Bryan Harsin wants to recruit the West Coast. That could be big for Auburn.

Many of the Tigers' biggest rivals already recruit nationally. Expanding the footprint makes a lot of sense in the program's new era.

HC Bryan Harsin (Todd Van Emst/Auburn Athletics)

Bryan Harsin didn’t say many newsworthy things in his first press conference at Auburn on Christmas Eve.

And that’s not a problem at all. The structure of the entire event was set up as a message directly to the Tigers fan base, which was able to watch it on a livestream. Harsin had an opening statement that went longer than a half-hour and didn’t take many questions from the media.

The press conference served its purpose as an introduction for Harsin, who wouldn’t have been the most well-known coach on fans’ lists of potential replacements for Gus Malzahn. He was there to lay the foundation and tell everyone what to expect.

Perhaps the most newsworthy quote Harsin made during his time behind the podium last Thursday afternoon was one about the lifeblood of major college football — recruiting.

“We have to make sure that we are going out there and getting the best of the best,” Harsin said. “And so where do we do that? Well, all over the coun…