Alex Golesh Shares Insight on Recovering Auburn RB: ‘He’s Not There Yet’

The Auburn Tigers are expected to be quite run-heavy on offense this year, led by elite dual-threat quarterback Byrum Brown and senior Auburn returner Jeremiah Cobb.

However, that monster may have a third head in Bryson Washington, provided he is healthy enough to contribute on the high level new Auburn head coach Alex Golesh is expecting.

Washington, who transferred in from Baylor this past offseason, was a major acquisition for the Tigers, though he has dealt with a few injuries over the course of his career. Most recently, Washington suffered a soft tissue injury that resulted in his missing of much of spring, and Golesh was clear in a recent interview that the road to recovery is not finished for the transfer ball carrier.

“Yeah, Bryce is still fighting like crazy to change his body,” Golesh said. “We’ve been hard on him and the demand in this offense is hard… You got to be in elite shape. He’s worked hard to get into elite shape. We continued to harp, changing his body. Continued to harp being able to play 8, 9, 10, 11 plays in a row. I would tell you, he’s getting closer. He’s not there yet.”

Washington rushed for 1,028 yards and 12 touchdowns in his best season with the Bears, back in 2024, but last season, a leg injury kept him off the field for a good part of the season, resulting in a diminished performance of just 788 yards and six touchdowns. He still managed to average a very impressive 5.1 yards per carry, though.

Golesh maintains that though Washington is no longer struggling with the injury that kept him off the field this past spring, the issue lies in the fact that, for his offense, Washington has not yet found his complete fit. This is likely due to a lack of time spent in the offense, as watching film and studying can only get you so far.

“He’s physically at 100%. But fall camp will be really good for him,” Golesh said. “When you miss spring, and you’re on this offense, that’s the one part. You may get the mental side of it, assignment-wise; you may be right, but to carry the ball three, four times in a row, to be able to carry it, then protect, then run a route, then carry it again, then protect and run a route.”

Even if Washington is not at full strength by September, when the Tigers are set to open the season against his former squad, the Tigers still have quite a few talented backs that could fill the role of RB2, including USF transfer Nykahi Davenport, Troy transfer Tae Meadows and Auburn returner Omar Mabson.

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