Golesh Details Auburn's Recruiting Strategy for Rebuilding Roster

Auburn Tigers head coach Alex Golesh took over an Auburn roster that experienced an extremely high level of turnover, suffering some of the most transfer portal losses in the country. Golesh spoke to the media on Wednesday about how he approached rebuilding the roster, as well as recruiting in the modern age of college football.

“I would tell you about 75% of the kids we signed, there was a previous relationship,” Golesh said. “And like a real previous relationship, where when you made that call, you knew who you were talking to, they knew who they were talking to, they knew the background of what you were coming with.”

Of Auburn’s 39 incoming transfers, 13 came from Golesh’s former school, USF. However, it’s not just those players that he had former relationships with. In the current college football model, coaches have to remain plugged in even with players that don’t commit in case they become available later in the portal.

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Golesh also repeatedly preached the value of honesty in the program and the Auburn community, claiming that they each set Auburn ahead of its competition on the recruiting trail and allowed the Tigers to gain some new footholds and jump-start their recruiting efforts for 2027.

“When it’s like that [here] and there hasn’t been in the last five, six years a time to cheer about [it’s encouraging],” Golesh said. “But when it’s like that, you bring families in.”

Additionally, the new staff had to wade through all of Auburn’s potential departures and make difficult decisions, finding out who would be remaining on The Plains and who would be entering into the portal. Those decisions were made more difficult by their fluid nature, which Golesh joked about.

“I met with everybody initially, and then those conversations were ongoing,” Golesh said. “And so there were certain points where you’re like, ‘Dude, you going to be here? I’m good, just tell me so I know if I can go get another guy.’”

Golesh frequently remarked that there should’ve been a documentary crew to follow his time as head coach on the Plains, claiming that “somebody can make a ton of money.” Though, that whirlwind of a process doesn’t mean that the staff feels like the result was rushed together or isn’t high quality.

“I would tell you, collectively as a group, at least up until this point, we brought in the right guys,” Golesh said. “That was more than anything for us. It was a mix of bringing in guys that have experience, they’ve been in moments that matter, that count, and then a mix of young guys you got to fill the roster out.”

Auburn's portal class definitely isn’t lacking in experience, as the Tigers brought in previous Power 4 starters in bulk, especially at running back and offensive line. The reload in the trenches was especially crucial, as there was next to nothing remaining in the room.

The reload has been incredibly impressive, but it will be crucial for the team to gel as Auburn moves through spring practices in the coming weeks.

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