SEC Unfiltered grades Auburn football's hiring of Alex Golesh

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Now that the dust has settled on the coaching hire period in SEC football, many outlets are submitting their grades for the hiring efforts of each of the conference's teams.

It was a busy hiring period in the SEC as six of the conference's 16 teams shopped for new leadership, including the Auburn Tigers. Auburn hired Alex Golesh to replace Hugh Freeze after leading the program to seven losses in each of his three seasons on the Plains, with one bowl appearance. Golesh is viewed as a younger coach who can implement new ideas and unique ways to win football games.

Chris Phillips and Cole Thompson of SEC Unfiltered revealed their grades of Auburn's hiring of Golesh. Phillips gives the hire a B+, while Thompson gives it a B. Following the release of the grades, we reached out to Thompson to share his thoughts on the hire.

Thompson feels that Golesh can bring firepower to Auburn's offense, similar to what he was a part of during Tennessee's dominant offensive runs in 2021 and 2022.

"(Golesh's) vertical passing, run-first offensive concept has a niche find at key positions, including tight end, running back, and wide receiver. There is a way for it to be as explosive as Tennessee’s, but with the wrong players, it could backfire," Thompson tells Auburn Wire. "I credit Auburn for going after an up-tempo, aggressive offensive play-caller who should add a jolt to the players Hugh Freeze never could find their ceiling. And it’s a smarter hire than simply promoting D.J. Durkin just because you’re terrified of losing recruits."

Thompson also pointed out that Golesh's recruiting background could open new opportunities in the Midwest and Southwest regions of the country, and that play design and clock management have been key to Golesh's offensive progression at USF. However, there is a stigma surrounding Auburn football when it comes to coaching, which is something that Thompson will keep an eye on.

"As is the rule with Auburn, come back after Year 2 and millions thrown into the NIL and transfer portal fund to see if Golesh has the Tigers trending toward a playoff berth or another coaching search," Thompson said.

Golesh is 23-15 as a head coach, most recently leading USF to a 9-3 regular season record. He has constructed the majority of his staff and has worked through signing day, which resulted in Auburn earning the No. 46 class in the nation. Next order of business for Golesh is to recruit the current roster and work towards replacing outgoing transfers when the transfer portal window opens in January.

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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn football Alex Golesh grade by SEC Unfiltered

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