The Auburn Tigers fanbase is hungry for change. The program itself hasn't itself for a while, now. Unfortunately, after the Bryan Harsin and Hugh Freeze coaching tenures, "change" means success. Fortunately, John Cohen and Co. may have found a fix.
ESPN's Harry Lyles Jr. believes Alex Golesh could be the antidote that fixes all of the Plains' woes because of his No. 11-ranked transfer portal haul this January and his proven results as a culture changer with the USF Bulls in Tampa over the past two years.
"Auburn hasn't looked like itself this decade: How fast can Alex Golesh fix that? The newfound hope and expectations for a turnaround are going to be present with any new head coach. But Golesh took South Florida from 1-11 to 7-6 in his first season as head coach (2023) and left the gig as one of the best coaches in the Group of 6. This program needs stability as much as anything, and Golesh seems more than capable of bringing it. Having the 11th-best portal class is a good start," Lyles wrote.
Byrum Brown can be what Auburn fans have been missing for years
Lyles' optimism largely stems from the arrival of USF transfer quarterback Byrum Brown. More so than any other position on the football field, Brown can make Auburn relevant again from under center.
Brown is a level of QB the program hasn't had since Bo Nix, whom Gus Malzahn recruited. Harsin and Freeze missed with every signal-caller since, with Harsin even running Nix out of town before he became a Heisman candidate with the Oregon Ducks and, eventually, an NFL star with the Denver Broncos.
Missing so badly at QB is unfathomable, but so is five straight losing seasons in East Central Alabama, despite the Tigers' heavy financial investment in football, particularly for the last two teams under Freeze.
Golesh seemingly hit with Brown. It just needs to bear out on the field, barring injury.
Then, Auburn fans' hunger for the Tigers to be good again will be satisfied with Golesh, as if they bit into a Snickers chocolate bar.