When you think about Auburn football, what jumps to your mind? When you think about all the great seasons in the program's history, what is the one thing they all share in common? The answer is, of course, a great running game. Whether it is Bo Jackson, Cadillac Williams, or Ronnie Brown, great backs are a trademark of all the most memorable Tiger squads.
Heck, even on bad teams, the running game has often been one of the few positives you can point to. Watching the Hugh Freeze teams was always a difficult task, but at the very least, you got to feel some real joy every time Jarquez Hunter ran somebody over.
So, while so much of the offseason focus has been on new head coach Alex Golesh and quarterback Byrum Brown, it's easy to forget about Jeremiah Cobb. During Friday's scrimmage, he made sure that, going into this year, we remember him:
At Auburn, we run the ball 😤💨 pic.twitter.com/2e1XuxUdRb
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) August 14, 2026
All signs point to a huge year for Jeremiah Cobb
Last year was Cobb's breakout season. He carried the ball 175 times for 969 yards and five touchdowns, and that was in an offense that didn't do him a ton of favors. Now, in Golesh's scheme, he's certainly cross the 1,000-yard mark in 2026, and he may do so by a healthy margin.
Those numbers came in an offense where the passing game was not all that much of a threat. Auburn ranked just 96th nationally in team passing efficiency a year ago. Defenses didn't have to respect the air attack, so they were able to zero in on the run. Compare that to South Florida, who were 8th in the same statistic.
This doesn't mean that the run game comes secondary in this offense. In 2025, USF had the 13th-ranked rushing attack in the nation. As a team, it rushed for nearly 3,000 yards and one shy of 30 touchdowns. A strong run game is a hallmark of this scheme, and Cobb stands to benefit in a big way.
The thing that is especially salivating about the 2026 Auburn offense is the way Brown is a factor in this running game. A year ago, he led USF with over 1,000 yards on the ground. Now, paired with an SEC back, the focus will be entirely split between the two when they're lined up together. Defenses will be hard-pressed to slow down this rushing attack.
For longtime Tiger fans, it brings back memories of Nick Marshall and Tre Mason running the read option together in 2013. They were equally threatening runners, and Gus Malzahn rode that pairing to over 2,800 rushing yards, just between the two. Malzahn has given Golesh a ringing endorsement as the latter starts his Auburn tenure, a fact that has only increased hype on the plains.
Those are lofty expectations, obviously. It would be bold to suggest this unit can produce at the gaudy level of the 2013 team, but there is certainly hope for a big year on the ground. There is one prediction for this season that you can go ahead and write in permanent marker: Jeremiah Cobb will cross the 1,000-yard mark in 2026.
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