Why QB Byrum Brown is the 'Least' of Auburn's Worries

Auburn Tigers quarterback Byrum Brown struggled in the team's spring game.

Auburn Tigers quarterback Byrum Brown struggled in the team's spring game. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After a lackluster spring game performance from new Auburn Tigers quarterback Byrum Brown, many Tiger fans have begun to worry whether or not Brown will actually be the big-time quarterback solution that he has been promised to be.

However, CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford believes that not only is Brown not a concern, but he is also actually the last thing the Tigers need to worry about.

“These are the kind of trash takes that happen in spring practice when a star player has a bad public scrimmage, or something looks off, but isn't,” Crawford wrote. “Brown is destined to be one of the league's most impactful transfers and has more experience playing at a high-level than most counterparts in the league.”

So, where do the issues actually lie? Crawford believes it has much more to do with the other newcomers than just the quarterback. In fact, he leans much more on Auburn’s offensive identity, as, much like the Tigers’ basketball team this past season, Auburn is returning just one offensive starter, running back Jeremiah Cobb, under a new head coach.

As a result, the Tigers are almost entirely a new-look offense this year, as the entire offensive line, wide receiver core, tight end group and three of four main running backs are completely new to this team, and many players from each group have made the trip from Golesh’s former program, USF.

As a result, many are concerned that the Tigers do not have enough SEC-caliber talent to compete with other top programs, though Golesh, Brown and many others within the Auburn camp have been clear that their roster is ready for whatever the SEC can throw at them.

On the other side of the ball, Auburn’s defense seems to be quite a bit more stable, though they will still need to replace the production of 2026 NFL Draft first-rounder Keldric Faulk and third-rounder Keyron Crawford off the edge, both of whom were a massive part of Auburn’s defense success last season.

Ole Miss transfer Da’Shawn Womack is perhaps the biggest name to replace one of the two this season, though he is still relatively unproven, and the Tigers do not have a big name to replace the other side of the defensive line.

So, though Brown may not be the issue on the Plains, the Tigers still have much to figure out, on both sides of the ball, if they want to find success under Golesh in 2026.

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