In his first season leading the Auburn Tigers, head coach Alex Golesh is facing the same reality that’s reshaping college football across the country: the transfer portal isn’t just a tool anymore - it’s a necessity. And for a program in transition, it’s become a critical part of roster building.
Golesh, who took over at Auburn with a clear understanding of the challenges ahead, hasn’t shied away from the fact that his staff would need to lean heavily on the portal to patch roster gaps. That’s not a knock on the current players - it’s simply the way the game is played now. In today’s college football landscape, where player movement is fast, frequent, and often financially motivated, constructing a competitive roster means mastering the art of portal recruiting.
But with that flexibility comes a darker side: tampering. It’s no secret that behind-the-scenes conversations and back-channel communications are happening more than ever. And according to Golesh, the issue isn’t confined to any one level of the sport.
“Tampering’s been going on for a really long time,” Golesh said. “This portal era amplified it in every imaginable way.”
That’s a candid take from a coach still getting his footing in the SEC. But Golesh isn’t just pointing fingers - he’s calling for structure.
In a world where the rules around player movement are still murky at best, he wants clarity. Guardrails.
Standards that everyone can follow.
“There eventually needs to be guardrails on this thing,” he continued. “I think we all want to know the rules in which you can operate in... the truth is, right now, there aren’t any, so you operate ethically with what you feel like is right.”
That ethical compass matters more than ever. Coaches are walking a fine line between aggressive recruiting and outright poaching. And Golesh isn’t afraid to call it what it is.
“Is it right to call a kid that’s on somebody else’s roster to go get them? It’s not,” he said.
“I think in a lot of ways, what goes around comes around. I’m a strong believer in the football gods finding you at some point.
Generally, they’ll find you at the end of a game or on fourth-and-1. You’ve got to do things the right way.”
That’s not just coach-speak - it’s a philosophy. Golesh is trying to build something at Auburn that goes deeper than splashy NIL deals or short-term wins. He’s aiming for a program rooted in culture, development, and long-term success - the kind of place where players grow into NFL-caliber talent, not just chase paydays.
There’s no question the pressure to win is real, especially in the SEC. And Golesh knows that pressure pushes some programs to cut corners or operate in the gray areas. But he’s focused on staying the course, even if it’s the harder road.
“The pressure to win is great and people feel it in different ways,” Golesh said. “I’m not here to judge anybody else’s decisions on how they operate, but you’d love to have some guardrails within the system.”
For now, Golesh is keeping his head down and grinding - the way any new coach in a powerhouse league has to. But don’t mistake humility for passivity. He’s building his voice in the conference, and when the time comes, he plans to use it.
“Maybe as I establish myself within this conference, I’ll have more vocal opinions,” he said. “But I’m just the new guy on the block trying to build a program here at Auburn and do it the right way.”
In a college football era defined by change, Golesh is betting on something that never goes out of style: integrity, hard work, and playing the long game.