9 quotes of note from Auburn football coach Alex Golesh's introduction

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AUBURN — The Alex Golesh era of Auburn football is off and running. The 33rd head coach in program history was formally introduced Monday, Dec. 1, one day after his hiring.

He spent more than 40 minutes at the lectern, discussing topics that ranged from staff decisions, his brand of football and his Russian birth and departure from the Soviet Union soon after.

Here’s a breakdown of Golesh’s Auburn introduction, with nine quotes of note from his first press conference on the Plains.

‘He accepted immediately’

Athletics director John Cohen said Auburn formerly extended an offer to Golesh early Sunday morning, which would’ve been hours removed from an Iron Bowl loss. Golesh later said he called former Auburn player Kodi Burns, his co-offensive coordinator at South Florida, and offered him the role of associate head coach at Auburn at 2 a.m. Sunday.

‘We’re going to run the freaking ball’

Auburn has had a top-five SEC rushing attack five times since 2016, but has only achieved that rank twice since 2020. Golesh’s offenses, while known for passing, have been dominant on the ground. South Florida had the 11th-best ground game in FBS this fall, and it ranked No. 6 nationally in yards per carry.

‘When it’s driven by the players, we’ll bring a national championship here’

Auburn released its first footage of Golesh as head coach Sunday evening, sharing clips from his first meeting with the team, in which he discussed being process- and player-driven. He expanded on that in his opening remarks.

“When it’s coach-driven and the standards of everything in the program are driven by the coaches and by the support staff, you max out,” Golesh said. “When the standards are upheld within that locker room, within each position meeting room, in every aspect of their lives, when it’s driven by the players, we’ll bring a national championship here to Auburn University.”

‘We’re going to recruit this 250-mile radius’

Golesh, who was at Tennessee before South Florida, said Auburn will put a premium on recruiting an area surrounding that program that encompasses six different states, including Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.

“I have been in this part of the country for a long time,” Golesh said. “I have recruited this part of the country for a long time. Our staff, as it all comes together, is going to have a giant footprint in this 250-mile radius.”

‘You have to have a plan, and you have to live by the plan’

Golesh said Cohen asked for a plan when vetting him as a hire, and Golesh responded with what he described as a “minute by minute” mapping of the first six months.

“These first seven days are as critical as anything else,” he said. “Hiring a staff, recruiting for signing day Wednesday. I think more important than any of that is meeting with our current players.”

‘Finishing is a mindset’

Auburn has won six one-score games since 2021, and it won two in nearly three years under Hugh Freeze. To Golesh, it’s a mindset that makes the difference in those results.

“The mindset that has to be built, the level of accountability that trains discipline within a program, is what prepares you for the fourth quarter,” Golesh said. “You train discipline to be able to go finish in the fourth quarter. That piece of it is simply who wants it more.”

‘Putting a system together that fits the quarterback’

Perhaps a breath of fresh air for Auburn fans who watched Freeze seemingly insist an offense on his quarterbacks, Golesh said what’s imperative for success under center is tailoring the offense to his passer.

“So much in college football is about, ‘We run a system, this is what we do, and this is how we do it,'” Golesh said. “I think elite coaches can say, ‘Man, this is the best quarterback that we’ve got, and now let’s tailor a system to him.’ … I think that’s what’s so unique about what we do offensively.”

‘I like football more than golf’

Another Freeze comparison that fans won’t have to worry about: Golesh isn’t a golfer. Technically, he said he likes it less than football. And that he’s terrible at it.

‘Competition will take as long as it needs’

Auburn’s next QB1? Golesh doesn’t expect to have that decided any time soon.

“In a perfect world, you’d love to know in January,” he said. “In our situation here, we won’t — or probably won’t — (know) until August, I would imagine. Unless spring ball carries out into such a fashion that you’ll know.”

Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.To support Adam’s work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Quotes of note from Auburn football coach Alex Golesh’s intro presser

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