Auburn OC Joel Gordon's High Praise for New Tigers QB Byrum Brown

Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown emerged as one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country at USF.

Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown emerged as one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country at USF. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

AUBURN, Ala.-- As Alex Golesh enters his first year with the Auburn Tigers, there have been a lot of questions about how Golesh’s offense will look. He’s discussed extensively how he plans to execute through the rushing attack, and on Wednesday, his new offensive coordinator, Joel Gordon, made a comment that reflects just how confident he is in the rushing abilities of their quarterback, Byrum Brown.

“He’s tough as nails, and he’s full of grit. He’s a great competitor,” Gordon said. “He’s easily the best running quarterback I’ve ever seen.”

Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown rushed for 1,008 yards and 14 touchdowns last season at USF. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Tigers’ confidence doesn’t seem misplaced, either. Brown rushed for over 1,000 yards last season, which ranked fourth among quarterbacks in college football. Mostly ahead of him were quarterbacks from run-heavy service academies.

Brown, who stands at 6-foot-3, 231 pounds, has proven to be a physical rusher much like Auburn legend Cam Newton, to whom he has already garnered comparisons. While that is lot of pressure for someone who has never taken a snap for the Tigers, Golesh is confident that Brown, an experienced veteran, will be able to stand up in high-pressure environments in the SEC

“Byrum has been in these moments in a lot of ways,” Golesh said, “and has had success in big-time moments, and then has also failed in some big-time moments that he's been able to grow from. But those are all things you talk through… He knows he'll be prepared for the moment. Anybody who’s spent a day with him here, since he's been here, will tell you, maybe he's ready for that moment, and that's where his confidence will be at: in himself, knowing that he's worked maybe as hard as anyone in the country.”

Brown won’t be alone in the rushing attack, even if he’s one of the best rushing quarterbacks in the country, as the Tigers have also inked former Baylor standout running back Bryson Washington, who rushed for 788 yards and six touchdowns last year, to complement an already-strong rushing attack led by Jeremiah Cobb, who led Auburn with 969 yards and five touchdowns last year.

“I would tell you that the foundation of it is that everything starts with the run,” Golesh said in his introductory press conference over two months ago. “We find ways to run the football. We find ways to create matchups in the run game. Off of the run game sets up everything downfield in the pass game. We use the entire width of the field. We’ll condense it. We’ll expand it, and we use tempo to our advantage.”