Auburn’s first game under Alex Golesh arrives Saturday in Atlanta, and the matchup with Baylor comes with plenty of fresh faces on both sides.
Golesh took over the Tigers on Nov. 30 after Auburn finished 5-7 and moved on from Hugh Freeze, who was fired on Nov. 2. Auburn has now changed full-time head coaches four times since the 2020 season, and Golesh arrives after three seasons at South Florida.
“In a lot of ways, it's flown by really quickly. And in a lot of ways, it's this anticipation of you really don't know what it's going to look like until you do it," Golesh said.
"And so there's an excitement level, but it has flown by really quickly. It's almost surreal.
It really is."
He inherits a program that has gone through six straight seasons with six or fewer wins.
One of the biggest reasons for optimism around Golesh’s debut is the quarterback situation. Byrum Brown is among the South Florida transfers who followed him to Auburn. Brown threw for 3,158 yards and 28 touchdowns last season, and he added 1,008 rushing yards and 14 scores on the ground.
Baylor is also starting over in a lot of ways, which is why Golesh called the opener “a unique challenge in a lot of ways.” He added, "Got a ton of respect for Coach (Dave) Aranda and what he's done. ...
There's a lot of new there, a lot to prepare for, a lot of challenges that are presented, simply with as much newness as you're getting ready for. They're obviously in the same boat, there's a ton of newness they're preparing for, so it should be a really good matchup."
The Bears will turn to Florida transfer quarterback DJ Lagway to lead their offense. Lagway completed 63.2% of his passes for 2,264 yards and 16 touchdowns last season, though he was intercepted 14 times, the most among Southeastern Conference quarterbacks.
Baylor also has a familiar name in the backfield. Bryson Washington, who was the Bears’ leading rusher over the previous two seasons, is now at Auburn and will pair with Jeremiah Cobb to form a dangerous one-two punch.
Aranda made it clear he wants to see Washington thrive, saying, "I want to see him win that job," before adding, "But in this game, we're going to have to build it to try to stop him."
Washington rushed 14 times for 54 yards in Baylor's 38-24 home loss to Auburn in the 2025 season-opening game for both teams.
In Other News...
LSU Just Dropped Auburn Into A Fresh SEC Eligibility Fight
A Louisiana judges ruling in favor of LSU players Zxavian Harris and DaeQuan Wright has added another layer to the SECs eligibility headaches just as the season is getting underway. The court allowed both players to regain college football eligibility despite their recent NFL roster status, and it blocked the SEC, NCAA and LSU from taking actions that would hurt their standing, putting the conference in a spot Auburn fans know well: another rules fight with real on-field consequences.
Harris and Wright have already been practicing with LSU as the Tigers prepare for their opener against Clemson, and the final decision on whether to add them to the roster now sits with LSU. For Auburn, the broader significance is hard to miss. Anything that shifts the SECs eligibility landscape can ripple through the league, and this latest ruling only deepens the uncertainty around how schools and conference officials will handle similar cases moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Suddenly Has Another SEC Problem To Watch Closely
Auburns attention may be split between the usual late-summer roster questions and the broader SEC chessboard, because a new court ruling has suddenly opened the door for more than 40 athletes to remain eligible under NCAA and league rules. Among the players affected are former NFL players Zxavian Harris and DaeQuan Wright, both expected to land on LSUs football roster, a development that could ripple beyond Baton Rouge as conference programs monitor how the eligibility landscape is being handled.
The SEC is planning to appeal the injunction, and it has also filed a separate lawsuit aimed at enforcing new punishments against teams that add ex-professional players. For Auburn and the rest of the league, the practical issue is less about one roster move than the possibility of a longer fight over who can play, who can be added, and what penalties might follow while the legal process continues to work itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns First Captains Under Alex Golesh Just Sent A Clear Message
Auburn named five captains for its upcoming game against Baylor, giving Alex Golesh a first look at which players the team is leaning on as his tenure begins. Quarterback Byrum Brown, safety Champ Anthony, offensive lineman Cole Best, safety Cade Carlson and linebacker Elijah Melendez will wear the honors when the Tigers open at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta as part of the Aflac Kickoff.
The list says plenty about how Auburn wants to frame this matchup: leadership on both sides of the ball, from the quarterback to the trenches to the back end of the defense. For Golesh, it is also an early snapshot of the voices in the room as he gets ready for a spotlight game that will serve as his debut on the Auburn sideline. [Read more 🡒]