Golesh imports his USF blueprint to the Plains
Auburn slid to 5-7 (1-7 SEC) in 2025, a seventh straight non-winning campaign that ended the Hugh Freeze era and triggered a top-to-bottom reset. The Tigers turned to Alex Golesh, who won nine games at South Florida a year ago and now brings his up-tempo attack to the Plains along with roughly 60 new players.
The defining move was importing an entire offensive ecosystem: 13 players followed Golesh from USF, headlined by his quarterback, plus offensive coordinator Joel Gordon, receivers coach Kodi Burns and offensive line coach Tyler Hudanick. Just as important, Golesh retained defensive coordinator DJ Durkin, the former interim head coach, to preserve a unit that ranked among the SEC's best in 2025.
Offense
The centerpiece of the rebuild is Byrum Brown, a physical 6-3, 232-pound dual threat who thrived in this system. As a junior he led the nation in total offense with 4,166 yards and 42 touchdowns, clearing 1,000 rushing yards and 14 scores on the ground. He topped 3,000 passing and 800 rushing in both 2023 and 2025, missing half of the 2024 season with a lower-leg injury, and became the 12th quarterback in FBS to throw for 3,000 and run for 1,000 in the same year. His career line reads 7,690 passing yards and 93 total touchdowns.
Brown owns the arm strength to stretch the field and legitimate running juice, and there is no learning curve given the staff and scheme moved with him. The question is whether the production holds up across a weekly SEC grind, because Auburn will go as far as he takes it. Freshman Locklan Hewlett, another USF holdover, and Oregon State transfer Tristan Ti'a provide depth.
The receiving corps is another USF transplant. Keshaun Singleton (1,305 yards over his last two seasons) gives Brown a familiar big-bodied target, while Chas Nimrod averaged better than 20 yards a catch a year ago and Jeremiah Koger flashed as a true freshman with 597 yards. Bryce Cain is the lone meaningful returnee. At tight end, Jake Johnson aims to recapture the form he showed at Texas A&M in 2023, when he caught 24 passes for 235 yards and four scores, after two quiet years at North Carolina. USF transfer Jonathan Echols will push him for snaps.
Leading rusher Jeremiah Cobb is back after piling up 969 yards at 5.5 per carry over 11 starts in 2025. He has genuine speed and profiles as an ideal fit for a run-heavy scheme that will lean on the ground game to take pressure off the passer. Baylor transfer Bryson Washington, a big, downhill bowling ball who ran for 1,816 yards the past two seasons, joins him along with USF's Nykahi Davenport, Troy transfer Tae Meadows and sophomore Omar Mabson. It is a deep, physical room.
The front is the biggest offensive concern. Only three linemen return, and the group will start as many as five new faces. All-league center Cole Best, another USF import, anchors the interior and provides the leadership Golesh is chasing. James Madison transfer Jo Simmons, a strong 6-6, 322-pound left tackle, is the steadiest piece on the edge, with Michigan State transfer Stanton Ramil, Deryc Plazz and USF's Cole Skinner filling out the rebuilt line. How quickly this unit gels will decide whether the offense clicks.
Defense
The front was gutted by departures and reloaded through the portal, so the transfers must hit. The most intriguing addition is Da'Shawn Womack, a 6-5, 265-pound edge who began his career at LSU before posting 27 tackles, two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss at Ole Miss last season. If he raises his production and sophomore Jared Smith, tabbed as a potential early-round talent, steps into a starting role, this line can create real havoc. Around them, 362-pound nose tackle Dallas Walker IV played every game a year ago, Arkansas State transfer Cody Sigler brings 35 tackles and five sacks, and Missouri's Nate Johnson, Appalachian State's Saint Farrior and LSU transfer Walter Mathis Jr. add rotational depth.
Xavier Atkins is the heart of the defense and one of the SEC's premier players. He earned first-team all-conference honors in 2025 with 84 tackles, 17 for loss, nine sacks and two forced fumbles, becoming Auburn's first All-American linebacker in more than two decades. Sophomore Elijah Melendez complements him after an active debut, with Bryce Deas, junior Demarcus Riddick and Michael Matthews-Canty deepening a fast, physical group.
Safety is a clear strength. Sylvester Smith-Reed, AnQuon Fegans, Eric Winters, Kaleb Harris and USF transfer Fred Gaskin III give Auburn a deep, experienced rotation up the middle, with veteran Champ Anthony providing insurance as he returns from injury. Cornerback is the bigger unknown after heavy losses. UCLA transfer Andre Jordan Jr., the secondary's lone newcomer, has impressed the staff and should pair with veteran Rayshawn Pleasant.
The kicking game is a genuine asset. Senior Alex McPherson is a Lou Groza Award candidate who holds the school career field-goal percentage record at 88.9 and has connected on 40 of 45 for his career, and he appears to be at full health after issues the past two seasons. Oklahoma State transfer Hudson Kaak returns for his second year as the starter after a solid debut that netted 42.0 yards per punt. Pleasant handles kickoff returns, with Cain fielding punts.
Overview and Prediction
The schedule opens with a neutral-site meeting against Baylor in Atlanta, followed by home dates with Southern Miss, Florida and Vanderbilt before the SEC gauntlet stiffens with trips to Tennessee, Georgia, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and a season finale at Alabama, a place Auburn has not won since 2010. LSU and Arkansas visit Jordan-Hare in a slate that offers few soft spots inside the league.
The consensus pegs Auburn around the middle of the SEC, roughly 12th in the conference and in the mid-30s nationally, with most projections landing near seven wins. Our view aligns: the defense should again be one of the league's better units behind Atkins and a promising line, and the kicking game is elite. Everything hinges on the offense. If Brown stays healthy and the remade line comes together, Auburn returns to relevance and snaps a long non-winning stretch. If the front struggles or the portal additions misfire, another middling year is in play. The pieces point up, but Golesh must mesh two rosters into one in a hurry.