HC Johnnie Harris fired after Auburn's abysmal SEC finish

Auburn Tigers head coach Johnnie Harris will no longer be part of the program ahead of the 2025-2026 season. Earlier on Thursday, Mar. 6, the school's athletic department announced that they parted ways with the 58-year-old coach following the end of the current season.

This comes after the No. 14 team's abysmal finish to the SEC tournament. On Wednesday, a 60-50 defeat to the No. 11-ranked Florida Gators at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in South Carolina ended the Tigers's conference postseason hopes.

The news has been confirmed everywhere, with a page named "Auburn Tigers On AL.com" reporting it on Instagram with the caption:

"Auburn has fired women’s basketball head coach Johnnie Harris, who went 58-63 in four seasons with the Tigers #auburnbasketball #auburntigers."

The Tigers' athletic director, John Cohen, issued a statement on Thursday confirming the leadership change for the women's team.

"After a thorough review of our women’s basketball program, I have made the difficult decision that a leadership change is in the best interest of Auburn University. I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for Johnnie," he was quoted as saying.

"Having worked with her for more than a decade at two institutions, I know Johnnie is an exceptional person with a great basketball mind. I thank Johnnie for the way she represented Auburn and for her contributions to our women’s basketball program. While these decisions are never easy, the program must move in a new direction,” Cohen concluded.

For the 2024-2025 campaign, Harris and Co. finished with a disappointing SEC record of 3-13, 12-18 overall, and will more than likely miss out on the national tournament after making it last year after five seasons.

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The Auburn Tigers have not won any national or conference championship in over a decade

Perhaps the coaching change could be a fresh start for both Johnnie Harris and the Auburn Tigers. The program has not won a national or conference championship in over a decade. Their last conference regular season title came in 2009, while their most recent conference tournament championship was back in 1997. The same can be said for the national title, which they have never won.

It's unclear yet where Harris will turn her attention to after serving four seasons for the program. This is also the case for the Tigers as a whole, as the national search for a new coach is set to take place as soon as possible.