Treated “Like Dogs”; Auburn Transfer Opens Up on His Time on The Plains

To say things are not going well for the Auburn Tigers right now would be an understatement.

In the wake of massive roster turnover and swirling rumors involving head coach Bryan Harsin, former Tiger defensive lineman, Lee Hunter, took to Instagram to express his gripes with the coach and the way he was treated while at Auburn.

Hunter, in an Instagram post, said, "The reason I chose to leave Auburn is because we we got treated like we wasn't good enough and like dogs," Hunter continued in the post, "Coach Harsin has a true mindset as a winner, but has a terrible mindset as a person."

Hunter joined the Tigers in 2021 as a four-star freshman out of Eight Mile, AL. In his final two seasons at Blount High School, Hunter recorded an impressive 131 tackles, 43 of which being for a loss, leading to his four-star status. In his freshman season on The Plains, the Eight Mile native saw no playing time despite being a highly touted recruit, and announced his transfer destination in January.

After spending just a single season under Harsin at Auburn, Hunter announced his intention to transfer to UCF, the home of former Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn, whose staff recruited Hunter in high school.

Another former Auburn Tiger, Smoke Monday, added his own two cents to the situation as well, commenting on Hunter's original post, saying, "Love Auburn to death, but this is real and true," Monday continued, "I was at Auburn for four years and it never felt like how it felt last season. Auburn will forever be my second home, but in order for guys to succeed, this has to change. Harsin is a hell of a coach that wants to win but as a person he truly don't understand kids that come from nothing."

Whether or not the rumors surrounding Harsin and his potential involvement with his assistant are true, the outcry of players who were coached by him at Auburn should be evidence enough that something went very seriously wrong last season for the Tigers.

What the future will hold for the Auburn football program has yet to be determined, but if Harsin's recent comments are any indication, we are in for a long ride.