Everything You Need to Know About Format, Details of Auburn's 2026 Spring Game

Auburn will host its annual A-Day on Saturday, and Alex Golesh revealed the game's format earlier this week.

Auburn will host its annual A-Day game inside Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday. | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

After hosting 12 practices over the course of the last month, the Auburn Tigers will wrap up spring this weekend inside Jordan-Hare Stadium for the program’s annual A-Day event.

The Tigers began spring practice in mid-March, and they’ve held sessions three days per week since March 17 before capping it off in front of fans at 2 p.m. CDT on Saturday.

Head coach Alex Golesh detailed the overall format of the spring game after Tuesday’s practice, which was also at Jordan-Hare Stadium, providing information on the logistics and structure that Auburn will follow.

“It’s gonna be offense versus defense. We’ve got some guys beat up, and so splitting the team into two — I don’t know if that’ll do what we need to get done, which is honestly another practice in terms of just playing football,” Golesh said. 

“To split it up would probably be a little bit more fun for these guys in the sense of teams and all of that, but we need another day of offense versus defense,” Golesh continued. “Everybody needs it. The coaches need it, as well.”

Golesh revealed that, contrary to last season, this year’s version will be played like a real game.

In 2025, former head coach Hugh Freeze and company transformed A-Day into, essentially, a glorified practice that consisted of drills and occasional 11-on-11 periods.

However, in Golesh’s first spring game at the helm, it will return to its traditional format with four 15-minute quarters. The clock will be running aside from injury stoppages and the two-minute warning, and as usual, the quarterbacks will wear orange no-contact jerseys.

“We have a cool scoring format. Offense will get points for touchdowns, field goals, first downs, explosive plays,” Golesh explained. “Defense will get points for tackles for loss, three-and-outs, sacks. So, explosive plays on both sides, and then stops.”

“Cool format, I think it’ll be fun. Offense will be blue, defense will be white. We’ll play it like a real game. We need it. Our team needs it. Our coaches need it. We all kind of need it. But it’ll be uber-competitive,” Golesh said.

Golesh expressed his displeasure with Auburn’s lack of energy during Tuesday’s practice, but he also emphasized the importance of playing in Jordan-Hare Stadium. 

And with Golesh’s “first audition” before a live crowd in one of the town’s most beloved buildings set for this weekend, energy and intensity is certainly a trait fans are eager to observe after five consecutive losing seasons.

“I thought the energy level wasn’t where you wanted it to be. And that’s what I told these guys after. You get opportunities inside Jordan-Hare, I don’t care who’s in there,” Golesh said. “The energy level has got to be at an elite level.”

Auburn will kick off at 2 p.m. CDT on Saturday, with admission free for all spectators.