CBS Sports: Offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin not meshing in Cal locker room

The worries about the hire of the controversial former Auburn coach are rising to the surface this week.

Credit: Rob Hwang

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer’s, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the entire Write for California staff.

The alarming transfer portal exodus from Cal has hit national news. Richard Johnson of CBS Sports did some investigating and identified one new face as someone who is causing internal issues.

Multiple sources suggested new OC Bryan Harsin hasn't exactly been a culture fit. Harsin, who flamed out at Auburn in just two years as head coach, hasn't won over the locker room. Some close to the program believe his presence has accelerated the team's unraveling rather than stabilizing it.

There have been major concerns in the past about Harsin’s hard-nosed coaching style coming into conflict with players, coaches and staff, particularly from his last stint as Auburn head coach. These particular leaks came out during his Auburn tenure, causing significant friction. More from Bennett Durando of the Montgomery Advertiser:

In his first season as Auburn football coach, Bryan Harsin created a divisive culture in which relationships with certain players were neglected and staff members felt ignored, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the inner workings of the Auburn football program under Harsin.

Regarding the running back room in particular, it appears the transition in running back coaches might have also played a part. More from the CBS Sports piece.

Part of Ott's departure traces back to significant turnover on the offensive staff. Cal replaced its entire offensive coaching group this offseason, including running backs coach Aristotle Thompson, who left for the same job at Northwestern and was replaced by Julian Griffin. Offensive coordinator Mike Bloesch was fired from his role.

Given the sudden exodus of the entire Cal running back room, this part of the Montgomery Advertiser piece feels relevant:

Multiple sources said Harsin would not speak to players he didn’t like when he wanted them out of the program. He would cut off correspondence with the player and family members.

Position coaches were tasked with telling players Harsin wanted out that they should leave the program.

"He's going to send somebody else to do the dirty work," one source said.

Harsin also had a difficult relationship with Auburn assistants on staff.

Sources said Harsin was often quick to dismiss input from assistants. Four games into the season, he fired Cornelius Williams, a young and respected receivers coach from Alabama who had stints at Troy, South Alabama, North Alabama, Jacksonville State and UAB.

Sources were puzzled by Williams' firing, and Harsin didn't widely provide a reason for it, the sources said. But the decision removed from the staff a coach who connected well with players — something Harsin couldn't afford.

The departure of Aristotle Thompson to Northwestern did come as a surprise. And Thompson is someone who is well known for having good relationships with players. It felt like Thompson would stay on staff, given that he served on the same coaching staff with Harsin at Boise State.

It’s possible the new running backs had a very different relationship with Julian Griffin, regardless as to whether Griffin had good intentions, and the feedback might not have been as well-received, leading to an unprecedented wave of transfers.

Finally, NIL negotiations were a huge part of trying to keep Jaydn Ott in Berkeley, but Harsin has apparently not great opinions on players who leverage NIL.

A source also said Harsin hated the concept of name, image and likeness and made that clear to players. Harsin was particularly critical of players from low-income families who received money from NIL deals because he thought they lost their focus on football, one source added.

You have to wonder if Harsin’s feelings on NIL and the ongoing negotiations with Ott might have colored his relationship with the talented running back. And despite competitive NIL offers, you have to wonder if it made the most sense for Ott to reset at Oklahoma, and likewise Jaivian Thomas and the rest of the room to reconsider their place as well.

To summarize, Harsin doesn’t seem like he’s a player’s coach, focusing instead on doing things his way. That could potentially lead to conflict with players and coaches, and eventual transfers (19 Auburn players immediately transferred after his first season). The hope was that at offensive coordinator, these issues could be managed with direct oversight, but if his reported behavior at Auburn even slightly transferred over to his Cal tenure, that could have had somewhat of an impact regarding this transfer exodus.

That isn’t to say it’s all bad with Harsin. Harsin was certainly part of the recruiting pitch to convince Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele to decommit from Oregon and flip back to Cal. The talented young freshman has also indicated he has no plans of transferring and will be suiting up for the Bears this fall. Landing Ohio State transfer Devin Brown was a nice Plan B. The two had a mixed spring practice, but the quarterback room isn’t bare. Also, Harsin is hardly the first coach who has seen players from an older regime express reservations with a new leader and depart.

Still, these Auburn stories feel deeply ominous in light of the last week of transfer chaos, particularly at a time when stability is desperately needed. Losing an entire running back room in a week puts the Cal offensive staff in an uphill climb to have the players they need to succeed this fall. It does not set up the quarterbacks to succeed. It does not set up Cal to succeed in a year they need to succeed. The Bears don’t have the wiggle room of many other teams. When so many stars end up leaving, the impact is immediately felt.

And it speaks once again to whether Justin Wilcox really has a feel for being the head coach who can manage a place like Cal and succeed at the highest level. Did Wilcox hire Harsin expecting that this would be a year of offensive overhaul? He spoke glowingly of Jaydn Ott’s performance weeks ago, so that doesn’t feel right. Did Wilcox want a change in offensive accountability after a disappointing 6-7 campaign? Perhaps, but what good does losing all your running backs do to achieve that goal?

All in all, the whole situation feels mismanaged. It is going to be on Wilcox to try and fix a five-alarm fire at running back in the spring transfer portal. And if the above stories are true, he will have to figure out how to manage Bryan Harsin to be a better leader and communicator as well.

Time is running short for both of them.