Much of the hype around the Auburn football program in 2026 centers around quarterback Byrum Brown, and for good reason. However, should Brown go down, as he did in 2024, we're starting to get a pretty clear picture of who will step up.
Alex Golesh told the media on Friday that "Tristan Ti'a has taken a majority of the two reps in fall camp so far. He did some really good things today.... He's still young, uber talented, but still young. We rolled [Locklan Hewlett] and Rhys [Brush] with the threes today... We'll reassess today and see, but so far up until this point in camp, Tristan's taken all the two reps."
Ti'a occupying the role of QB2 has been the expectation since spring ball, and especially A-Day, when Ti'a had two touchdown throws to cap off a solid showing for the young quarterback.
Check out these highlights from the Auburn offense's A-Day performance, including two touchdowns by QB Tristan Ti'a! 🐯🦅🏈 pic.twitter.com/MmlRLrnLwU
— Auburn Tigers | AL.com (@aldotcomTigers) April 19, 2026
Ti'a, like Brown, came to the Plains through the transfer portal this offseason. The now-sophomore was at Oregon State a season ago, where he completed 70% of his throws and had a passer rating of 142. It was a small sample size of just 53 passes, but it points in the right direction.
Before that, Ti'a was a 3-star dual-threat prospect out of Amador Valley High in Pleasanton, California. Along with Oregon State, he had offers from Utah, Boston College, UNLV, and others, but ultimately chose the Beavers.
Quarterbacks on the same page
Ti'a is the only quarterback on the roster without ties to USF, but at the moment, he appears to be staunchly ahead of former Bulls third-stringer Locklen Hewlett and former Bulls commit Rhys Brush.
Golesh seems pleased with his quarterback room right now, as he should. There is quite a bit of continuity here. Brown is entering his fourth season in this system, and Hewlett his second. The true freshman Brush hasn't played any regular-season ball, but he was recruited by Golesh and is clearly a scheme fit.
By virtue of this continuity, Ti'a has been put in a really advantageous position. He's young and not being pushed to play yet, but he's surrounded by a room of guys who know this system, so he'll have a great chance to grow and familiarize himself with the Golesh offense. 2027 is a long way away and it's not the focus right now, but it's reassuring to see the progress he's making in practice.
Hopefully Ti'a won't see much action this season, but the future is looking stable at quarterback on the Plains. After years of chaos at the position, that is a refreshing sight.
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