Jeremiah Cobb has already done enough to be part of Auburn’s offensive backbone, but the senior running back is still getting treated like an afterthought.
That was reinforced again on August 4, 2026, when College Football Report released its list of the top 30 college football running backs entering the 2026 season and Cobb’s name was nowhere to be found. For a player Auburn is counting on heavily, it was another clear sign that he is being overlooked.
The omission stands out because Auburn’s new staff has made no secret of where it wants to start. Head coach Alex Golesh and offensive coordinator Joel Gordon have both said they plan to build the Tigers’ identity around the run game this fall. That approach fits Auburn’s history, and it also fits the plan they put together around Cobb, with several additional running backs brought in - all of them starters at their previous stops - along with young returner Omar Mabson.
Cobb was one of the few bright spots in an offense that was often hard to watch last season. He finished with 969 rushing yards and two touchdowns, a number that clearly wasn’t enough to earn him a place on the list even though his yardage outpaced several of the backs who did make it.
At the top of College Football Report’s rankings were Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy and Ole Miss’s Kewan Lacy. Hardy posted 1,649 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns last season, while Lacy had 1,567 yards and 24 touchdowns.
The list included other notable numbers, too. Cam Cook had the most rushing yards among the backs ranked, with 1,659 yards last season at Jacksonville State before transferring to West Virginia.
Notre Dame’s Aneyas Williams had the fewest rushing yards on the list at 550. Caleb Hawkins led the group in touchdowns with 25 last season at North Texas before transferring to Oklahoma State, while Williams and RaLeek Brown were tied for the fewest touchdowns with four apiece.
Cobb’s path last season only adds to the case that he should be viewed more seriously. He opened the year as a backup, then quickly passed Damari Alston in the rotation. From there, he became the glue of the offense, even if his final numbers could have looked stronger because of a range of issues, including questionable coaching decisions.
Now, with Byrum Brown at quarterback and Auburn committed to leaning on the ground game, Cobb is expected to be Golesh’s clear RB1 this fall. If that plan holds, his production should look a lot more like the centerpiece Auburn needs and a lot less like a player being left out of the conversation.
In Other News...
Auburns New Camp Crackdown Shows How Serious Alex Golesh Is
Alex Golesh is making a clear statement about how he wants camp to look in Auburn, shifting the football teams routine during a stretch he views as critical for building habits and tightening the standard. The move comes after a turbulent offseason that already included a player arrest and a dismissal, and it arrives as several players have also been working through injuries in fall camp.
The point is less about scenery than control, with Golesh putting discipline and team culture front and center as the Tigers try to get sharpened before the season moves any closer. For a program trying to steady itself, the message is simple enough: the next couple of weeks are about football, focus and not much else. [Read more 🡒]
DJ Durkin Reveals What Working With Alex Golesh Means For Auburn
DJ Durkin is back for his third fall camp at Auburn, and this one carries a different feel. For the first time, he is working under new head coach Alex Golesh, after choosing to stay on as defensive coordinator when Golesh was hired, a move that helped Auburn keep its defensive roster intact and gave the program some continuity heading into the next phase.
The timing matters because Auburns defense just turned in its best year under Durkin since 2015, allowing 20.1 points per game in 2025. As the Tigers prepare for the 2026 fall camp, the challenge is no longer just preserving what was built, but seeing how Durkin and Golesh mesh while trying to keep the defense on that same track. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Opens Fall Camp With Early Injury Concerns Fans Will Feel Fast
Fall camp opened with the kind of update no team wants to hear in August, as Alex Golesh began laying out Auburns injury picture before the first practices could really settle in. The Tigers are already working around a few banged-up players, but there is some short-term optimism in the group, with Shamar Arnoux and AnQuon Fagans both considered day-to-day and several others expected to work back in by the end of camp.
The more pressing concern is up front and in the secondary, where the numbers can thin out fast if absences linger. Auburn will have to manage the early weeks without Tai Buster for a significant stretch, and Devin Williams is already lost for the year after a knee injury, leaving the staff to sort through depth and availability while the rest of camp unfolds. [Read more 🡒]