Auburn’s start under Alex Golesh has been messy at times, but the record is doing some talking for him: the Tigers are 3-1 after four games, and those two Power Four wins may not have been pretty, yet they still mark the first time Auburn has won two of its first three Power Four games since 2020.
Charles Barkley is buying in.
Speaking Monday at the Bruce, Barkley and Basketball Golf Tournament, the longtime Auburn supporter made it clear where he stands on the new head coach.
“People who know football tell me we got a winner,” Charles Barkley said at the Bruce, Barkley and Basketball Golf Tournament. “You Auburn people are so damn impatient, and y’all always compare yourself to Tuscaloosa, which is stupid. I’m very happy with our football coach.”
Barkley has spent years being blunt about Auburn, and Monday was no different. The former Auburn basketball star has remained a steady voice for the Tigers since his playing days on the Plains ended 40 years ago, and his message this time was simple: give Golesh time.
“I was very happy we won this weekend, but the SEC is just a gauntlet,” Barkley said. “Guys have no patience anymore, and that’s unfortunate. But I got patience with him, and I’m excited for it.”
Auburn’s latest step came in Saturday’s 21-15 win over Vanderbilt, the program’s first home SEC victory since 2024. The Tigers now turn to Tennessee, with a 2:30 p.m.
CT kickoff Saturday on ESPN. It will be Auburn’s first road game of the season and Golesh’s first return to Knoxville since serving as the Vols’ offensive coordinator in 2021 and 2022.
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Former Auburn Captain Rips Shane Beamer Over SEC Discipline Drama
South Carolinas handling of Dylan Stewarts outburst against Alabama has become a bigger talking point than the game itself, and former Auburn captain Chandler Wooten has jumped right into the middle of it. After the EDGE was suspended indefinitely by Shane Beamer, Wooten publicly said the punishment did not go far enough, adding another layer to a situation that already put the Gamecocks under an uncomfortable spotlight.
It was the kind of incident that can linger long after the final whistle, especially when it involves on-field punches, an argument with coaches and a head coach trying to manage the fallout in public. For Auburn fans, Wootens criticism also lands with some weight because he knows the SEC landscape well, and his comments only deepen the sense that South Carolina is dealing with more than a simple discipline issue. [Read more 🡒]
Bo Nix Delivered In Prime Time When Denver Needed Him Most
Bo Nix has already given Denver a signature moment this season, and he did it under the lights when the Broncos needed it most. In Sunday nights 30-26 win over the Rams, the former Auburn quarterback threw two touchdown passes and then finished the job himself with a game-winning sneak in the closing seconds, capping a comeback that had the stadium leaning on every snap.
Nix talked afterward about the comeback and the final drive, the kind of postgame reflection that usually follows a young quarterbacks first true late-game test. Denver gets a short turn of the page now, with the 49ers up next, but this was the sort of prime-time finish that can change how a team and a quarterback carry themselves the rest of the way. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns First Road Test Comes With Real SEC Pressure
Auburns first true road test of the season comes with plenty of familiar SEC weight, and it lands in a place that holds some added meaning for head coach Alex Golesh. The Tigers are set to visit No. 17 Tennessee, a team that is trying to steady itself after a recent loss to Texas, and the trip sends Golesh back to Knoxville, where he previously worked as the Volunteers offensive coordinator.
The matchup also puts Auburn in front of another true freshman quarterback, Tennessees Faizon Brandon, which gives the Tigers a new version of a challenge they have already seen recently. For Auburn, it is the kind of early conference road game that can shape the mood around a season, especially with the noise, speed and pressure that come with playing in the SEC away from home. [Read more 🡒]