Tristan Ti’a has moved into the driver’s seat for Auburn’s QB2 job, and Alex Golesh didn’t leave much room for debate after Friday’s scrimmage.
Golesh said Ti’a has handled most of the second-team reps in fall camp, a notable development for an Oregon State transfer who arrived with a reputation for being polished beyond his years. Auburn is leaning on Byrum Brown for 2026, but Brown’s final season of eligibility and his physical style make the backup quarterback situation more than a footnote. Ti’a’s rise matters now, and it also matters for what comes next.
“Tristan Ti’a has taken a majority of the two reps in fall camp so far,” Golesh said. “He did some really good things today….
He's still young, uber talented, but still young. We rolled [Locklan Hewlett] and Rhys [Brush] with the threes today.
They have rotated there all camp. They are competing like crazy there, and I'm excited about both of those guys too.
So, we'll reassess today and see, but so far up until camp, up until this point in camp, Tristan's taken all the two reps.”
That kind of language usually tells you enough. Ti’a is ahead, and he’s been ahead for a while.
The sophomore’s college sample is small, but it’s efficient: 385 passing yards and three touchdowns at Oregon State last season on 37 completions in 53 attempts. For a player that young, at quarterback especially, that’s real experience. It also gives Auburn a backup with some live reps already in the bank.
Golesh sounded encouraged by what he’s seen as camp has grown more demanding. Ti’a, he said, has cleared a few different hurdles already.
“Tristan has taken monumental steps. He had a really good first seven practices, and then as install started getting heavy and you started getting into heavy situational football, it started happening fast for him.
I thought for the most part, other than one throw, I would tell you, it slowed down for him today. He's got some gamer in him when he is out there.
He’s got a cool swag and a cool confidence about him, and he's played a bunch of football for being so young.”
That’s the kind of progress Auburn wants to see from a backup quarterback: calm, growing, and clearly settling in when the pace picks up. Ti’a may still be young, but the way camp has unfolded suggests he’s not just filling a spot. He’s becoming a real option.
And if that keeps up, Auburn may have found more than insurance behind Brown. With three years of eligibility potentially still in front of him after the 2026 season, Ti’a could wind up being part of the Tigers’ long-term picture too.
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