Alex Golesh was in a difficult position when he arrived at Auburn, merely days away from the Early Signing Period. Not only did he have to put together a brand-new staff, but he was also in charge of retaining the recruits who had committed to the previous regime under Hugh Freeze.
While he did a fair enough job, ESPN’s Craig Haubert is somewhat skeptical of what Golesh has accomplished, though he has come on as of late.
“The Tigers held onto a trio of ranked linebackers: Jaquez Wilkes, Shadarius Toodle and Adam Balogoun-Ali. They also added a pair of defensive tackles that had been headed elsewhere in Tavian Branch (Penn State) and Corey Wells (Texas). But Auburn's real progress occurred after the early signing period closed. The Tigers capitalized on unexpected turbulence at Michigan to flip offensive lineman Bear McWhorter and wide receiver Brady Marchese after Sherrone Moore was fired. Golesh could quickly utilize Marchese as a speedy, big-play option who has been recorded at over 22 mph in games.”
Alex Golesh adding to roster via transfer portal
Haubert has Golesh ranked seventh among the 10 new coaches, which is fair given the Tigers are currently ranked 34th in the 2026 recruiting cycle. While players such as Wilkes, Toodle and McWhorter will likely be stars for the Tigers in the future, Golesh was fairly more focused on adding ready talent to the roster through the transfer portal, in which he has signed 26 players through it, including first-day starters in quarterback Byrum Brown and wide receiver Keshaun Singleton, two players who were stars for him at USF, his former job.
Golesh and his staff have basically handpicked the players they wanted to follow them from USF, with 14 of the 26 signees out of the portal being former Bulls. Along with Singleton, Auburn has also added wide receiver Jeremiah Koger and running back Nykahi Davenport from USF.