Auburn’s football results haven’t given the fan base much to celebrate lately, but the turnout keeps telling a different story. On Wednesday, the university said it had sold out all 83,043 season tickets for the third straight year, another sign that the Auburn Family is still showing up in full force.
The demand doesn’t stop there. Tickets for Florida, Vanderbilt and LSU are already gone, while just under 200 remain for Arkansas and just under 1,000 are still available for Samford. That all points toward another season of packed Saturdays at Jordan-Hare Stadium, no matter how the Tigers are playing.
That kind of loyalty has helped cement Auburn’s reputation as one of the strongest fanbases in the country. It also comes during a stretch that has been rough by Auburn standards. The Tigers haven’t finished a season with a winning record since 2020, or 2019 if the bowl loss that left them at 6-6 in 2020 is included.
In that span, Auburn has gone through two full-time head coaches. Bryan Harsin never got traction, and Hugh Freeze brought recruiting buzz but couldn’t push the program over the top when it counted.
Now the attention shifts to Alex Golesh, Auburn’s third major head coach in the last six years. Golesh arrived this offseason after a short stint at USF, and he has drawn plenty of praise from fans and media alike. With that praise comes a heavier burden in 2026.
Auburn’s defense should look familiar to anyone who has followed the team the last couple of seasons. Xavier Atkins, Demarcus Riddick, Champ Anthony and several other key defenders are back.
The offense, though, is a different story. That unit is almost entirely new on the Plains.
Byrum Brown, the USF transfer quarterback, is the centerpiece. He was the only player in the FBS last season to throw for more than 3,000 yards and run for more than 1,000. Auburn is expected to lean on the run, but there should still be room for the passing game to grow as the season unfolds.
For now, though, the clearest message is coming from the stands. The Auburn Family keeps filling the seats, and they’ll be back in Jordan-Hare hoping this season finally looks different.
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 🡒]
Alex Golesh Is Making Auburn's Newcomers Feel The Program Early
Auburns newest arrivals got a taste of more than football this week as Alex Golesh continued introducing the programs traditions to the transfer class. The Tigers held a meeting with 40 incoming transfers, and it turned into one of those campus moments that helps a team start feeling like a team before the first snap is ever taken.
The associate director of bands and director of choir joined the session to teach the fight song, and the day included speeches along with performances from the band and choir. Players sang along as Golesh worked to build the kind of culture he wants in place ahead of the upcoming season, blending football with the pageantry and pride that come with being at Auburn. [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 🡒]