Auburn Football: How does Alex Golesh fit with the Tigers?

Shortly after the Iron Bowl, Auburn fans were fretting over who their new head coach would be. Jon Sumrall had withdrawn, and DJ Durkin showing a lackluster performance as the interim head coach would lead to disappointment if offered the job. However, Athletic Director John Cohen surprised many when he landed former South Florida head coach Alex Golesh. Cohen showed that he learned not to put all his eggs in one basket after whiffing on Lane Kiffin and ending up with Hugh Freeze. Cohen has seemed to unite the Auburn fan base with the Golesh hire, something that has not occurred with the previous two head coaches.

Auburn Football: The Alex Golesh Era Commences

History

Alex Golesh is the son of two Russian immigrants who moved to the USA in 1991. Golesh played high school football in Ohio, but did not choose to play in college. Instead, he started coaching.

Golesh graduated from Ohio State with a B.S. in Education and started as a student assistant under Jim Tressel. He later became a graduate assistant at Northern Illinois and Oklahoma State. His first crack as a position coach was with tight ends and recruiting at Toledo. Golesh held the same position at Illinois following Toledo, then added running backs and ultimately finished as a special teams coordinator and tight end coach to end his tenure at Illinois.

His next great coaching tutor was Matt Campbell at Iowa State. Golesh resumed his tight end and recruiting coordinator position for the Cyclones. After Iowa State, Golesh joined Josh Heupel at UCF as co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach. When Heupel moved to Tennessee, Golesh followed in the same role. And in 2023, he became the head coach for South Florida.

Why Golesh fits Auburn?

Following the firing of Hugh Freeze, Auburn AD John Cohe stated that the Tigers needed someone with an edge about them. Yet somehow everyone missed that Alex Golesh literally wears a hat that says EDGE. How has Golesh proven he has edge and why does it matter?

We have all seen the famous exchange with Golesh and then-Florida Atlantic head coach Tom Herman, where Golesh ignored an irate Herman in the post-game. Golesh has gone on multiple interviews saying how close losses and moral victories are for losers. This matters to Auburn (and their fans), who did not lose a game this year by more than 10 points. Auburn continually found ways to lose games, so having someone who has an edge and understands the importance of finishing games is valuable to the program and fanbase.

Speaking of not losing by more than 10 points, the main reason for Auburn’s struggles was a lackluster offense. Auburn has been desperate for improved offense and quarterback play. They have also not had a top-25 offense since 2014, while Golesh has ran three top-25 offenses since 2020 with UCF, Tennessee, and at USF.

Coach Golesh has a knack for improving offense. Tennesse climbed from 108th in total offense before his arrival, to seventh in 2021. They continued to climb to No. 1 overall in 2022 after he took over as offensive coordinator. At UCF , he coordinated an offense that ranked second nationally, and this year at USF the Bulls ranked second in yards per game and fourth in points per game. Golesh can get the most out of an offense and this will be vital to Auburn’s success going forward

What’s Next?

Retain. Retain. Retain. There are certain players that are absolutely vital to Auburn’s success going forward and are not replaceable via the transfer portal. The ones that should be retained at all costs are Cam Coleman, Jay Crawford, and Xavier Atkins. Others that are extremely important are Deuce Knight, Amaris Williams, Jared Smith, Elijah Melendez, Malcolm Simmons and Eric Winters. These players would give Auburn and Alex Golesh a good core. Perry Thompson, AnQuon Fegans, Bryce Deas, and Malik Blocton are also important players to watch for the Tigers to retain.

Golesh does not have it easy with signing day coming as he was hired, but maintaining the recruiting class was important as well. The first step was already completed as far as retention. Retaining DJ Durking will help with both the current roster and the recruiting.