Auburn sits outside the top-10 of On3's SEC preseason power rankings
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The recent power rankings of the SEC by On3 placed the Auburn Tigers at No. 13 just ahead of Mississippi State, Kentucky, and Missouri. Auburn is entering the first year of a new head coach, Alex Golesh, with a massive roster change.
Golesh was hired from the University of South Florida after three seasons in Tampa. As an offensive-minded coach, he led the Bulls to winning records in each of his three seasons and two bowl victories. Along with his coming to Auburn, he saw 13 of his USF players come through the transfer portal.
The biggest get for the Tigers this offseason was the transfer of USF quarterback Byrum Brown. The senior quarterback was the only player in the college last season to throw for over 3,000 yards and rush for over 1,000. His playmaking ability was a huge part of Golesh's success at USF.
On the opposite side of the ball, the Tigers managed to keep defensive coordinator DJ Durkin in the building. He was the rumored name for the head coaching vacancy the Tigers had during the last few weeks of the 2025 season. Durkin served as the interim head coach after the firing of Hugh Freeze. For him to stay at Auburn, Athletic Director John Cohen made Durkin one of highest paid coordinators in the nation at $2.7 million.
Durkin and the Tigers' defense kept Auburn in many games throughout the 2025 campaign. To the point where even the defense was the side of the ball scoring points for the Tigers. This year, the defense has many players with little to no playing time on that side of the ball, but with a functioning offense, you can expect that to give their defense some breaks when needed.
It seems a culture change has taken place inside the program since the arrival of Golesh. Former players and coaches have played a role in preaching to the current roster about the importance of being a part of Auburn football.
Auburn begins conference play in week three in Jordan-Hare Stadium against Florida on Sept. 19 at 6:00 p.m. CT. The Tigers kick off the season against Baylor in a neutral-site game in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn football not seen as a top-10 team in the SEC by On3's rankings
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