Auburn Tigers head coach Alex Golesh is gunning for 4-star Chandler, Arizona, quarterback Will Mencl, but he's not alone. Joining him for the Southwestern superstar in The Grand Canyon State's 6A athletic division is Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning and Co.
Oregon, for reasons that may be monetary, is currently the leader in Mencl's recruitment. As Saturday Blitz's Nicholas Rome pointed out, Golesh and Auburn offensive coordinator Joel Gordon will have to fight an uphill battle to win this one.
Rome at least shouted out the possibility that the Tigers are entering a new era of competent offense under Golesh and Gordon, something the program didn't get over two and a half seasons under Hugh Freee on the Plains since 2023.
"Alex Golesh is going to need to do an incredible job recruiting to land Will Mencl as the Oregon Ducks have been seen as the front runner for the Arizona native," Rome wrote.
"Landing Will Mencl would give Auburn a tremendous start to Alex Golesh's time leading the program. Auburn was never able to field a competent offense under Freeze as quarterback play derailed the offense, but Golesh can quickly change that narrative. Building a deep quarterback room is critical to success, and Will Mencl could be the start of a great run for Golesh."
Alex Golesh already has deep QB room once Byrum Brown leaves. On paper at least.
Golesh already has two QBs who will battle it out for the QB1 role during the 2027 season once Byrum Brown is gone: Oregon State Beavers transfer Tristan Ti’a and USF Bulls transfer Locklan Hewlett, who spent a season behind Brown in Tampa last year. Even Armwood High School (FL) product Rhys Brush has looked good this spring and could factor into the mix.
Of course, if the last two years have shown us anything, it's that a QB room could vanish in one fell swoop in the portal. Thus, forecasting the 2027 QB battle is as fluid as it gets right now.