Fairly or unfairly, Auburn has a reputation for being impatient with head football coaches, even those who have shown they can win on the Plains. It took one-and-a-half seasons for Gene Chizik to be fired after winning a national title, a decision that was arguably good given the program's trajectory following the departures of Cam Newton, Nick Fairley and others.
Patience ran out on Gus Malzahn after eight seasons, the biggest flaw coming at the end of his tenure when it seemed like the Tigers were stuck in neutral.
Now, Alex Golesh is on the clock as Auburn’s new head football coach, and for many, his hire was a step in the right direction after five straight losing seasons. But how patient will Auburn’s athletic brass be with the 41-year-old coach?
Over at CBS Sports, Brad Crawford ranked each school's patience scale for its first-year head coach, and Golesh comes right in the middle at 3 out of 5.
Alex Golesh must get rivalry games against Alabama, Georgia back to competitive
"Auburn didn't make this hire for a slow, methodical rebuild; the Tigers want immediate traction in the SEC arms race. Golesh's offensive track record creates intrigue, especially with tempo and quarterback development, but contending for a national title in Year 1 remains a steep climb given roster turnover and league depth. Realistically, playoff contention is the ceiling, not a championship run. Still, early competitiveness against Georgia and Alabama will define whether belief in the new era takes hold quickly, especially once this roster is flushed of former South Florida players after this season."
That last sentence is the most important one for Golesh, as the previous two head coaches – Bryan Harsin and Hugh Freeze – were winless against Auburn’s two biggest rivals.
Not to say those wins have to come this season. The Tigers travel to both Athens and Tuscaloosa, so winning in those environments in a coach’s first year might be unrealistic, just like Crawford said competing for a national title this season would be for Auburn. But with both coming to Jordan-Hare Stadium, where lesser Auburn teams have taken the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide down to the wire and, somehow, lost two games due to unbelievable circumstances, the pressure will be on Golesh and his staff to get the job done.
A winning season and a bowl victory would go a long way in winning even more support for Golesh on the Plains. If another disaster happens, look for that patience to wear thin in Year 2.Â
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