Did Auburn football get it right by hiring Alex Golesh?

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A total of 34 FBS programs made head coaching changes during the offseason, including the Auburn Tigers. Those programs are hoping to see a quick change in their trajectory, but which programs got it right?

According to Athlon Sports, Auburn football was one of those that did.

In its preseason magazine, Athlon Sports ranked Auburn’s hiring of Alex Golesh as the ninth-best hire of the coaching carousel, and grades the move with an “A.” Steven Lassan of Athlon Sports believes Auburn’s offensive woes should be corrected with a great offensive mind as head coach.

Golesh emerged as one of the top coaches in the Group of 6 ranks, guiding South Florida to a 23-15 record over the past three seasons. Golesh’s background of producing prolific offenses should provide instant help on the Plains. The Tigers have not finished higher than ninth in the SEC in scoring over the past six seasons.

Golesh first became an offensive coordinator in 2020 when he joined Josh Heupel’s staff at UCF, and later followed Heupel to Tennessee for two seasons before taking the head coaching job at USF ahead of the 2023 season.

The Knights were the top offense in the American Athletic Conference in 2020 by posting 42.2 points and 568.1 yards per game. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel passed for 3,570 yards and 32 touchdowns that season, with Marlon Williams hauling in a conference-leading 71 catches for 1,039 yards. Fellow wide receiver Jaylon Robinson was a few yards shy of the 1,000-yard mark by recording 979 receiving yards.

Golesh followed suit by leading Tennessee to a third-place finish in total offense in 2021 and the first-place offense in 2022. Two Tennessee receivers logged over 1,000 yards over that span: Cedric Tillman and Jalin Hyatt, and quarterback Hendon Hooker threw for 6,080 yards over those two seasons.

This season, Golesh treks to the Plains, aiming to have the same success. He brings over offensive coordinator Joel Gordon and several offensive playmakers from USF, including quarterback Byrum Brown.

Brown passed for over 3,000 yards in two of his three seasons playing for Golesh at USF, and will look to become the third quarterback in Auburn history to reach the 3,000-yard mark in a single season. Brown will have plenty of help on his side as four of last season’s top five receivers from USF transferred to Auburn with him.

Not only does Auburn need a spark to erase its run of four-straight seven-loss seasons, but it needs an offensive revival to climb back into the ranks of the SEC’s elite. Golesh is off to a hot start by adding valuable pieces from the transfer portal, and has built Auburn’s 2027 recruiting haul into a top-10 class. Only time will tell if Golesh is the right fit for Auburn football, but for now, he is proving that he is.

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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Did Auburn football get it right by hiring Alex Golesh?

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