Eric Kiesau may be entering his first season as Auburn’s offensive coordinator but he is already facing some of the most pressure in the country.
Mike Huguenin of On3 included Kiesau in his list of the 10 new offensive coordinators who are facing the most pressure. Here is what he had to say about Auburn’s new coordinator.
The pressure really has nothing to do with stats and everything to do with the soap opera that is Auburn football. Coach Bryan Harsin was left swaying in the wind for a few weeks after the season, and a lot of folks thought he was going to be fired. While Harsin kept his job, the uncertainty led to Austin Davis, who had been hired as the OC to replace Mike Bobo, leaving less than a month after he was hired. Kiesau, who was wide receiver coach last season, then was named the coordinator. Kiesau, who came with Harsin from Boise State, is taking over an offense that was mediocre last season. Auburn has a nice group of running backs, but who’s the quarterback? The candidates are holdover TJ Finley, Texas A&M transfer Zach Calzada and Oregon transfer Robby Ashford. And the receiving corps is just as underwhelming. Harsin is on one of the hottest seats around.
There is something to be said about relying on the guys who got you here and Kiesau and Harsin have worked together since 2017 when Harsin hired him to coach wide receivers at Boise State.
Kiesau, along with position coach Ike Hillard, will need to work some magic on Auburn’s group of unknown receivers. Shedrick Jackson and Ja’Varrius Johnson were solid last season but no one else has caught 10 or more passes.
If Kiesau can jumpstart the offense then Harsin’s seat may cool off but if the offense starts slow, both of their seats could get even hotter.