A day after being hired as Auburn’s new head coach, Alex Golesh didn’t waste time addressing the biggest question on the roster: who will play quarterback in 2026? With Ashton Daniels and Deuce Knight already on campus — and the transfer portal opening again soon — Golesh made it clear the competition won’t be rushed.
“I don’t know if you can rush that part of it,” Golesh said. “The competition will take as long as it needs to.”
He added that he’s been in quarterback battles decided long before spring ball and others “that went all the way through August,” and Auburn’s situation is shaping up the same way.
Daniels brings the most experience of the group. Before coming to Auburn, he started two full seasons at Stanford, and his time there shows in how steady he is. This season, he completed 68 of 119 passes for 797 yards with 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, and he added 280 rushing yards and 2 scores on 63 carries. He’s a steady presence — and Golesh values that.
“There’s talented, talented dudes in that room,” Golesh said. “They have tape at this level. We’re evaluating it like crazy; we evaluated it coming in.”
The real upside piece is freshman Deuce Knight. Auburn still has to get him fully locked in for next season, but his ceiling is obvious. Knight’s breakout came in Auburn’s win over Mercer, where he put together a record-setting day: 15-of-20 for 239 yards and 2 passing touchdowns, plus 9 carries for 162 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground. Keeping him in the program would give Auburn a high-level talent to build around.
Golesh said the quarterback who wins the job will need to fit what he wants offensively.
“Everything starts with the run,” he said.
But he emphasized the mental side just as much.
“Who can process it faster than anybody else?” he said. “Who gives you the best chance to win?”
That conversation naturally leads to Byrum Brown, Golesh’s former quarterback at USF. Brown put up 3,158 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and 1,008 rushing yards this season while thriving in Golesh’s system — and with the portal set to reopen, he instantly becomes one of the most intriguing possibilities if he explores an extra year. His production, dual-threat ability and familiarity with Golesh’s offense would make him a significant addition if Auburn chooses to pursue him.
Golesh didn’t hide the fact that Auburn may not be done adding.
“Are you going to add someone else? Are you going to add multiple people?” he said, signaling that Auburn plans to stay aggressive as the portal opens.
Bringing in another proven quarterback — whether it’s Brown or another experienced arm — would only elevate the competition behind Daniels and Knight and help solidify the room long before fall camp.
For now, Golesh is letting everything play out. And with Daniels’ experience, Knight’s upside and the possibility of adding a proven portal quarterback, Auburn’s quarterback battle is shaping up to be one of the biggest storylines of the offseason.