Alex Golesh didn’t land at Auburn by accident, and he didn’t make the move to the Plains because the job looked easy.
When Auburn’s coaching search was unfolding, the Tigers were pursuing John Sumrall while Arkansas showed interest in Golesh. In the end, Auburn Athletics Director John Cohen decided Golesh was the right fit, and the former South Florida head coach took the Auburn job instead of heading to Fayetteville.
For Golesh, the appeal was tied to something bigger than the recent results. Auburn is in its worst run since the late 1940s, and the program hasn’t finished a season with a winning record since Gus Malzahn was fired in 2020. Even with the losses piling up, Auburn fans have kept showing up at home and on the road, and that mattered to Golesh.
"How many other places can say that there's still 88,000 in the stadium every week through that?" Golesh said.
"How many places can say there's 40,000 for a spring game after all of that? Are the fans tired?
Yeah, they're tired. I have met with every big money donor in the last six months, and man, they're tired.
They're sick of it. But they're still willing to help.
They're still willing to be involved, which is why I took this job - because I felt like you genuinely can do it."
The numbers around Auburn’s recent slide are ugly, especially when stacked against Alabama and Georgia over the last decade. But Golesh sees something more durable than the losing record. Auburn has already shown it can reach the top, making the BCS National Championship Game twice in three years, and he believes that path still exists.
"Man, I don't think I would have taken the job if I didn't think you can get back to competing for national championships," Golesh said. "I took this job because it felt like it was one of the very few that could."
Golesh may not fix everything immediately, but the hope is that he can help Auburn shake off the last five years and get back to being a program that expects to contend.
"You can't mire yourself in what has happened in the past," Cohen said. "But, again, I love the momentum that I believe coach Golesh has created."
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Auburns New Backfield Has One Early Concern Fans Cant Ignore
Alex Golesh has made it clear from the start that Auburns offense is going to lean on tempo and the run game, and the early shape of that backfield is already drawing attention. The Tigers added Nykahi Davenport, Tae Meadows and Baylor transfer Bryson Washington to give the unit more depth around the returning pieces, a move that fits the way Golesh wants to play and gives Auburn more options behind center.
Washington is the name that stands out most because of what he has done before arriving on The Plains, but his transition has not been seamless. Golesh said the transfer has been making progress, yet there is still a question about how quickly he can fully handle the physical demands of this offense, a concern that matters in a system built to keep the pressure on defenses and keep the ground game moving. [Read more 🡒]
Johni Broomes NBA Shot Suddenly Looks Shakier As Auburn Heads Overseas
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Meanwhile, Auburn is heading overseas for its preseason tune-up, with exhibition games set in Mykonos, Greece, against Serbian pro team KK Mega Basket. It is another reminder of how the program keeps using international trips to build chemistry and get an early look at the roster, even as one of its former stars waits to see whether his next stop will come in Philadelphia or somewhere else. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Faces A Recruiting Showdown For An In-State Quarterback Target
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For Auburn, the interest is easy to understand. Rivals views Sollie as a three-star quarterback and expects him to end up in the SEC, which makes every visit and every impression matter a little more in a race that has already drawn several major programs. The Tigers have also been especially active in his recruitment, hosting him more than any of the other finalists, and now the countdown is on as one of Alabamas better young quarterbacks gets ready to narrow the picture. [Read more 🡒]