two weeks when the Tigers face Ole Miss?”
I guess it all depends, really. Auburn could shock Georgia this weekend and the decision-makers can’t get rid of Harsin then. The Tigers could beat Ole Miss in two weeks heading into a bye, I guess. But that’s an unlikely scenario.
Auburn could get clobbered Saturday especially after the Dawgs cannot be thrilled with how they played against Kent State or Missouri. If things completely go downhill, maybe Harsin doesn’t make it through the weekend. One feeling is that Auburn doesn’t wait until the bye week because - sadistically - an upset win over Ole Miss makes it look tougher to fire him.
Either way, through an attempted coup by the school on Harsin, or Harsin’s perceived missteps along the way with coaching changes and recruiting, this does not look like a match made in heaven that will be long-lasting.
Whether it’s this week or next week or whenever, does it really matter? Harsin was phenomenal as Boise State’s head coach but it’s been a mess on The Plains. Maybe both sides are to blame in this one.