While Alex Golesh picked the bones of his former USF Bulls roster upon becoming the Auburn Tigers' 33rd head coach in program history, he couldn't get 100% of the players he was targeting in the transfer portal.
Quarterback Byrum Brown was always going to be the plan under center, and Golesh did well to bring over four receivers, a running back, and a tight end from his 2025 Bulls team. Still, he was not able to bring over USF TE1 Wyatt Sullivan.
Sullivan recently told Green, Gold, and Bold's Joe Henderson that he believes in what Brian Hartline is bringing to the program, essentially admitting a preference for the Bulls brand over Golesh selling him on sticking around in Tampa.
"I was familiar with how he used (tight ends) at Ohio State, so (staying) was a no-brainer. It's my last year and I want to have the best senior year possible," Sullivan said.
"My expectation is for us to continue to develop an elite culture, standards, and a way of excellence in everything that we do. I think we are looking to teach these guys how to be pros. These guys all want to play the NFL, and what that looks like from an operation standpoint, work ethic standpoint, how you work together, how you watch film, all of those things."
Brian Hartline is a compelling coach to play for
It's hard to knock Sullivan's decision to not go head to head with the elite nickels and linebackers in the SEC and instead play for a head coach who specializes in the passing game in the American. Hartline made a name for himself on the Ohio State Buckeyes as a receiver during his playing days, and then excelled in his second act as a WR coach.
Hartline was the mastermind who unearthed WR1s like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Jeremiah Smith, and Carnell Tate in Columbus. More relevant to Sullivan, Hartline turned Purdue Boilermakers transfer TE Max Klare into a second-round talent in the offense as the lead play-caller last fall.
Sullivan transferred from Buford High School to Robert F. Munroe Day School in Quincy, Florida. He knew what was available to him on the Plains but has stayed in the Sunshine State since, initially committing to the FAU Owls. That's a clear lifestyle choice that you really can't knock.
Alex Golesh hopefully got what he needed at TE in the portal
Without Sullivan, Golesh has ex-USF TE Jonathan Echols, the returning Ryan Ghea, and former Texas A&M Aggies and North Carolina Tar Heels TE Jake Johnson. That's a solid group with plenty of experience.
Golesh has made it known that he won't repeat the same mistakes as Hugh Freeze, and one of those mistakes was not featuring tight ends post-Rivaldo Fairweather's surprising 2023 breakout. He did well to cast a wide net with his options.
It would've been nice to have a somewhat proven entity like Sullivan, but Auburn is not lacking at the position like it was a season ago.
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