Bryson Washington didn’t arrive at Auburn with mystery attached to his résumé. The former Baylor running back came in January with real production, real expectations and a clear path to contributing in the Tigers’ backfield. The only problem was that the path wasn’t open yet.
Through the first stretch of preseason camp, Washington was still working to carve out his spot. Injuries slowed him in the spring, and the pace of Auburn’s offense forced another adjustment. The Tigers play much faster than what he had been used to, and that learning curve showed early when he was often sitting fourth in the running back rotation.
That is starting to change.
“Bryson, the last week, has shown why he’s been able to do what he’s done for the last couple of years,” head coach Alex Golesh said after Wednesday’s scrimmage. “He’s taken steps.”
Wednesday gave Washington a real opening to move up. Nykahi Davenport did not participate in the scrimmage, and Golesh said the staff was “really smart” with Jeremiah Cobb, dialing back his workload. That created first-team reps for Washington, the kind of chances he has begun to handle better as camp has gone on.
His biggest obstacle has been the tempo. Auburn’s offense asks a lot in a hurry, and Washington has had to catch up to that rhythm while also getting his body back right after the spring.
“For Bryson, I talked about the long drives today and he needed that worse than anybody,” Golesh said. “It was good for him to push through that.”
The talent has never been in question. Over the past two seasons at Baylor, Washington piled up 1,816 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. Last year alone, he went over 1,000 yards on the ground with 12 scores, while also adding 217 receiving yards and a touchdown on 22 catches.
That production is exactly why Auburn wanted him. Washington brings power between the tackles, and he can also be a factor as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. Those traits fit what Golesh and offensive coordinator Joel Gordon are building.
When Auburn signed him, the expectation was that he would team with Jeremiah Cobb to give the Tigers a one-two punch. That still could happen. For now, though, the more immediate story is that Washington is finally starting to look like himself again.
Golesh likes what he has seen so far. The next two weeks will be about keeping Washington’s conditioning on track, and the coach made it clear he’ll keep pushing that point.
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Auburn Showed Alex Golesh Exactly What He Needed In Camp
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Golesh has also leaned into the value of longer, fast-tempo drives in practice, using fall camp to put the Tigers in the kind of situations they will have to handle once the games count. Auburn is still moving through its camp schedule with the opener approaching, and the scrimmages have given the staff a better read on how close the team is to playing at the pace and physical standard it wants. [Read more 🡒]