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Paul Finebaum admits he is 'amazingly excited' about new SEC head coach

While laying waste to some bigger names, Finebaum hyped one particular coach hard.
Joe Cox|
ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum had some genuine praise for a newly- hired SEC coach.
ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum had some genuine praise for a newly- hired SEC coach. | Kirsten Fiscus/Advertiser via Imagn Content Services, LLC

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Auburn Tigers

ESPN personality Paul Finebaum rarely lacks an opinion. Perhaps that's why AL.com decided to give Finebaum a unique task. Asked to sum up college football coaches and their current job situations in a single word, Finebaum was unsurprisingly up to the task, but took a moment to praise a newly-hired SEC coach.

Finebaum's Quick Reactions

Finebaum unleashed his cynical side elsewhere in the exercise, terming other coaches "a child" or "annoying." When asked about one of the other newly-hired SEC head coaches, he blurted, "Who?" But Finebaum unleashed genuine praise in discussing one of the new SEC hires.

His take on Alex Golesh

Auburn head coach Alex Golesh drew one of Finebaum's most interesting reactions. Asked about Golesh, he went with much more than one word.

Fascinating. I just love his back story. I thought he handled his opening press conference with great poise. I am amazingly excited about him. I just think everything about him is interesting.
Paul Finebaum

Golesh's History

Golesh is almost certain that first Russian head coach in SEC history. He was born in Moscow and moved to America at age seven. Golesh was a student at Ohio State and then worked his way into coaching. He climbed the ladder as an offensive wizard, whose teams played up tempo, fired the ball all over the field and put up points.

Golesh was the offensive coordinator at Tennessee in 2021 and 2022. Golesh led Josh Heupel's Vols to their most offensive efficient seasons. From there, he became the head coach at South Florida, going 23-15 over three seasons with the Bulls.

Auburn seemingly had locked onto Jon Sumrall, but Sumrall pulled away from negotiations with Auburn for uncertain reasons. Perhaps it was pressure to keep defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin, which Golesh did. Sumrall may have been leery of interference with his team. Ironically, it was Golesh, whose South Florida team beat Florida in Week 2 that helped pave the way for the firing of Billy Napier, opening that job up ultimately for Sumrall.

Auburn's Recent Struggles

Paul Finebaum had little positive to say about the Auburn team during an ugly run under Hugh Freeze. Elsewhere in his comments, Finebaum termed Freeze "laughable." Auburn has posted five consecutive losing seasons, with a 15-19 mark under Freeze. The Tigers had not previously posted five straight losing seasons since the 1940s. But Golesh's unusual story and offensive explosiveness have clearly impressed the ESPN personality.

Published
Joe Cox
JOE COX

Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.

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