AUBURN, Ala. – In his 10th season as a college football head coach, Auburn's Bryan Harsin seeks continuous improvement for himself, his staff and his team.
"The one thing I've learned over time is to simplify things," Harsin said. "Simplifying your life and honing in on the things that matter, and trying to be really good at those.
"Get your degree, be a great teammate, try to contribute to your team winning, try to win a championship. Do things in the community, develop yourself. Trying to get that message across to our guys but also living it at the same time."
Veterans or newcomers, Auburn student-athletes hope to impress their coaches during spring practice to land on the depth chart this fall.
"You're coming in here to earn a spot through these 15 practices," Harsin said. "If they earn it and they're the best players and the ones we feel most comfortable with to make the plays we need them to make, and the players feel good about those guys on the field too and there's some chemistry, then those guys are going to be the ones who play."
Fans might see two Woodens on the Tigers' defense this season. Junior defensive lineman Colby Wooden and his younger brother, Caleb, an early enrollee freshman safety who has stood out from day one when he recovered a fumble and returned a touchdown and made an interception.
"We talked about making a first impression in the team meeting," Harsin said. "You get one shot to do that."
In an aspect of the sport that knows no offseason, Harsin and his staff are busily compiling Auburn's 2023 recruiting class.
"We're going to talk about our program," he said. "We're going to try to get guys to come here because they want to be a part of Auburn football. There are a lot of guys out there who want to be here. There are a lot of families who want their sons to be here because they want them to be a part of a program like we have.
"They want their sons to be a part of the things we believe in like getting your degree, working hard, being a good person, giving back to the community, doing things the right way, treating people the right way. That stuff still matters."'Earn a spot': Jeremiah Wright (left) works against E.J. Harris in practice
In Harsin's first season on the Plains, Auburn earned SEC West road wins at LSU and Arkansas and a top 10 home victory vs. Ole Miss before struggling in November.
"We didn't like the way we finished," he said. "If you're going to play for something at the end of the year, you've got to finish.
"There were plenty of things that were self-inflicted that we'll learn from and get better at, and we can coach it better.
"This league, you've got to be ready to play every single week. As you're playing for championships and you're trying to the play at the highest level which is the SEC, everything you do matters.
"More importantly than what I learned, I think our players learned that too. Our guys who came back believe in what we're doing, they believe in each other, and they believe we can be successful, and I do too. I've got no doubt in my mind."
Speaking to reporters after Auburn's first spring practice, Harsin thanked Auburn fans for their support and stressed the importance of alignment and unity in every facet of the program.
"We all need to be pulling in the same direction," he said. "Trying to help build this football program and put it in a position where we all want it. We all want to play for championships, win and graduate every player and have a great experience.
"They want to be part of a program where people believe in what they're doing. That's the key to success, when everybody's pulling in the same direction."
Auburn will conclude spring practice with A-Day, presented by Golden Flake, April 9 at 1 p.m. CT.Tank Bigsby
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
