Auburn Tigers head coach Alex Golesh may have a very realistic chance of poaching quarterback Byrum Brown from the USF Bulls after CEO Rob Higgins' announcement that the 21-year-old would be sitting out the program's Cure Bowl matchup against the Old Dominion Monarchs.
Auburn, of note, opted out of bowl season after not enough six-win teams qualified because Golesh wants to focus on building his roster for next year. Retaining Deuce Knight appears to be a priority, but Brown has a proven track record in Golesh's offense.
Higgins announced that USF's new head coach, Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, would be present for the team's talks with Brown.
"Bulls Nation, we wanted to share that Coach Hartline and I continue to have great conversations with Byrum Brown and his family about his future at USF," Higgins prefaced before saying, "In the spirit of transparency and based off the recent coaching transition here, we mutually determined with Byrum that it’s best for him to not play in next week’s Cure Bowl. This quick determination means that Gaston Moore is able to fully prepare and make the well-deserved start in his final collegiate game. Byrum continues to attend every team activity/practice and has been incredible in supporting his teammates as he always is. So much so, that we’ve asked Byrum to serve as a coach in the Cure Bowl to help us get our tenth win, which we’re excited to share he’s graciously agreed to do! We can’t wait to finish this season strong and together, while also supporting (Coach) Byrum Brown and his family! Go Bulls!"
Auburn fans would rather have Deuce Knight than Byrum Brown
That 62-17 win over the Mercer Bears convinced many that Knight is the QB of the future. You don't want to burn that goodwill in your first offseason by replacing a former five-star recruit with a Group of 5 transfer.
The G5 label shouldn't hold weight, but it does with many fans. Brown would be under an intense microscope if he replaced Knight as the team's 2026 plan under center. That's too much pressure for a QB and head coach.
Golesh has his guy under center. He needs to focus on retaining him before anything else.