In Bryan Harsin, Auburn football is hoping it has found its own Urban Meyer

The Tigers' hire was a surprise to many inside and outside of the Plains. But there's one big reason why he might be just what Auburn needs.

(Auburn Athletics)

When news broke Tuesday evening that Auburn would hire Boise State’s Bryan Harsin to be its next head coach, a lot of the reaction — from insiders and outsiders, fans and rivals, beat writers and national columnists — was some shade of surprise.

Harsin has never coached in the SEC. He was a near-lifer at Boise State, going from local Broncos recruit to quarterback to assistant to head coach, with only brief stops at Eastern Oregon, Texas and Arkansas State separating his time there.

"I'm incredibly excited and humbled for the opportunity to be at a place like Auburn University,” Harsin said in a statement. “I knew it would take a special opportunity to get me out of Boise and Auburn is exactly that, the chance to compete at the highest level for one of the greatest programs in college football.”

If Harsin’s name had been mentioned in Auburn’s wild, sprawling, nine-day coaching search, it was only the faintest whisper.

But now Harsin, a man with no real ties to Auburn ot…