Three Ways Auburn’s First Season Under Alex Golesh Could Fall Apart

Though the expectations for Alex Golesh in his first year with the Auburn Tigers are high, college football is an unpredictable game, in which several things can, and likely will, go wrong for any and every team, and Golesh is certainly no exception.

Of course, just because one thing goes wrong does not indicate that Golesh would not have a long-term future with the Tigers, but there are a few key potential issues that, if not managed properly, could ruin the perception of Golesh’s first season with the Tigers.

These are not necessarily things that I expect to happen, though if they do, these realistic hypotheticals could spell trouble for Golesh and the Tigers.

Byrum Brown Falls Apart

Byrum Brown is largely considered the most highly anticipated quarterback the Tigers have had in quite a few years, and for good reason: the former USF standout accounted for over 4,000 yards last season, including over 1,000 rushing yards, all under Golesh’s watchful eye.

However, his spring game performance raised many eyebrows, particularly towards how he will perform in a grueling SEC schedule. Spring games are rarely an indicator of regular-season performance, but now that Tiger fans have seen a disappointing performance, questions are beginning to fly. So, though Brown is likely to achieve at least a moderate degree of success throughout the season, if he completely falls apart, things could get tense for Golesh’s future on the Plains.

After all, Golesh and company have essentially tied their Auburn reputation to Brown’s play this season, whether intentionally or otherwise, to the point where if Brown fails, it will likely appear as a gash on Golesh’s record much more than his own.

Defensive Struggles

The Tigers, under defensive coordinator (and one-time interim head coach) DJ Durkin, have consistently boasted some of the best defenses in the country, despite significant offensive struggles. Last year, Hugh Freeze could never seem to get his own offense going, but Durkin’s defense always found a way to keep the Tigers in games.

So, if Auburn’s defense suddenly struggles under Golesh, things could turn disastrous quite quickly for the new head coach. With the loss of two top edge rushers, Keyron Crawford and Keldric Faulk, to the NFL Draft, the Tigers have had to retool some of their defense, though most of the Tigers’ top defenders are returning from last season, so most Auburn fans believe that the Tigers’ defense should not miss a beat in returning to their past dominance.

I have said before that Auburn cannot rely on Durkin’s defense to bail them out of significant matchups this year, but if Durkin’s defense does not show up at all, one could argue that is a worse outcome, especially when the major thing that has changed in Auburn’s defensive identity is the head coach.

‘Re-Freeze’

The No. 1 thing that Golesh needs to avoid this year is any perception of being like Hugh Freeze, with whom Auburn fans have struggled to make amends with after two highly disappointing seasons. This comparison could take many forms: offensive inconsistency, blaming players by name in press conferences or even a perception that Auburn has ‘given up’ on a game, regardless of the score.

Thankfully for Auburn fans, it would take a significant change in character for Golesh to appear anything like the last two points, as far as we know, as he has appeared to be a great advocate for his players and his team up until now.

However, Auburn fans will be highly sensitive to anything that feels like something Freeze would do, so Golesh will need to tread lightly while Tiger fans learn to trust him. If he says or does something that is even remotely like something Freeze was famous for saying or doing (read: ‘We’re close’), he may lose the faith of Auburn fans, even if the results are there.

Admittedly, these are some of the worst things that could happen involving Golesh in his first year, and the Tigers are much more likely to achieve a moderate level of success than they are to completely lose their grip this season.

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