When Alex Golesh took over as Auburn’s head coach late last November, he understood the scale of the challenge in front of him. The Tigers were coming off five consecutive losing seasons, capped by a 5–7 finish last year that brought an end to Hugh Freeze’s time in charge. Turning the program back into a true SEC contender was never going to be a quick fix.
Although Golesh and his staff have worked aggressively to reshape the roster for the upcoming season, national analysts remain skeptical about how much progress has truly been made. A panel of ESPN writers — Eli Lederman, Max Olson and Adam Rittenberg — ranked Auburn near the bottom of the SEC in their offseason evaluations, slotting the Tigers at No. 13 overall, behind teams like Kentucky and South Carolina.
The low ranking was largely attributed to significant roster losses. Several key contributors, including Cam Coleman, Eric Singleton, Malik Blocton, Jay Crawford and Kayin Lee, departed for other SEC programs, thinning Auburn’s depth and experience. The situation was compounded by the exits of Keldric Faulk and Connor Lew, both of whom opted for the NFL Draft instead of returning for their senior seasons, creating notable holes along the offensive and defensive lines.
ESPN ultimately placed Auburn’s offseason 13th out of 16 teams in the conference, reflecting concerns about turnover outweighing additions. Still, Golesh did earn some praise for landing quarterback Byrum Brown, a player he coached for three seasons at South Florida. Despite missing half of the 2024 campaign due to injury, Brown posted impressive numbers last year, throwing for 3,158 yards and 28 touchdowns while adding 1,008 rushing yards and 14 scores on the ground.
Golesh also addressed depth at running back, bringing in Nykahi Davenport, Tae Meadows and Bryson Washington to complement veteran Jeremiah Cobb, giving Auburn more flexibility and competition in the backfield.
Ultimately, the true verdict on Golesh’s first offseason will come on the field. A winning record and a return to bowl play would do far more than any preseason ranking to lift Auburn’s standing and signal that the Tigers are beginning their climb back up the SEC hierarchy.