A closer look at the hire of new Auburn offensive coordinator Austin Davis

The young NFL QB coach might not have been the first name to come to mind. But he makes a lot of sense with what Bryan Harsin is building.

(Courtesy of the Seattle Seahawks)

When Bryan Harsin hired Mike Bobo to be his first offensive coordinator at Auburn, the hire made plenty of sense. Bobo and Harsin had similar offensive philosophies, but Bobo’s regional and SEC ties were among the top selling points.

The union between Harsin and Bobo didn’t last, though, as Auburn’s offense flatlined in an 0-4 November. So, when Harsin made the decision to part ways with Bobo less than a full year into his contract, the assumption was that his replacement would be someone with closer ties to the head coach personally.

That seemed to be the thought process behind Zak Hill, who spent the first half of Auburn’s gap between Bobo and the new hire as the favorite. Hill was Harsin’s offensive coordinator at Boise State for three seasons and had gone on to do solid work at Arizona State. But the Sun Devils’ NCAA problems loomed over the hire, and Auburn ended up not hiring Hill as expected.

After it became clear that Hill wouldn’t be the next offensive coordinator at Auburn, more names that either had ties to the Tigers or Harsin were floated.

But the eventual hire turned out to be one who had neither.