Auburn’s season has been a roller coaster through eight games, but one of the program’s newest voices says the man steering it is the right one.
The Tigers are 4-4 overall and 2-4 in SEC play in Alex Golesh’s first year at the helm, a record that hasn’t been pretty. Still, Auburn owns one of the biggest wins in the country this season after shocking No.
1 Georgia in Athens on Oct. 17.
Since that high point, though, the ride has taken a sharp turn. Auburn has dropped its last two games by more than 20 points and came out of a brutal October stretch at 1-3.
Even with the uneven results, Golesh has kept pushing the same message about his process and culture inside the program. On Tuesday, he got a strong public vote of confidence from senior defensive lineman Cody Sigler.
“Coach AG is the right man for this job,” Auburn senior defensive lineman Cody Sigler said. “He’s going to get this place back on track.”
Sigler arrived with plenty of college football mileage already on his résumé. He spent four years in the college game before joining Auburn this offseason, beginning at Division II West Alabama and then breaking through at Arkansas State last season, where he had a big year. That background has helped him settle in quickly, and even as a newcomer, he has become one of Auburn’s leaders.
He’s also taken on a direct role in helping Golesh establish the kind of standard the coach wants in place. Sigler said he’s focused on helping rebuild that foundation, and he made clear his effort is about more than just the short term.
“My biggest thing is I’ve been trying to build the culture back up to where it needs to be,” Sigler said. “I’m trying to do everything in my power to help [Golesh] get established, not for next season but for the rest of the season.”
Auburn now heads into the final third of the year with the schedule easing up after the October grind. Before closing the season at Alabama in the Iron Bowl, the Tigers will see Arkansas, Mississippi State and Samford - a run that gives Golesh and his team a chance to steady things after a rocky stretch.
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Auburn Still Has One Troubling Question Up Front
Alex Golesh has already made his imprint on Auburns offensive line in his first season, and the changes have been hard to miss. Several underclassmen got starts in the recent game against Ole Miss, a sign that the Tigers are leaning into youth up front while trying to find a combination that can hold up over the course of a game. Golesh and offensive coordinator Joel Gordon both pointed to stretches of encouraging play, but they also made clear the unit is still a work in progress.
The bigger concern is what happens when the game wears on. Auburn has dealt with depth issues and fatigue late, the kind of problems that can undo otherwise solid series earlier in the afternoon. With Arkansas next on the schedule, the Tigers are hoping those young linemen keep taking steps forward, because the answer up front still feels like one of the more important questions hanging over this team. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Faces A Defining Auburn Test With Its Season Slipping Away
Road teams have had a habit of spoiling this series since 2021, even as Auburn has still controlled the overall matchup, which gives Saturdays meeting at Jordan-Hare Stadium a little extra edge. It also puts a spotlight on two first-year head coaches trying to steady their programs in a hurry, with Ryan Silverfield bringing a 3-0 edge over Alex Golesh in their head-to-head meetings.
Auburn enters as the favorite, but the bigger backdrop is Arkansas trying to keep its season from sliding any further. The Razorbacks are staring at a very slim path to bowl eligibility, so this is the kind of game that can either buy some breathing room or deepen the frustration around a year that is already hanging by a thread. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Gets Its First Real Test Of A New-Look Rotation
Auburns opening week on the 2026-27 mens college basketball schedule brings the kind of early check that can tell a lot about a new-look rotation without demanding too much too soon. The Tigers open at home against Southeastern Louisiana, a manageable first step on paper, but one that still gives Bruce Pearl a chance to sort out roles, pace and lineup combinations in a real game setting before the schedule tightens.
Wednesdays release also put the broader opening slate in focus, with games involving Butler, Saint Josephs and several other Division I programs spread across TV and streaming platforms. For Auburn, the bigger interest is less about the opponent than the setting: a home opener that starts the season with some clarity, but not all of it, as the rotation begins to take shape in public. [Read more 🡒]