Nick Saban Diagnoses Auburn’s Biggest Issue, Explains How Alex Golesh May Have Fixed It

The Auburn Tigers have bordered on national irrelevancy over the past decade, at least as competitive wins are concerned, an issue that many would largely attribute to the Tigers’ two most recent head coaches: Bryan Harsin and Hugh Freeze.

However, legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban sees a different issue, though his analysis does not exactly absolve Harsin and Freeze.

“If Auburn had got any kind of quarterback play a year ago, they’d have been an eight or nine-win team,” Saban said during SEC Media Days. “They had good enough players at other positions. The quarterback position was a problem. So, he brings his quarterback (Byrum Brown) with him from South Florida… There are pieces there.”

Saban certainly has a point, though Auburn’s quarterback issues have not been limited to just the past season. In fact, the Tigers have not had a reliable quarterback option, unless you count Payton Thorne, since Bo Nix transferred to Oregon following the 2019 season.

As such, over the past six years, the Tigers have looked long and hard for quarterbacks, from Harsin’s two-quarterback experiment with TJ Finley and Robby Ashford, to Freeze’s attempts with Thorne and Arnold (and even a brief stint with Ashton Daniels). Nothing seems to have worked long-term for the Tigers, or even been good enough to earn the Tigers bowl eligibility.

However, as Saban says, Byrum Brown could be the turning point for the Tigers, as he brings veteran experience, elite dual-threat abilities and a familiarity with the Tigers’ new system that no Auburn quarterback has possessed over the past decade.

Of course, as with any quarterback facing SEC scrutiny for the first time, there are still many questions surrounding Brown as he enters his first year in the league’s most competitive conference. Of all the questions, though, two stand out the most: first, how will he adjust to the SEC, being used to the AAC, and how will his throwing motion affect his play?

The answers to both questions, unfortunately, will be up in the air until the Tigers kick off later this fall, though Alex Golesh recently shared a little tidbit that may inspire confidence in the Auburn faithful. Namely, Brown is preparing against a full-strength Auburn defense, which is already projected to be among the best in the SEC.

This is in stark contrast to Freeze-led offenses, which practiced against a limited Auburn defense (intentionally), resulting in shaky play against top-level SEC opponents. If Brown is able to execute in practice against the Tigers’ DJ Durkin-led defense, Auburn’s offense–with or without Brown’s ‘unique’ throwing motion– should look very strong in 2026.

Sign up for our free Auburn Tigers newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news!

Add us as a preferred source on Google