DeMarcus Ware didn’t need much time to explain where he stands on Auburn football. The Auburn native made it clear that his connection to the university is complicated by one simple fact: the Tigers never offered him a scholarship.
That came up Wednesday at The Caesars Celebrity Pro-Am, where Ware was taking part in the build-up to the 2026 American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Resort in Stateline, Nevada. The seven-time All-Pro and Super Bowl champion was one of 90 celebrities in the field for NBC’s annual golf event, which runs Friday through Sunday, July 10-12, and will air on NBC, NBC Sports Network, and Peacock. Charles Barkley is back in the spotlight too, as usual, even with the longest odds in the field at +750000.
When the conversation turned to Auburn’s hiring of Alex Golesh, Ware said he doesn’t really keep up with the Tigers because of how things went for him coming out of high school. Still, he gave a sharp read on what a coaching change means for a program and the people around it.
"You know what? I don't even follow the university.
I'm from Auburn. They didn't offer a scholarship.
So if you ask me anything about Troy University, I can tell you. About the coaching and everything," Ware said initially.
"I just know that Auburn University, what they do for the community, what they mean for Auburn, just in general, the whole Lee County area, it's amazing. When you get a new coach, it's like getting a new politician.
Someone new comes in, who's going to create so much change in what they're doing. So I think that the new culture -- I don't know anything about it -- but I know that there was a huge process getting to it, just bringing (Golesh) on.
It's gonna be a change, because once they make a change, everybody has to change."
Ware’s path to football stardom started with a different school in Alabama. He has said before that Troy was his only Division I offer, and he revisited that story on the "OutKick 360" podcast in February 2023.
“I didn’t know what recruitment was,” Ware said. “I had one school that offered me a scholarship, which was Troy University.
I ran like a 4.7. I was a 185-pound wide receiver coming out.
And they said, ‘DeMarcus, when you get to Troy, we’re going to put you at defensive end.’ At the time, they were Division I-AA, so we played a lot of the Jacksonville States, the Alabama States, the Alabama A&Ms.
So we played those small teams, so me being at 195 was normal.
“But it just got to a point where I got that scholarship, and we started playing these big schools like Marshall and Missouri, and I’m like, ‘I can’t play Nebraska at 185. Are you kidding me?’
And so, lo and behold, I grew 3 inches, and I gained 50 pounds in four years and ran a 4.3. So that was genetics plus being able to get on the right program at the right time.”
Ware turned that overlooked beginning into a Hall of Fame NFL career, using the slight from Auburn and the rest of the FBS world as motivation. And while Auburn may wish it had done things differently, Ware’s story has long since become one of the sharpest reminders of what was missed.
In Other News...
Auburn Champion Sends A Strong Message About Alex Golesh
Kodi Burns has been around enough football to know when a program is trying to find its footing, and the former Auburn player turned assistant is clearly buying into what Alex Golesh is bringing to the table. Golesh arrives with a rsum built on offense, including stops as coordinator at Tennessee and USF, and Auburns focus now is less on talking about quick fixes and more on building a real identity under a new head coach.
Burns confidence matters because he has seen Golesh up close before, and that kind of firsthand perspective tends to carry more weight than offseason buzz. Even so, Auburns outlook remains split as some see a rapid jump and others expect a slower climb, which leaves the Tigers in a familiar spot for a program that is still trying to turn belief into something more tangible. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn's Late Recruiting Win Looks Bigger Than Fans Realized
DeShawn Spencers rise in the final AL.com Best in Bama rankings gave Auburn another reminder that its recruiting work in Alabama is starting to matter in a big way. The Saraland wide receiver landed at No. 11 on the list of the states top Class of 2026 seniors, putting him in a group that will be tracked closely as those prospects begin to settle on their college homes.
Auburn also came away with three players from the final Best in Bama rankings, a haul that includes Jaquez Wilkes, Spencer and Shadarius Toodle. Alex Golesh has already singled out Spencer for the way he has performed and handled himself, suggesting the Tigers may not have to wait long to see whether the latest recruiting win turns into an early on-field boost. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Finally Has A Kicker Fans Can Believe In Again
Alex McPherson gave Auburn something it has been searching for in the kicking game, and he did it by turning a once-unstable spot into a real strength. After working back from serious health problems, he settled in for a strong 2025 season and finished 20 of 23 on field goals, a level of consistency that changed the way the Tigers could approach close games.
Now Auburn heads into 2026 with McPherson still in line as the starter, Connor Gibbs back as the kickoff specialist and Towns McGough headed to Cal. McPherson sounded confident during spring practice, and for a program that has spent too long wondering what might happen when the offense stalled near the goal line, simply having a kicker the staff can trust again matters plenty. [Read more 🡒]