Rece Davis: Auburn is 'making an error' by moving on from Allen Greene

Reactions are pouring in after Auburn announced athletic director Allen Greene is leaving the university. One came from ESPN College GameDay host Rece Davis, who blasted the Tigers’ decision to let Greene walk away.

Davis joined The Paul Finebaum Show on Friday shortly after the news broke to address the situation. Greene served as Auburn’s athletic director since 2018 and his exit felt almost inevitable, coupling the end of his contract with a new president taking over.

But Davis said Auburn fumbled the ball during Greene’s tenure.

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“One coup failed, but the next coup is never far behind at Auburn, is it?” Davis said. “Allen Greene is a man of principle. He’s a man who did something brave and hired the coach he wanted to hire after being turned down a few times. I think Auburn is making an error in not getting behind one of the bright, young administrators in all of intercollegiate athletics. But we all serve at the pleasure of our employers and they weren’t happy with the way it’s gone.”

What Allen Greene’s departure means for Bryan Harsin

Greene was one of the biggest defenders of Harsin, who went through a tumultuous offseason on The Plains. The university launched an inquiry into the program as rumors and speculation ran rampant about his job security. Ultimately, he kept his job — and Greene was one of the reasons why.

But now, he’s gone, and Davis expects even more staff turnover at Auburn as a result.

“Bryan Harsin has no protection. And the only protection he can possibly have is having a big season and if he does, he’ll probably move on anyway. So I think this is the first of many changes coming for Auburn regardless of whether Harsin has a successful season. … I’ve known Bryan since he was the offensive coordinator at Boise State. I think he’s a very solid coach — a really good coach, actually.

“The question is does he fit? Because unless you’re Nick Saban or vintage Urban Meyer, you have to fit. They’re the only two guys I can think of that just sort of transcend fit in their hay days anywhere. I’m not sure Bryan’s that, so I would think that if they have a really good season that he might want to get a fresh set of downs elsewhere, even if he is successful. I think change is likely inevitable with this news that Allen Greene’s on his way out at Auburn.”