For any coach, getting an entire locker room to buy into the same message and goals is difficult enough. First-year Auburn head coach Alex Golesh knows this, and to get the Tigers back to their winning ways, he understands it starts with the squad's culture.
“Ultimately, I told these guys after the game, 'Man, if we can stay together, stay connected, continue to build a level of trust within that locker room, we've got a chance to have a good football team,’” he said on Saturday. “If in any way, shape or form, we splinter and don't come together, then it'll be an average squad.”
Building a culture is harder than ever in college football
While Golesh might not have firsthand knowledge of what happened during the past five seasons on the Plains, he has definitely heard stories from players and coaches still at the football facility. There has already been talk from players about a new feeling and attitude in the building under Golesh, and while they don’t come out and say it, it seems that the mood last year, especially during the four-game losing streak, was as bad as it comes.
Not that everything is perfect. As Golesh states, the team and staff have a “long, long way to go” when it comes to building that winning culture needed to produce a successful season, something that has been missing since Gus Malzahn was roaming the sidelines for the Tigers. Golesh has laid the foundation for what he expects from everyone, from the top down, and he needs everyone to buy into what he is selling.
“What our identity is, what the culture in that locker room is, the day-to-day of how these guys treat each other, how they love on each other,” the coach said. “It's the biggest challenge in college football we have right now is to build a team really, really quickly.”
He’s only been on the job for five months, but all signs point toward a better atmosphere and culture within the Auburn locker room. Will that translate to more wins on the field? Auburn fans are certainly hoping so.
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