Alex Golesh's Auburn football program picked up its first win of the 2026 season with a 17-16 nail-biter against Baylor that came down to the final play. The bigger victory for Golesh came after the Tigers left the field, though.
During the postgame presser, Golesh refused to blame Byrum Brown for the quarterback's three interceptions. In fact, Golesh shifted the blame onto the coaching staff, saying Joel Gordon and Co. tried to force things.
Things are different now. Golesh is not only refusing to throw his players under the bus, but he's going to extreme lengths to ensure unity. As Golesh revealed, he has players spying on other teammates on the sidelines to see if they are cheering and acting excited for the team.
He got the answer he was looking for.
"Today I saw a team that played together. ... When I tell you that that has been a big of a focus to bring guys together, it's the hardest thing to do in CFB. I saw dudes that played for each other and genuinely love each other," Golesh said.
Alex Golesh is Auburn's anti-Freeze
Jarquez Hunter, Payton Thorne, and Jackson Arnold walked -- and took the blame for Hugh Freeze's failures -- so that Brown can run this fall. Brown is the locker room leader, but he's not the scapegoat when the team doesn't succeed.
Golesh is making sure his locker room's dynamics are in order. He isn't trying to save his own head when things hit the fan, at the expense of team chemistry. And unlike Freeze, who didn't keep his top players accountable behind the scenes, Golesh is making sure money doesn't dictate engagement. Golesh is seeking 100% buy-in.
To win games like the Tigers just did in Week 1, you need players like safety Eric Winters doing everything possible to make sure an offensive player doesn't cross the plane. That helped produce the game-winning moment on a two-point Bears conversion attempt that would've taken the lead with nine seconds left. You also need Brown fearlessly taking off for the end zone out of the pocket and not thinking about the consequences of a hit on the way there, just as he did to take the lead in the first place during the fourth quarter.
Football is a sport that cannot be won by a few guys playing hero ball. Golesh has won some games in the American Conference, but in the SEC, he knows the challenge is greater.
Golesh is approaching this job the right way. It's made more obvious when you compare how he was barely satisfied with winning with how Freeze was able to justify being "close" with loss after loss.
It may take a bit. Winning the SEC won't happen overnight.
It will happen eventually with winning habits. Golesh has those, unlike the last guy.
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