Auburn Tigers quarterback Byrum Brown is the reason most see AU as above a handful of teams at the bottom of the SEC's totem pole. His transfer from the USF Bulls will naturally have some questioning if he can handle increased competition in the "It Just Means More" conference.
Saturday Down South's Spenser Davis is one of those people with doubts, but he also has faith in Brown's continuity under his former head coach, Alex Golesh, and his primary play-caller, offensive coordinator Joel Gordon.
"Alex Golesh brought just about everyone from 2025 South Florida to the Plains this offseason, and that includes Byrum Brown. He’s as talented of a runner as you’ll ever see at the quarterback position, but questions about his passing effectiveness at the SEC level will persist. On the bright side: Continuity certainly won’t be an issue in 2026," Davis wrote.
CBS Sports' Brandon Marcello also acknowledged that many components of Golesh's program will be making way north to East Central Alabama from Tampa. Marcello said that Auburn being "USF North" is a good thing, actually, though he did call out certain specific concerns with Golesh's recruiting so far.
"Auburn will look more like USF North than the Auburn of old under Alex Golesh, and that's not a bad thing. Quarterback transfer Byrum Brown will partner with returning RB Jeremiah Cobb to mold one of the more underrated backfields in the SEC, but can the Tigers get the production they need to replace the upside of a Cam Coleman with a trio of WR transfers from USF? Auburn must also replace its entire offensive line," Marcello wrote.
Byrum Brown can't face same issues Auburn QBs have faced for years and expect different results
On that last point Marcello made on the Tigers' offensive line, Golesh hasn't exactly sounded confident in what he's done to protect the pocket for Brown during the 2026 season. On Wednesday, Golesh told reporters that “If there’s one position I’m praying about, it’s the offensive line.” Gordon "stressed that they still have to keep him healthy but says Brown is also one of the best running backs they had at USF," per The War Rapport's Mike Gittens.
There's not an overwhelming amount of confidence in the offensive line. Sure, Brown is a dynamic dual-threat QB who can compensate in broken plays, but that shouldn't be the offense's default. If it is, that won't work against top teams.
There's plenty of time to coach up an offensive line that lost key pieces to the NFL, the transfer portal, and a loss of eligibility. Right now, though, Brown and running back Jeremiah Cobb appear to be needed to help overcome major protection issues for an OL that will be acclimating to each other as the season progresses.
That's been an all too familiar refrain in recent years on the Plains.