The Auburn Tigers football program’s boosters didn’t buy into Bryan Harsin, as CBS Sports’ Will Backus relayed. Backus listed the Boise native as the No. 10 worst coaching hire in the last 15 years.

As Backus notes, Harsin’s failures, combined with the boosters’ lack of investment, has led to Hugh Freeze coaching from a recruiting hole.

“Harsin was never a good fit at Auburn, even if he came to The Plains with a solid résumé from his time at Boise State. He didn’t have the backing of the boosters, and his pairing with the Tigers was the result of a hectic coaching search run by an athletic director without much big-time experience. Harsin wasn’t ready for the grind of SEC recruiting and put Auburn in a talent hole that it’s still trying to dig out of under coach Hugh Freeze. It’s no wonder that Harsin only got 21 games,” Backus wrote.

Harsin got a $15.3 million buyout from AU upon his October 31, 2022, firing, good for 70% of the remaining value on his six-year, $31.5 million contract. While the program didn’t spend much on recruits during his two cycles on the Plains, it did fork over millions to get rid of him.

Now, Harsin is the offensive coordinator at Cal. The results, perhaps unsurprisingly, have been similar to his Tigers coaching tenure: a mass recruit exodus into the transfer portal.

Buyers remorse in Berkeley? At least a little bit.

Regardless of how things go from here in Cal, though, Harsin’s legacy as a head coach is sealed after great years in his homestate of Idaho, and two of the most counterproductive years an SEC coach has had since the dawn of NIL.

College football analyst Joel Klatt didn’t hold back when addressing the fallout from Nico Iamaleava’s high-profile departure from Tennessee, calling attention to what he views as rampant hypocrisy and a widening tampering crisis in the sport.

Iamaleava, who led the Volunteers to a College Football Playoff appearance, left the program after reportedly seeking a restructured NIL deal — a request Tennessee declined. His exit sparked widespread discussion around the implications of NIL and the unchecked use of the transfer portal.

CFB Analyst Blasts Amid Nico Iamaleava Controversy and Tampering Concerns

“You can’t complain about the system and then walk into it and tamper,” Klatt said. “Like, does anyone else see the ridiculousness of all of this?”

He pointed out that both players and programs are navigating a landscape with “a set of rules that nobody knows and then no one can enforce.” According to Klatt, neither Iamaleava nor Tennessee is a victim in this situation, as both sides operate in a broken system lacking accountability.

The situation has fueled speculation and reports suggesting Iamaleava’s representatives contacted other programs while he was still at Tennessee. Despite denials from those close to the quarterback that financial motivations were central, the perception remains that NIL tensions played a major role. Iamaleava has since committed to UCLA, but the controversy surrounding his departure continues to dominate headlines.

Klatt emphasized the need for transparency and stricter oversight.

“The only way that we’re going to get tampering out of college football… is if we get phones on the table. Throw your phones down. Who have you called? Get agents registered,” he said.

His remarks highlighted a growing concern among coaches and analysts alike: the current system makes it easy for both players and schools to blur the line between legal recruitment and outright tampering.

Klatt also referenced reported incidents involving Oregon head coach Dan Lanning and Deion Sanders, suggesting that more public accountability is necessary.

“If you don’t want tampering to exist, one, don’t do it. And then when it does happen… call it out. Call these guys to the mat,” Klatt said.

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His call for reform underscores an urgent demand for defined rules and enforceable guardrails in today’s college football landscape.

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