New Stat Inspires Immense Confidence in Auburn Offense Under Alex Golesh

I do not think it is necessarily a left-field opinion that the Auburn Tigers have been held back by their offenses over the past few years, which could be a tough pill to swallow, especially since the Tigers’ defense has consistently ranked among the best in the country over that same timeframe.

Since 2020, as the Tigers had their last winning season in 2019, the Tigers’ offense has consistently ranked quite poorly, but in that same timeframe, Alex Golesh-led offenses have consistently ranked among the best, particularly in one key aspect: red zone touchdown percentage.

Auburn offenses, over the past six seasons, have ranked (in order, from 2020) 97th, 78th, 87th, 40th, 122nd and 125th in red zone touchdown percentage, meaning Alex McPherson has often been able to still score for the Tigers. Still, they could not cash in six points, even when the end zone is quite literally less than 20 yards from them.

On the flip side, Alex Golesh-led offenses have ranked 36th, 30th, first, 40th, 38th and 14th in the country in the same statistic, including his runs as UCF’s co-offensive coordinator in 2020, Tennessee’s offensive coordinator from 2021-2022 and his head coaching stint at USF from 2023-2025.

Most notably, of course, is the 2023 season, in which Golesh’s Tennessee offense, led by quarterback Hendon Hooker, led college football in red zone scoring percentage. That particular unit also tied or broke 15 Tennessee offensive records, including total points and total touchdowns. They also led college football in scoring offense and total offense, while ranking second in yards per play.

However, what stands out most to me about Golesh’s red zone efficiency statistic is not his run at Tennessee, strong as it was. Instead, I am more interested in the fact that every year he was the head coach at USF, his red zone touchdown ranking improved, from 40th to 38th and now 14th.

This is in stark contrast to former Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze, whose offense actually deteriorated each season, despite the fact that every year Freeze added another crop of top-level recruits. Golesh proved that he could take a USF offense that had struggled over the years and turn it into a top-15 contender in just three years, and he has brought most of last year’s 14th-ranked red zone offense to the Plains this season.

So, though the Tigers’ offense may not exactly resemble Tennessee’s 2022 offense under Golesh’s leadership in 2026, Golesh has proven that he is able to improve his offenses each year, which should bode well for not only the Tigers’ chances in 2026, but also for the program’s future as a whole.

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