They didn't even mention his name.

In the obituary of Bryan Harsin's tenure at Auburn, the University, in a press release, didn't even have the time to say who they were firing. It was clear, concise and didn't mince words.

That's precisely what Harsin deserves after a 21-month experiment on the Plains that turned into a disaster, and quickly. It wasn't just that Auburn was losing; it was how far this program had turned into a bottom-dweller, a team that no one feared and no coach felt that they had to out-recruit.

Yes, recruiting. That word often slipped the mind of Harsin and many of his assistants during their time in Auburn. First, there was the disastrous, put-together-at-a-moment's-notice Big Cat Weekend, his first summer in charge. Junior Day, one of the most significant recruiting events, was an even bigger catastrophe. It was poorly planned, much like all of his second-half game plans. While he was able to pull out a miraculous late push last year to finish with an 18th-ranked class, this year's class currently ranks 43rd. If you're an Auburn fan, don't even dare look at some of the teams ahead of the Tigers.

But what did he expect? When it took Harsin more than a year to get started to know the names of the most important high school coaches in the state, it was a warning sign. So was the recruiting dinner no-show at a local club. And many of his top assistants had yet to leave campus on Friday nights to put their faces and names out there with some of the top players in the state.

Did I mention those second halves where Auburn was out-matched by each team, no matter how bad they played? Harsin reminded us that we weren't in the meetings and that he and the coaching staff knew the reasons why they continued to struggle in the final 30 minutes. If he knew, then why did the problems stay the same? I am willing to wager that he knew as much about what caused the second-half ineptness as I do quantum mechanics.

His tenure made die-hard fans grow disinterested. It turned Jordan-Hare Stadium into a welcoming venue for opposing teams as they continued to celebrate long after Auburn fans had departed the hollowed grounds. His handling of the transfer portal was about as masterful as his recruiting.

Of course, everyone should have seen this all coming from a mile away. When you are hired out of the blue by an athletic director who bragged that he once shared a hot tub with you, and you have no experience working in the SEC, things aren't exactly beginning well. I imagine the reaction to Harsin's hiring at Auburn was met with laughter in Tuscaloosa, Athens and locations around the conference.

He sure wasn't keeping Nick Saban and Kirby Smart up, and he certainly wasn't seeing them on the recruiting trail, where those two put more time in a week keeping their programs on top as Harsin did in two years.

Maybe he will go on and do great things at another school. It wouldn't surprise me, but when he likely comes out and says that Auburn didn't give him a chance, I argue that it is the other way around. He never warmed up to the fanbase or the community. He thought he was too big for this program; ironic considering everyone was wondering who he was when hired.

Instead of learning from Bruce Pearl and Butch Thompson and staying around before and after Tiger Talk to meet and greet fans, he was out of there faster than Auburn's offense on another three-and-out drive. His engagement with lettermen came with a too-busy-for-this attitude. And, let me be the 50th-or-so media member to say that keeping us waiting for over an hour to hear you give us non-reasons for why you continue to lose isn't going to win anyone over, either.

Harsin continually said many of the reasons for Auburn's struggles were due to playing good teams. Things might have come easy at Boise State, but this isn't Boise, and it sure isn't the Mountain West Conference.

This is all a long-winded way of saying he didn't get it, nor did he show any signs of wanting to. I wasn't alive during the Doug Barfield era, but it couldn't have been this bad. Now that it has concluded, this is in the same territory as the Tony Barbee or Sunny Golloway hirings; two that will go down in Auburn history as complete dumpster fires.

But let's go back to why this moment has arrived. The Tigers were 4-11 against Power 5 teams under his watch, including losing eight of the last nine. Auburn currently has a four-game losing streak in SEC play, including getting whooped up by an Arkansas team on Saturday that isn't exactly championship-material. Winning covers up a lot of inadequacies, but when you continually walk into the tunnel as the loser on the scoreboard, those stand out even more.

The Bryan Harsin era is officially over. And they didn't even deem it worthy of mentioning his name. That says it all.