Auburn has spent the last several years living on the wrong side of tense finishes. The Tigers were 27-35 over the previous five seasons entering this year, and the pain was especially sharp in one-possession games, where they went 2-12 over the past three years.
That history makes the first six games of Alex Golesh’s Auburn tenure stand out. The Tigers are already 3-1 in one-possession games under their new head coach, with the biggest win coming last week against No.
1 Georgia. Hugh Freeze, who repeatedly talked about how “close” the program was, went 2-10 in one-score games during his time at Auburn.
The difference has shown up in the kinds of moments that used to tilt against the Tigers. Against Georgia in 2023 and 2025, Auburn had chances to put the Bulldogs in a difficult spot.
Last season, the Tigers were a yard from taking a 17-0 lead at the end of the first half. Instead, they fumbled at the one, unraveled in the second half and lost 20-10.
This season, Auburn has started to make the kind of plays that used to escape it. Last Saturday’s win featured a final-minute recovery of Gunner Stockton’s fumble and Chas Nimrod’s circus catch in the endzone, both the sort of game-turning moments Auburn had too often failed to seize in recent years.
“It’s really all about our culture, man,” Auburn cornerback Rayshawn Pleasant said on Tuesday. “Culture overrides scheme and talent. It was about us believing in that.”
The Tigers have also been strong late in games this season, even in some of the losses, and that late-game edge showed up again against Georgia. Running back Jeremiah Cobb pointed to the fourth-quarter emphasis coming from the coaching staff.
“Definitely Coach AG and how he just drills in our head the fourth quarter and finishing in everything - runs, catches, plays, just finishing,” Cobb said. “Taking that to the fourth quarter and finishing and doing what we need to do. Staying detailed and not getting lackadaisical and all that stuff, being us.”
Cobb, now in his fourth year with Auburn, has lived through plenty of the close calls that never broke the Tigers’ way. Pleasant, in his second year, has had enough time in the program to know how much Saturday’s win meant.
Cody Sigler, an Arkansas State transfer in his first season with Auburn, connected the turnaround to Golesh’s process-driven approach. He believes the coach is already changing the way the program finishes games.
“Auburn is known to not pull through. But I feel like with Coach AG, I feel like this place is turning around,” Sigler said. “He’s really emphasizing we gotta go out here and finish.”
In Other News...
Auburn Suddenly Has A Staff Question Fans Can't Ignore
Marylands decision to fire Mike Locksley has a ripple effect that Auburn fans cannot really ignore, even if the move happened far from the Plains. The two programs are connected in a way that matters for recruiting, and Auburns staff already has a Maryland link in defensive coordinator DJ Durkin, who previously coached there. When a coaching search opens up, especially at a place tied to current Auburn personnel, the conversation around who stays, who leaves and who follows a coach can start immediately.
Durkin could draw interest for Marylands head coaching job, and that possibility alone creates uncertainty for Auburn as it tries to hold together its recruiting board. The situation also cuts the other way, since Locksleys background includes Alabama ties and real recruiting experience, which could make him a candidate for Auburns coaching staff. For Auburn, the timing is awkward, because any movement at Maryland could affect commitments and relationships the Tigers are trying to protect. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Fans Will Want To See Why Alex Golesh Is In Focus
College GameDay is heading to the University of Utah this Saturday, and ESPN is rolling out a familiar mix of marquee voices for the broadcast ahead of the Utes game against Houston. Rece Davis will anchor the show alongside Kirk Herbstreit and Nick Saban, while Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid is set to serve as the guest picker as the pregame show settles in for another full morning of college football coverage.
The broadcast will also include live appearances from Utah and Miami head coaches, plus special reports on a range of college football topics, which gives the show plenty of ways to keep attention moving before kickoff. For Auburn fans, the reason to keep an eye on this one is how often GameDay can put coaches and programs under the spotlight in ways that linger beyond one Saturday, and Alex Golesh has found himself in that kind of conversation before. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Suddenly Has A Real Shot At A Five-Star Pass Rusher
Marylands decision to move on from Mike Locksley has quickly put one of the nations top defensive prospects back on the radar, and Auburn is a school worth watching. Zion Elee, the five-star edge rusher currently at Maryland, was recruited heavily by the Tigers and has existing ties to the program through his former high school, giving Auburn a familiar lane if he decides to explore a transfer.
For Auburn, the appeal is obvious. Adding a player with Elees pass-rushing upside would be a major boost for a defense that can always use more disruption off the edge, and the timing could work in the Tigers favor ahead of the 2027 season. Nothing is official yet, but the coaching change at Maryland has opened the door for speculation, and Auburn now looks like a real destination to monitor closely. [Read more 🡒]