AUBURN | The message is clear to Auburn players, especially the younger ones, that want to be on the field on Saturdays: show up at practice prepared, prove yourself, and Bryan Harsin and the coaching staff will find you playing time.
Harsin has repeatedly mentioned wanting his players to be students of the game, to do the work necessary and show the coaches they deserve to be in games. Simply, it is about getting the best players on the field for the Tigers.
"At the end of the day, we're still competing within our team," Harsin said. "That never ends. That's one thing that we all have to understand is we're competing against our opponents every week, but internally, you know, we're still competing within ourselves."
Fans saw two freshmen in action against Georgia in Landen King and Marquis Robinson. For King, it resulted in his first two career catches with the Tigers. The Beaumont, Texas, native did what most newcomers do – go all out on the scout team – to earn the chance to play in games. In an offense relying on the tight end more than any in recent Auburn history, King has an opportunity to make an even more significant impact in upcoming games.
"Landen's a guy that we felt like had somewhat of a role going into that last game, may have a role moving forward in how we can utilize him," Harsin said. "He'll work hard at it. I think he really wants to be out there."
As for Robinson, the defensive tackle saw his first collegiate action against the Bulldogs, helping add depth in the trenches for Auburn that, according to Harsin, still needs to improve. Robinson, who recorded one assisted tackle against Georgia, brings the mentality Harsin wants from the program where each day is a competition to get better and deserve those minutes on the field.
"There's a reason he (Robinson) was in there," Harsin said. "He kept showing up in practice, and so he earned an opportunity to play against obviously a very good team."
Newcomer or veteran, Harsin's message stays true: bring it every day, or you'll be sitting on the sidelines on Saturdays.
