With a new coaching staff and a massive overhaul of the roster, finding players who feel comfortable enough to step up and be leaders for Auburn during spring practice might be hard.
Gone are the likes of Keldric Faulk and Connor Lew, two guys who last year stepped up with their vocal leadership. There’s still one player, Champ Anthony, who has been with the Tigers for a few years and has stepped up in that role even though he’s still recovering from an injury and not practicing.
That means that Alex Golesh has to inspire guys who need to be heard more by their teammates.
Alex Golesh is looking for more vocal leaders
“Pushing Elijah Melendez in a huge way to be a leader,” the coach said. “He's one of those guys who leads by example. We talk all the time about how leading by example is not actually leading. You are doing what you're supposed to be doing.”
As Golesh says, the mixture of new players and players from last year’s roster is still trying to figure each other out, seeing when and if they can speak up when a teammate does something wrong. The first-year head coach brings up players like Sylvester Smith, who is feeling out the new coaching staff and the influx of transfers. Golesh also brought up starting running back Jeremiah Cobb.
“That's my job to empower those guys,” Golesh said. “Jeremiah Cobb, I've challenged him so many times. He's not uber comfortable, but the guys respect him. He's got credibility. I think it's a work in progress in every way.”
And while there likely won’t be a Leadership Council like in years past, it is crucial that Golesh and the Tigers figure out who the leaders are on this year’s team. Don’t be surprised if it is Byrum Brown and some of the USF transfers who are already familiar with the head coach and his coaching style.