Over the past few seasons, Auburn football has lived on the edge - and not in a good way. Close losses have become the defining theme of the Tigers’ recent struggles, especially during Hugh Freeze’s tenure.
In 2025 alone, six of Auburn’s seven defeats came by a single score. The lone outlier?
A 20-10 loss to Georgia - and even in that one, Auburn led by a touchdown in the second half. The Tigers weren’t getting blown out.
"Work, Hard Work"
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They just weren’t finishing. And that’s what makes the arrival of new head coach Alex Golesh so intriguing.
Golesh met with the media for the first time on Monday, and while introductory pressers are often filled with coach-speak and optimism, there was a noticeable edge to his message - one that directly addressed the Tigers’ most frustrating flaw: an inability to close out games.
“I think the biggest thing when you talk about closing out games, finishing, is a mindset,” Golesh said. And that wasn’t just a throwaway line. He went on to outline a year-round approach to building what he calls “fourth-quarter discipline” - the kind of mental and physical toughness that separates good teams from great ones when the game hangs in the balance.
“You train year-round in our sport for 12 guaranteed opportunities,” Golesh said. “And you fight your tail off for 13, and 14, and 15, and gosh darn it, 16.”
That quote might get a chuckle, but the message is clear: Auburn’s new coach isn’t here to talk about how close they are. He’s here to change the culture that’s made “almost” a recurring theme on The Plains.
Golesh emphasized that this transformation won’t start in August or even spring ball - it starts in January. “We’re going to train the fourth quarter part of what we do, starting the very first second that we start in January with our guys,” he said. That means winter workouts, spring practices, summer conditioning - every phase of the calendar will be geared toward instilling the discipline and mentality needed to win tight games in the SEC.
And make no mistake, Auburn’s recent track record in those moments has been brutal. Even after Freeze was fired following a 10-3 loss to Kentucky - a game that summed up the offensive stagnation and missed opportunities of his tenure - the Tigers still couldn’t turn the corner.
Interim head coach D.J. Durkin provided a spark, but Auburn went 0-2 against SEC opponents in his three-game stint, dropping heartbreakers to both Vanderbilt and Alabama by a touchdown apiece.
So when Golesh talks about accountability, process, and training for the fourth quarter, it hits home for a fan base that’s heard “we’re close” far too often. The reality is, Auburn’s been stuck in neutral - not because they lacked talent, but because they couldn’t execute when it mattered most.
“There’s obviously a scheme part of it,” Golesh acknowledged. “There’s certain things and margins that you’ve got to be able to go get. Finishing in the fourth quarter is a mindset.”
That mindset - the ability to outlast, outwork, and out-execute your opponent when the pressure is highest - has been missing from Auburn’s DNA for years. And while Golesh isn’t promising instant success, he’s making it clear that the foundation for change starts now.
“The game is still a one-on-one game,” he said. “You’ve got to want it more than the other guy, and you’ve got to train it. We’ve got to train it better than anybody in the country.”
It’s a bold statement, but one that Auburn fans are ready to hear. After five straight losing seasons and a carousel of coaches, the Tigers don’t just need a new playbook - they need a new identity. Golesh is betting that identity will be forged in the offseason grind, in the smallest details, and in the mindset that winning is something you train for long before the scoreboard lights up.
For a program desperate to get over the hump, that kind of clarity - and accountability - is a step in the right direction.