Auburn HC Alex Golesh Reveals One Change He'd Make in College Athletics

The new Auburn Tigers head coach gave his opinion on what would make the sport better in the upcoming years.

Auburn head coach Alex Golesh is looking for more "hard situations" among players to grow more at the collegiate level. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Alex Golesh has only been a head coach for three seasons in 2026, but he has a mature approach when it comes to rules and regulations in college football. 

The new Auburn Tigers head coach had the opportunity to speak with college football analyst David Pollack on his podcast, See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack, to begin the month of July. While he was asked a variety of questions, one was about the current stage of college football. 

When Pollack wanted Golesh’s opinion on a rule change that he’d like to make, he chose one to help the adversity that some players experience. 

“I would love to be able to regulate how many times somebody can transfer,” he said. 

The 42-year-old has a unique perspective on the experience due to his previous high school coaching experience at Westerville Central High School in Ohio. While he was only there for a year, he understood the level of athletes that he was coaching and what was prioritized. 

That was an education. 

“The development piece of what this is,” Golesh said. “Maybe I got a unique background because I started as a high school coach, but I think these guys are still, you get them at 17, 18 years old, there’s so much development that’s gotta happen.”

He said that the game of football can be long to learn, saying “it takes time” to be adjusted into your situation. Instead of this, players decide to hit the transfer portal instead of looking to carve out a role or grow through adversity. 

That’s what Golesh wants to change, saying to give it “two to three years” until a player can make that decision. 

“I think it takes guys time to get comfortable and to be able to grow,” he said. “I think the amount of change that’s happening all the time stunts that growth. I really do.

After all, football brings life lessons into the fray, especially in college. That’s what Golesh sees in this situation due to leaving hard environments. 

“A hard situation isn’t a bad situation, and waiting your turn isn’t a bad situation,” he added. “Fighting for something isn’t a bad situation; it’s real life, and at 40, we are all so grateful for those lessons that we learned back then.”

After spending three seasons at USF, Golesh heads to the Plains with hopes to bring the Tigers back to being an SEC powerhouse, similar to that of the last 2000s and early 2010s. With the offensive mind that he has, he’s also looking to bring lessons each day of practice. 

Then, the discipline helps guide the team in pivotal conference contests. 

“Are you going to walk out on your marriage because it got really hard?” he said. “Are you going to walk out on your kids because it got really hard? No, like as a man, you’re not doing either of those things, so let’s teach this now.”

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