Auburn’s second fall camp scrimmage on Wednesday gave Alex Golesh a clearer look at which players are starting to separate, and the head coach came away with a long list of names on both sides of the ball.
On defense, Golesh said several Tigers caught his eye, with Dallas Walker drawing especially strong praise. Golesh pointed to Walker’s consistency and the role he’s grown into, calling him a leader and saying, “I left really impressed with some individual performances today," Goles said.
"Dallas Walker, who has maybe been as consistent as anybody defensively for us. Man, what a blessing that he got the year back, and he's become a leader.
He does not say a whole lot, but has become a leader, I am beyond proud of him. Da’Shawn Womack, today, was really impressive.
Jared Smith, today, was really impressive. Eric Winters, today, was really impressive.
We got Kaleb Harris back this week, which was huge. We got Newboy (Anquon Fegans) back this week, which was huge.
Both those guys played well. We played well at corner today and did some really good things."
Golesh also liked what he saw from the offense, where Byrum Brown stayed steady and a pair of receivers helped keep things moving. “Offensively, Byrum (Brown) was super steady," said Golesh.
"Keshaun Singleton continued to be super steady. Chas Nimrod today was really solid and protected well for the most part.
So there was some positive."
Auburn opens the 2026 season against Baylor on Sept. 5.
In Other News...
Auburns Pass Rush Just Took A Hit At BUCK
Auburns pass rush depth took a significant blow before the season even gets rolling, with linebacker-hybrid EDGE Jakaleb Faulk sidelined after a collarbone injury. Coach Alex Golesh said the issue required a procedure, and the Tigers now have to move forward without one of their more intriguing pieces at the BUCK spot for the time being.
Da'Shawn Womack is slated to step into the starting role in Faulks place, and Auburn will lean on several other defenders to absorb the snaps and keep the position productive. There is still hope Faulk can make it back late in the year, but for now the Tigers are planning as if he will be unavailable throughout the regular season, leaving a notable hole in a spot that depends on disruption and depth. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns Defense Is Already Facing Heat After Camp Scrimmage
Auburns defense has spent much of preseason camp under a sharper spotlight than the coaches probably wanted, with recent scrimmage work exposing the kinds of cleanup issues that tend to show up quickly once the pads come on. Alex Golesh, DJ Durkin and Coleman Hutzler have made tackling and technique a daily point of emphasis, and the message around the group has been straightforward: the standard has to rise before the season does.
Players have taken the hard coaching in stride, treating it as part of the process rather than a sign of panic, even if the early returns have left room for concern. The staff has been pushing development as much as immediate results, and the way Auburn responds in the next stretch of camp will go a long way toward showing whether the defense is simply still sorting itself out or facing a deeper adjustment ahead of opener week. [Read more 🡒]