Alex Golesh Accused of ‘Lying’ by USF Fan After His Statement on Auburn Decision
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Alex Golesh, the architect many believe is shaping Auburn’s future, has come under intense scrutiny following a controversial remark about his former USF team. In an interview with USA Today, he made comments widely perceived as harsh and dismissive, which have not sat well with fans who once backed him during his tenure with the Bulls.
“I felt like you could win a national title here (Auburn), where, at South Florida, I think you and everybody else know you were never going to get there,” Golesh had said about why he accepted the Auburn job.
USF fans have taken to social media to voice their disappointment, accusing Golesh of showing a lack of respect toward the very program he helped build. A post by TBone, a devoted USF Bulls fan, added fuel to the growing backlash by alleging that Alex Golesh had been dishonest during a personal interaction.
“So, he lied to my face. Right after he was hired, he held a meet-and-grea national title, and said he felt USF had a proper opportunity to do so here to win a championship and national title and said he felt USF had a proper opportunity to do that. He said that to everyone. The guy is a used car sales agent and will say anything to anyone. Auburn will learn soon enough.”
The USF Bulls gave Golesh his first break as a head coach after his two-year stint as the offensive coordinator of Tennessee. Taking over a team that finished 1-11 in the 2022 season, Golesh finished 23-15 over his three years with the program.
The peak of his tenure came last season when the Bulls started the campaign by defeating Boise State and Florida in their first two games. After back-to-back 7-6 seasons, Golesh ended the 2025 campaign with a 9-4 record.
“I felt like, ‘Man, if we can go into [USF] and win, this place has endless possibilities,’” Golesh had said last year. “… At the end of the day, you have to win, and you’ve got to be able to move forward. And, I thought this job, in that cycle, was the best in the entire country at that. The future of what we’re building here, and it’s not just the stadium, it’s the football complex that’s going to be as good as there is in the entire country… There is no ceiling.”
After the Navy crushed their dreams of a playoff and conference title hopes with a 41-38 victory, Golesh accepted a six-year deal with Auburn to replace Hugh Freeze. Since then, USF has hired former Ohio State OC Brian Hartline as its new head coach.
How the Auburn spring looked for Alex Golesh
A similar tale of the Auburn coach and the new LSU coach, Lane Kiffin, is the pressure to prove themselves to the new fans. The Tigers have entered a new era; their practices feature a higher tempo, and Golesh has also charged the players for the upcoming season. “He’s fiery. To play for him, there’s kind of chip on your shoulder,” said Cole Best.
The Tigers concluded their first spring under their new head coach after the day’s scrimmage last Saturday. While the stadium was filled with 34,000 fans cheering for the team, HC was beyond grateful for the experience.
“First of all, I’m beyond grateful for what that Tiger Walk crowd was for our kids,” Golesh said post-game. “Like for me to get off the bus, and it looked like that was incredible. I don’t know how many people were here, but it was really, really cool. It was great to get a game-day environment. I can only imagine what it’s going to be like with 88,000 (in Jordan-Hare Stadium).”
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