In a development that has reignited debate around Auburn football’s coaching carousel, former Tigers head coach Bryan Harsin, now serving as Offensive Coordinator at Cal, took to social media on Saturday night with what many interpret as a sharp and calculated message aimed at his successor, Hugh Freeze.
The timing couldn’t have been more conspicuous.
Just minutes after Auburn’s offense collapsed in a critical SEC matchup, Harsin posted a photo of himself smiling on the sidelines at Cal’s Memorial Stadium with the caption:
“Sometimes letting go is the biggest win. #NoLookingBack #TrustTheProcess”
Though he didn’t name anyone directly, fans and analysts quickly connected the dots.
Freeze, in his second year leading Auburn, has faced growing pressure after a disappointing 1–3 start to conference play and a struggling offense that has looked inconsistent at best. The Tigers were booed by sections of their own fanbase after back-to-back home losses, and rumblings about coaching decisions have already started among Auburn faithful.
A Not-So-Subtle Shot?
Those close to the Auburn program know there’s no love lost between Harsin and the school’s administration. His time on the Plains was marked by uneven results, internal tension, and what many considered a lack of alignment between him and the university’s athletic leadership.
After compiling a 9–12 record across two seasons, Harsin was fired midway through the 2022 campaign — a tenure many fans were ready to forget. But now, with Freeze facing similar struggles and little progress on the field, Harsin’s cryptic message is being read as a thinly veiled “I told you so.”
A former staffer from Harsin’s Auburn regime, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the message wasn’t surprising.
> “Bryan always believed he wasn’t given a fair shake. There was constant noise around him, and he felt undermined from the beginning,” the staffer said. “Now, seeing the current situation, I think he feels validated.”
Life After Auburn
Since his departure, Harsin had largely stayed out of the public spotlight, choosing instead to recalibrate and wait for the right opportunity. That opportunity came in late 2024 when he accepted the Offensive Coordinator position at the University of California, Berkeley. Early reports out of Cal’s spring practices suggest Harsin is already putting his stamp on the program’s offensive identity, working closely with quarterbacks and reintroducing his balanced, methodical approach to West Coast football.
At Cal, he’s been praised for his attention to detail and calm leadership — two traits that were often overlooked during the chaotic final months of his Auburn stint.
> “This is football,” Harsin said during his Cal introductory press conference. “It’s a results-based business, but it’s also about process. If you don’t trust the process, the results will never come.”
A line that, in hindsight, feels very much like a subtle dig at how things ended at Auburn.
The Hugh Freeze Dilemma
Freeze, hired to right the ship and bring the Tigers back to national relevance, has yet to deliver the breakout moment fans expected. His offense, widely anticipated to be dynamic and modern, has stalled against elite SEC defenses. Questions are mounting about player development, quarterback performance, and in-game adjustments.
The comparisons to Harsin have become impossible to ignore. Both inherited rosters in transition. Both emphasized discipline and toughness. And both, so far, have failed to deliver consistent wins in the brutal SEC West.
Freeze, to his credit, has mostly deflected criticism, emphasizing patience and long-term vision. But fans have short memories, and with a brutal schedule ahead, the pressure is building fast.
Auburn Fans React
Online, the Auburn fan base is divided. Some are furious that Harsin, who they feel failed to live up to expectations, is now seemingly taking a victory lap. Others argue that Harsin was scapegoated, and that the deeper issues at Auburn go beyond the head coach.
“Bryan Harsin might not have been the right guy,” one fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “But at least now people can see that the problems didn’t leave with him.”
Another added, “Freeze was supposed to be the fixer. Now it’s looking like we just ran in a circle.”
Looking Ahead
Whether Freeze can steer Auburn out of this slump remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: Bryan Harsin isn’t staying silent anymore. And as he begins a new chapter at Cal, he’s doing so with a sense of vindication — and perhaps a touch of vengeance.
In the ever-volatile world of college football, sometimes the scoreboard isn’t the only place points are scored.
