Alex Golesh was hired as Auburn’s head football coach this offseason for one reason: to restore pride in the Tigers’ program.
There haven’t been many darker times for Auburn than the last five seasons, all ending with losing records and the firing of two head coaches. Now, it’s up to Golesh to turn that around, and considering what he has done with the transfer portal, bringing in plenty of experienced players, especially those who played for him at USF, the 2026 season could be the turnaround that Auburn fans have been hoping for.
But what is the ceiling for the Tigers this upcoming season? Based on the schedule and the talent that Golesh and his staff have put together in their short time on the Plains, you would have to put a limit on what Auburn is capable of, but that doesn’t mean great things can’t happen.
Alex Golesh winning seven or eight games would be a fantastic start to his Auburn tenure
Getting to a bowl game would be a good start for Golesh. Bringing Auburn its first bowl win since 2018 (yes, the Purdue game when Auburn scored 56 points in the first half) would be great. And if the 41-year-old head coach was able to scratch eight or more wins out of this team, the momentum would be incredibly hard to contain.
Does Auburn have a shot at making the 12-team playoff? While it seems unlikely, you only have to look at what Gus Malzahn was able to do in his first year as Auburn’s head coach, taking over a team that went 3-9 the previous year and leading them to the BCS national title game. And while Golesh doesn’t face that pressure, at least not with any sane person, getting even close to sniffing the playoffs would be amazing.
The reality is that Auburn’s ceiling for this upcoming season is seven to eight wins during the regular season, something Tigers’ fans would take after witnessing what has happened during the last five. Reach that point, and the ceiling will rise even more for Golesh and the Tigers in Year 2.
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