Auburn’s new-look football team got a crash course in tradition Tuesday, and it came with plenty of noise.
Head coach Alex Golesh, who has been on The Plains for just eight months, used the end of a team meeting to bring in some of Auburn’s most recognizable voices: associate director of bands Corey Spurlin and the director of choir. Their job was simple enough - fire up the room and teach the newcomers how to handle “War Eagle.”
Golesh revealed the surprise in a video posted to the football team’s X account, telling the players that both the band and choir would join the meeting to energize the roster and help the incoming transfers get familiar with Auburn’s fight song.
When the marching band walked in, the room erupted. Spurlin then addressed the team, and his remarks quickly became one of the day’s standout moments.
He thanked Golesh and pointed out that, in his 20 years with the program, no coach had ever asked him to perform privately for the team so everyone could get on the same page. He then explained the band’s mindset with a line that landed well with the players.
“We don’t want to be a thermometer; we want to be a thermostat where we set the temperature for what we do," he said.
The reaction inside the room said plenty. The line drew a strong response and helped set the tone for the rest of the session.
After that, the band performed for the Tigers, and the choir stepped in with the lyrics to “War Eagle.” The players sang along, the band returned for the finish, and the whole room ended up on its feet, singing the fight song together.
The celebration didn’t stop there. Once the music wrapped, the players started swag surfing in their rows as the band played one final song to keep the energy rolling with the season getting closer.
The moment was about more than hype. It showed the kind of chemistry and buy-in Golesh is trying to build before Auburn even plays a snap together. That message fits with the number of transfers who followed him from his previous stop at the University of South Florida, along with the momentum around Auburn’s 2027 recruiting class, which holds a consensus top 12 ranking.
Golesh is clearly pushing the same cultural message that Auburn has long wrapped around the Auburn Creed: “I believe in Auburn and love it.”
For the Tigers, getting the traditions down is part of that process.
Both the returning players and the newcomers will have a chance to put that lesson to use soon enough, with the 2026 season opener coming against Baylor in the Aflac Kickoff game on September 5, followed by the home opener the next week against Southern Miss.
In Other News...
Auburn Suddenly Has A Serious Eligibility Problem With Two New Additions
Auburns roster plans are now getting tangled in a broader NCAA fight over eligibility, with recent additions Tray Taylor and Keyshawn Hall both among the student-athletes affected by the governing bodys new fifth-year rule. Their cases sit inside a fast-moving legal battle over whether players from the 2022 class can keep playing if they still have eligibility left, and the uncertainty is not limited to Auburn, even if it has a direct impact on how the Tigers view the next step with both players.
The latest wrinkle came when the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals granted the NCAA a stay against a prior injunction in the Wisne v. NCAA case, a decision that tightens the screws on players seeking an extra year. Taylor and Hall are seeking temporary restraining orders against the NCAA, while the association continues to fight court rulings that would extend college careers, setting up more lawsuits and more requests for relief in the weeks ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn May Have Found A Linebacker Piece That Changes Everything
Auburns linebacker room already had the look of a group with real depth, and Bryce Deas is giving the staff another reason to believe it can hold up over a long season. Entering his sophomore year, Deas has been working at all three linebacker spots in camp, a sign the Tigers are trying to see how much versatility he can bring to a unit that also includes Xavier Atkins, Demarcus Riddick and Elijah Melendez.
Head coach Alex Golesh said Deas has performed strongly in camp, and the bigger picture is easy to see: Auburn appears willing to lean on its younger linebackers if they keep showing up. With Melendez and Riddick also in line for significant snaps, Deas emergence could give the Tigers more options than they had expected when camp opened, and perhaps the kind of flexibility that changes how the whole defense is built. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns Progress Feels Real But Two Roster Questions Loom Before Baylor
Auburns fall camp has given Alex Golesh something every new coach wants before a season opener: signs that the operation is moving in the right direction. The Tigers have looked sharper as camp has unfolded, and analysts around the program have singled out Deshawn Spencer and Bryce Deas as players who stood out while Auburn tried to sort out its depth and identity before Baylor arrives.
Still, the optimism is tempered by two roster questions that could shape the early part of the season. JJ Faulk is potentially out for the year, which would leave a hole in the pass rush rotation, while Bryce Cain has been shifted to cornerback as the staff looks for the best fit on defense. Those moves may prove routine by September, but for now they are the kind of details that can tell a lot about how much Auburn still has to settle before the opener. [Read more 🡒]