Former USF coach Alex Golesh and QB Byrum Brown give Auburn hope on the Plains

Auburn

2025 record: 5-7

Expectations

Dynamic QB Byrum Brown, who followed coach Alex Golesh from USF, should give Auburn a chance to take a quick step forward in the stacked Southeastern Conference. Brown threw for nearly 7,700 yards and 61 TDs and ran for nearly 2,300 yards and 31 more scores in four years with the Bulls. Now he’ll try to do the same at Auburn.

A dozen of Brown's former teammates followed Golesh to the Plains, including WRs Jeremiah Koger, Christian Neptune, Chas Nimrod and Keshaun Singleton. They could help fix the Tigers’ offensive woes that spanned the majority of former coach Hugh Freeze’s tenure. Auburn scored 24 or fewer points in 17 of Freeze’s 22 league games. Freeze missed on hand-picked portal QBs Payton Thorne (Michigan State) and Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma), and he went 1-12 against ranked teams.

Golesh is Auburn’s fourth head coach in the past seven seasons, but he might be starting with a better foundation than the others because he kept defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin and landed the nation’s No. 9 portal class.

Strengths include RB depth and defensive continuity

Jeremiah Cobb returns for his senior season after running for 969 yards and five TDs in 2025. Baylor transfer Bryson Washington joins Cobb in the backfield after leading the Bears in rushing each of the last two seasons, finishing with 1,028 yards and 12 TDs in 2024 and 788 yards and six scores the following year.

Throw in Brown, and the Tigers could have one of the league’s most potent rushing attacks. Durkin, meanwhile, has just six newcomers on his two-deep depth chart. Having that many returners with scheme experience should pay dividends.

Weaknesses include a revamped O-line

Auburn is replacing its entire offensive line, although two of the newcomers — C Cole Best and RG Cole Skinner — came with Golesh from USF. The Tigers lost standout LT Xavier Chaplin to Florida State and fellow linemen Connor Lew, Jeremiah Wright, Dillon Wade, Izavion Miller and Mason Murphy to the NFL. Auburn allowed 3 ½ sacks a game last season, which ranked 15th in the SEC.

New faces

OL Deryc Plazz (transferred from Miami), TE Arlis Boardingham (transferred from Bowling Green) and LB Michael Matthews-Canty (transferred from Hampton).

Key losses

WRs Cam Coleman (transferred to Texas) and Eric Singleton Jr. (transferred to Florida), and DEs Keldric Faulk (NFL draft) and Keyron Crawford (NFL draft).

Biggest games for the Tigers

Vs. Baylor (Sept. 5 in Atlanta), vs. Florida (Sept. 19), at Alabama (Nov. 28).

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