Auburn Tigers Hire USF's Alex Golesh as Next Head Coach

The Auburn Tigers wasted no time finalizing their decision to bring in a new offensive mind at the conclusion of the regular season

Alex Golesh rises up to become Auburn's next head coach | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

AUBURN, Ala.- The Auburn Tigers have announced their 33rd head coach in program history, Alex Golesh. He heads to the Plains after being at the helm at USF from the 2023 season until now, and has previous experience coaching in the SEC at Tennessee. 

His contract is set to be six years in length and roughly $7.4 million per season, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. 

 "Auburn has won, can win, and will win championships. Let’s get to work,” Golesh stated. 

A new era begins on the Plains 🦅
Welcome to Auburn, @CoachGolesh

🗞️: https://t.co/VaDxnRtL9C pic.twitter.com/SqbAS5yEJK

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) November 30, 2025

Interim head coach DJ Durkin was a strong candidate to be named the permanent head coach. His future is currently up in the air, but there is a strong chance that he sticks around in some capacity. 

In Golesh’s first season at USF, he had an immediate impact. After finishing 1-11 season in 2022, they improved to 7-6, including a bowl win. 

Auburn struggled immensely on the offensive side of the ball under its previous head coach, Hugh Freeze. Freeze was the primary shot-caller for the Auburn offense, but the offense struggled with inconsistencies, ultimately leading to his firing. 

Golesh brings a track record as a play caller that brings promise to what he can do in the SEC As the offensive coordinator at Tennessee, he converted the offense from one that was sitting outside the top 100 into the No. 1 team in scoring (47.33) in 2022. They were also the top team in yards per game (538.1), points per possession (3.24) and yards per play (7.35) during the regular season.

During the 2025 season, Golesh was named to the Paul Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Watch List and the Bobby Dobb Coach of the Year Watch List. He also led USF to consecutive victories over ranked opponents, a first in school history. 

Golesh was recently linked to the Arkansas head coaching vacancy, which he denied earlier this week. Golesh’s name was never one circling the Auburn job, but athletic director John Cohen has been working behind closed doors to bring him in. 

USF finished its regular season 9-3, bringing Golesh’s overall record with the program to 23-15. Auburn ends its third head coaching search in five seasons and will now look to the future, aiming to turn the page to better days once again. 

Roster retention and bringing in a new offensive staff and retaining Auburn’s defensive staff are now in play for Golesh, and the work to start the new chapter of Auburn football is now underway.