AUBURN | For Bryan Harsin, it’s simple.

For his quarterbacks to be effective, there are times where they just have to stand in the pocket and take a hit.

When that 235-pound blitzing linebacker is coming right at you, his quarterbacks have to keep their eyes down the field and be ready to deliver the ball on a moment’s notice.

It’s about being physically and mentally tough.

“You watch the really good quarterbacks — and nobody cares about this stuff more than maybe what I do — but 10 years of studying this position and talking to NFL coaches and watching NFL quarterbacks and college quarterbacks and high school quarterbacks and talking to college quarterbacks and talking to NFL quarterbacks, the No. 1 thing for me is toughness and that you’re not flinching,” said Harsin. “Watch the guys that stand in the pocket.”

Harsin used former Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien as an example. The current backup quarterback for the Denver Broncos finished his college career as the Mountain West’s all-time leader with 13,581 passing yards.

“If you've ever watched him play, a guy barreling down in the pocket, he never flinched once,” said Harsin. “And now it cost him a couple times. I remember his ribs, his chest, his shoulder pads -- we had to fix those a few times. But just guts and tremendous toughness to sit there, stare down and throw a ball right over the middle when the guy's coming barreling down on him. And I think that's one of the key ingredients of being successful at that position.

“It's really hard to gauge that in practice because you don't hit your quarterbacks. You can throw stuff at 'em -- we throw brooms and bags and balls, things like that -- either you've got it or you don't. I had a quarterback tell me one time -- this is an NFL quarterback -- he said, 'Coach, you can throw whatever you want at me.' Either you've got it or you don’t.”

T.J. Finley, who was named Auburn’s starting quarterback Sunday, is confident he has the kind of toughness Harsin demands in his quarterbacks. And that includes dealing with off-the-field issues.

“I believe I can take a hit and still deliver a pass. I believe I can take some criticism on social media and still block it out and play to the best of my ability,” said Finley. “So toughness, for me, hasn't been an issue.

“Another thing we harp on is leadership, and I think a lot of guys think all leadership is vocal. I'm a vocal guy. I'm gonna speak my mind. Not only am I vocal, but I like to lead by example. So when I'm not talking, I'm leading by example. So those two things go hand-in-hand. Being a leader is kind of showing that you're tough, that you can handle certain things, and that you're not gonna break.”

Auburn opens the season against Mercer Saturday night at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+/SECN+.