At Auburn, play calling has long been a lightning rod for fan frustration - and not without reason. Whether it was Gus Malzahn’s back-and-forth approach or Hugh Freeze’s segmented system that split responsibilities by down, the Tigers haven’t exactly found consistency when it comes to who’s steering the offensive ship. But with new offensive coordinator Alex Golesh stepping in, there's a clear message: this is going to be different - and not just in structure, but in mindset.
Golesh, fresh off a wildly successful run at USF, isn’t interested in playing the role of solo genius. He’s bringing a collaborative model to Auburn - one that’s already produced results at multiple stops.
When asked about his play calling success last season, Golesh didn’t hold back. With a straight face, he claimed about 90 percent of his calls at USF went for touchdowns.
Bold? Sure.
But his offensive coordinator Joel Gordon didn’t blink.
“He was telling the truth,” Gordon said with a grin. “He was over 90 percent, I think, this year.
He was right on time. There were some timely calls.
We’ll take ’em.”
That kind of confidence doesn’t come from nowhere. Golesh’s offensive pedigree was sharpened under Josh Heupel at UCF and Tennessee, where he was handed the keys to the offense and delivered big.
In 2021 and 2022, Tennessee finished No. 9 and No. 1 nationally in total offense. That same energy followed him to USF, where the Bulls jumped into the top 20 in his first year and finished with the No. 2 offense in the country this past season.
Now at Auburn, Golesh is staying true to what’s worked: a staff-first, ego-free approach to calling plays. He’s made it clear from day one - this isn’t a one-man show.
“Part of what’s made us really good is that there’s no egos,” Golesh said. “Everybody has a voice.
Sometimes that voice is coming from one of the young coaches, and it’s like, ‘Hey, I’m going to speak up here. I think we should do this.’
And it’s as good of an idea as we’ve had. So it is truly a collective effort.”
That collaborative spirit isn’t just lip service. Gordon, who worked alongside Golesh at Iowa State and later called plays at USF, will have the final say on each down.
But the door is wide open for input - whether it’s from tight ends coach Larry Scott, who called plays during his time at Florida, or running backs coach Larry Porter. Even the youngest assistants are encouraged to speak up if they see something.
“We’ve got to get Larry Scott, Larry Porter in the fold in terms of feeling comfortable enough to speak up in it,” Golesh said. “And they certainly will. Those guys are pros and vets that have done it for a long time, but everybody knows they’ve got a voice so that they can speak up.”
And that voice matters - especially in an offense that thrives on tempo. Once a drive starts moving, there’s not a lot of time for back-and-forth between plays.
That’s when Gordon takes the reins, operating with the speed and decisiveness that this system demands. But even in those high-tempo moments, the staff remains in sync.
“If I’m going to be convicted about, ‘Hey, we’ve gotta do this, that or the other,’ then we’re gonna do it, and that is what it is,” Gordon said. “But if there’s any kind of situation that comes up in a game where, man, (Kodi Burns) has got a thought, (Golesh) has got a thought, man, I’m going to listen, and we’re going to try to put our kids in the best situation to be successful.”
That’s the heart of what Golesh and his staff are building - not just an offense that moves fast and scores often, but a culture that values input, trusts its people, and always keeps the players at the center of it all.
It’s a fresh start for Auburn’s offense. And if history is any indication, it could be a dangerous one for defenses across the SEC.