AUBURN, Ala. – With plentiful sunshine and blue skies overhead, approximately 3,500 Auburn fans filed into Jordan-Hare Stadium Saturday to watch football practice, their first chance to see the Tigers under first-year head coach Bryan Harsin.
Children in No. 34 jerseys, Auburn University students, football lettermen, longtime season ticket holders, all united by their love of Auburn football and the opportunity to return to a place that has been the source of so many fond memories.
"Our guys were excited," Harsin said. "I think that environment we created today and having the fans out here was pretty cool for our guys. All the fans who came out here appreciated spending their Saturday with us."
To inform fans about the practice's schedule, Auburn football chief of staff Brad Larrondo served as emcee and hype man, using the public address system to highlight key plays.
"A good day today," Harsin said. "Our guys enjoyed it. This was good for us. Last spring, there was no spring practice. These guys did a really good job of preparing to come out here and get after it." An estimated 3,500 Auburn fans attended Saturday's open practice Dr. Todd Johnson and his wife came from Bluffton, South Carolina, this weekend to visit their daughter, an Auburn University senior in her final semester.
"It's nice to get back to some sense of normalcy," said Johnson, who earned his MBA in health care from Auburn University's Harbert College of Business. "We just wanted to come out and enjoy the day. It's been a hard year for everybody but I think it's the start of the light at the end of the tunnel."
Sitting a few rows behind the Johnsons, a quartet of Auburn female students watched the Tigers run individual and team drills.
"We love Auburn football and it's a pretty day," said Nicole Stacey, a senior majoring in rehab and disability studies. "We thought it would be a good opportunity to get back in here and see what the team is going to look like next year. They're looking good. It's good to see our new coaching staff doing well."
Seated a dozen rows up from Pat Dye Field on the west side, former Tiger Trovon Reed said Harsin's outreach to football lettermen via Zoom calls motivated him to recently visit in person with Auburn's new coach.
"Come and see how Coach Harsin runs things," said Reed, an aspiring coach who played four seasons in the NFL after helping Auburn win two SEC championships from 2010-14. "We talked about it but now I get to see it with my eyes. I'm loving it so far.
"I think we have some good guys who are ready to play in his system. I'm looking for a successful season. I know he and all his coaches are. It's going to be a great year.Former Auburn Tiger Trovon Reed (left) attended the practice with two-time Auburn graduate Torrey Strong"I'll bleed orange and blue until the day I die. After sitting down and speaking with Coach Harsin, I'm Team Harsin. I've got these guys' backs and I know they've got mine for the rest of my life."
After Auburn's practice, the Tigers' third of the spring, Harsin said the team would review the video and make corrections, then reconvene for a team movie Saturday night.
"As a player, you want to perform," he said. "You should want to perform every practice. I appreciate the fans being out here. It's a good day for us, the excitement of getting that idea that football is coming back, we're going to play, we all hope we can have a full stadium.
"Everybody on our staff, all the new coaches, we're all glad to be here. We haven't really had a chance to express that properly, so this was a chance to show some gratitude for living in Auburn and being a part of this program."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer