Florida-Based QB Recruit Talks Auburn Visit, Previous Ties to Alex Golesh

Though Byrum Brown is set to be the starting quarterback for the Auburn Tigers in 2026, he is down to his final year of eligibility, and the Tigers’ future at the position remains uncertain. Alex Golesh and position coach Joel Gordon, though, are determined to set the Tigers up at the quarterback position not just for the near future, but for years to come.

Enter Nolan Downes, a 2029 quarterback prospect who spent his freshman year of high school playing varsity football at IMG, a prestigious football organization that has produced many top recruits. Now, he’s playing for Manatee in Bradenton, Fla., and he just finished a visit to Auburn.

Auburn Tigers on SI caught up with Downes on Friday to discuss his visit as well as his plans for the rest of his recruitment.

“The visit was great,” Downes said. “Campus was awesome. It’s a beautiful campus, has that SEC feel to it. Great people, great atmosphere.”

Had a great visit to @AuburnFootball today. Thanks to @CoachJGordo & @CoachTimGreene for your continued interest in me. Excited to keep building our relationship. @CoachGolesh @Hayden_King12 @Auburn247 @AuburnOn3 @CClemente247 @NathanKing247 @ITATJason @JLeeAUSports @_JHokanson… pic.twitter.com/g2DWbG96nV
— Nolan Downes (@NolanDownes) March 19, 2026

This visit was not Downes’ first experience with the Tigers' staff, though, as he had previously connected with a few of the Tigers’ new coaches when they were at USF last year.

“I loved Coach Gordon and Coach (Tim) Greene from the first time I met them at USF,” he said. “They just have that feeling about them, like a coaching staff that I really love and that I’d love to play for one day.”

Not only was Downes impressed with the Tigers’ staff, but he was also quite impressed with the direction Golesh is taking the Tigers.

“A big thing for me is scheme,” he said. “I really liked seeing their whole philosophy in Coach Golesh’s offense. I’m really excited to see what they can do. Practice was great, they keep it high energy. Everything was high-paced, high-energy, and it was awesome.”

For Downes, it is hard to do much better than SEC football, a factor he will be taking into consideration as he continues his recruitment.

“The first thing I think of when I think Auburn football is big-time SEC football,” he said. “It’s glorified. You can’t get much better than that, you know, conference-wise. It’s the most prestigious conference in college football, though you could definitely debate that.”

Downes describes himself as a pro-style quarterback who can scramble for first downs or even touchdowns when necessary and said he models himself (mostly) off of Baker Mayfield.

“The way he plays, the way he carries himself most of the time,” Downes said. “I always loved watching him in college, and now that he’s with the Bucs, it’s been awesome to see. Me, I’m a team-first guy. I’ll do whatever it takes to win.”

Downes is in the class of 2029, so he still has quite a while before it is crunch time in his recruitment. Despite that, he said his mentality has not changed, and he is looking for the best fit.

“You have your dream schools growing up,” he said, “but sometimes it’s not the dream school that’s the best for you. It’s all about finding the place that’s right for you. Finding home, you know, with a good coaching staff, is everything.”