Auburn’s new coach isn’t interested in anybody getting ahead of themselves.
With the Tigers closing in on a Sept. 5 matchup with Baylor, Alex Golesh is pushing a simple message: stay locked in on the work in front of you and leave the big-picture talk for later. After Auburn’s scrimmage this weekend, Golesh said the focus remains on daily growth, not on outcomes or SEC daydreams.
“We are nowhere near talking about winning football games,” he said on Friday. “We're still at ‘what do we got to do today to be the best version of us today.’ The truth is, here, in a couple of days we start school; there's elements now that will create distraction, and that's why I say humble yourself to show up and go right back to work.”
That “humble yourself” line is doing a lot of work for him right now. Auburn is about to shift from the relative bubble of fall camp into the messier rhythm of campus life, with classes starting next week and more distractions creeping in by the day. Golesh wants his team to handle that change without losing edge.
To this point, he’s tried to keep the Tigers insulated. The team has stayed together in one hotel at the start of camp, cutting down on outside noise and keeping everyone in the same routine. Once players begin commuting to campus for the academic semester and the student body returns in full force, practice will move faster and the countdown to kickoff will feel even more real.
That’s exactly why Golesh says the next stretch matters so much. He wants the group reset before the season hits full speed.
“There tends to be an element - and this is every camp - but you're nine, 10 days in, you start feeling like, I've won a job, or I've won a role in this or that, and maybe at times you start getting a little bit comfortable,” Golesh said. “It's like, all right, we're getting close. We're still in camp mode for another week.”
For a first-year coach trying to build cohesion, that humility is part of the foundation. Golesh brought over some familiar pieces from USF, including quarterback Byrum Brown and parts of the offensive line such as Cole Best, but he still wants every spot to stay open and every practice rep to matter. The message is competition first, comfort never.
The Tigers now have less than three weeks before they take the field in Atlanta against Baylor, and Golesh isn’t letting the schedule tempt anyone into looking past the next practice.
“Only way to send that message is to continue to be honest, continue to point out things that you're seeing, good and bad, and worry about today,” Golesh said. “Don't worry about winning, losing games. We're still 22 days out from worrying about that.”
In Other News...
Auburns First Scrimmage Exposed An Early Concern For Alex Golesh
After eight days of fall camp, Auburn finally got a first look at itself in a live setting, and Alex Golesh came away with a familiar early-camp message: the Tigers are still a work in progress. The first scrimmage also brought some needed bodies back on offense after injury, giving the staff a better sense of where things stand as the preseason starts to take shape.
For Golesh, the bigger concern remained on the defensive side, where tackling has become a daily point of emphasis. Auburn has been drilling it every day, but the head coach made clear the group is still chasing the standard he wants, especially as the team moves from controlled work into more game-like situations. The scrimmage offered a useful snapshot, but also a reminder that plenty of sharpening still has to happen before September arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns Defense May Depend On These Young Tigers Growing Up Fast
Auburns defensive front is starting to look like a unit that could be shaped as much by growth as by experience. The Tigers are counting on a cluster of second-year players, including Malik Autry, Jourdin Crawford, Jared Smith and Darrion Smith, to take on bigger jobs in 2026, and there is at least some early evidence that the group is moving in the right direction even as the roster works through bumps and bruises.
Elijah Melendez is part of that same developmental wave at linebacker, where Auburn needs young players to grow into more dependable pieces fast. If the defensive line and the second-level help keep trending forward, the Tigers could have a sturdier foundation than expected, but the real question is how much of that promise translates once the pressure of a full season starts to pile up. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Defense Has A Fall Problem Fans Cant Ignore
Auburns defense is still operating with the kind of expectations that come attached to DJ Durkins track record, but the early weeks of 2026 fall practice have put a spotlight on something much more basic than scheme. Head coach Alex Golesh has acknowledged that tackling fundamentals have been an issue, a reminder that even a defense built to be reliable can get exposed when the simple stuff slips.
There are still reasons to think the unit will settle in. Sophomore Darrion Smith is emerging as a pass-rushing presence, and Auburns plan to lean heavily on the run game should help keep the defense fresher over the course of the season. Durkins recent defenses have generally been effective, but the challenge now is making sure a few rough practice moments do not linger into the part of the year that actually counts. [Read more 🡒]