Armwood Star Quarterback Rhys Brush Flips from USF to Auburn

Tampa Bay area athlete opts to follow new coach Alex Golesh to the Plains

Armwood star quarterback Rhys Brush flipped his commitment from USF to Auburn on National Signing Day on Wednesday, joining head coach Alex Golesh. / The Portal 305

When it came to decision-making time, there was no way that Seffner Armwood star quarterback Rhys Brush was going to renege on his commitment to Alex Golesh.

Brush makes it official on National Signing Day

So, when National Early Signing Day came on Wednesday, Brush decided to flip his commitment from the University of South Florida to Auburn, which recently hired Golesh as its new coach.

"I feel like it is a great opportunity for me to play for a big-name school with a great coach at the helm," Brush said. "Just super blessed and grateful for this opportunity."

Armwood star has led the Hawks to a perfect 13-0 record, spot in Class 6A state semifinals

Auburn is getting a winner in Brush (6-foot-2, 190 pounds), a dual-threat quarterback who has led the Hawks to a perfect 13-0 record and a spot in this Friday’s Class 6A state semifinals. He has passed for 1,685 yards and 24 touchdowns with only two interceptions, and rushed 62 times for 442 yards and nine scores.

Quarterback coach knew Brush was an SEC-caliber quarterback

“We always felt Rhys is a Power 4 SEC quarterback,” said local quarterback coach Chip Bennett. “Coach Golesh knew he had a steal when Rhys committed to USF. Rhys has a tremendous relationship with Golesh and quarterback coach Joel Gordon. So, it was not a surprise when this happened.”

Brush gives Auburn a much-needed shot in the arm on offense after four-star quarterback Peyton Falzone (6-5, 205) from Nazareth, Pa., decommitted from the Tigers and signed with Penn State.

In joining Golesh at Auburn, Brush will try to turn around Auburn’s fortunes. Auburn fired head coach Hugh Freeze in early November after he compiled a 15-19 record in just over two seasons.

Brush, an exceptional athlete, is the son of a law enforcement officer

“Other than a very strong arm, Rhys is an unbelievable athlete,” Bennett said. “The kind of kid who can pick up a bat and hit the ball out of the park, walk over to the driving range and hit a golf ball 300 yards.

“He also has a really good personality, respectful,” Bennett said. “His dad is in law enforcement and the values show up in Rhys. He’s a natural leader who leads by example. He goes 100 miles per hour every rep in training sessions.”

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Jeff Gardenour can be reached via email at jgardenour1962@gmail.com or X @JMarkG1962