One Aspect That Could Change Everything for Auburn Football Under Alex Golesh

Fans of the Auburn Tigers have been through the wringer over the past few seasons, as the Tigers are consistently one of the most hyped teams in the country in the preseason, but neither Bryan Harsin nor Hugh Freeze was ever truly able to live up to those projections.

On paper, it can be confusing to understand how the Tigers fared so poorly, especially under Hugh Freeze. Freeze consistently put together some of the best recruiting classes in the country, meaning much of the nation’s top talent was on the Plains, and yet, when it mattered, that talent (especially on offense) was unable to step up to the task in big moments.

In fact, the Tigers have lost 12 of their last 13 one-score games, which is utterly unacceptable for any program. This includes 2025 losses against Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Alabama, Missouri, Texas A&M and Oklahoma, among others across prior seasons.

Simply, if Alex Golesh, the Tigers’ newest head coach, wants to be remembered in any better light than the prior two coaches, he absolutely needs to be able to capitalize in these close games. After all, the Tigers’ defense consistently gave them close matchups in 2025, and yet, the offense could never seem to get over the hump, regardless of how ‘close’ their head coach described them to be.

Golesh will have ample opportunity to prove himself in these matchups this season, as the Tigers are projected to play in seven one-score games in 2026. This may cause Auburn fans to cringe, due to the horrific lack of success in prior similar settings, but Golesh has already proven his ability to win close games against SEC programs.

In fact, in 2025, Golesh’s USF Bulls took down the Florida Gators in an 18-16 finish, winning on a walk-off field goal to close the game. The Tigers, conversely, despite a significantly better defense, had several opportunities to end games like Golesh’s Bulls did, yet were unable to finish.

So, since Golesh’s new Auburn offense is largely made up of transfers from his prior program, with key pieces like Jeremiah Cobb, a running back who is the lone Auburn returner to start on offense, and Bryson Washington, a Baylor transfer running back, bolstering his offense beyond what Brown and his receivers would be able to provide on their own.

If the Tigers can even win three of their projected seven one-score games, Golesh will likely be perceived as moving the program in the right direction, as opposed to Freeze, who, by the end, had many convinced that he was the factor holding the Tigers back.

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