Auburn hires Alex Golesh as new head coach

November 30, 1015 – AUBURN – Auburn University announced that Alex Golesh will be Auburn's next head football coach.

Golesh – a native of Russia – brings three years of head coaching experience with him at the University of South Florida where he won 23 games. Perhaps more importantly' Golesh is a veteran of the SEC wars as Tennessee's offensive coordinator from 2021 to 2022.

Golesh – age 41 – immigrated to the U.S. when he was just seven.

The USF Bulls, under his leadership, went 9 and 3 in 2025.

"I want to thank President Roberts and John Cohen for the opportunity," Golesh said. "Auburn Football is one of the proudest, most tradition-rich programs in college football. This will be a player-driven program, and no one will outwork our staff."

"We are thrilled to announce Alex Golesh as the 33rd head coach of Auburn Football," said Auburn Athletics Director John Cohen. "He has produced wins and record-setting results throughout his entire career, including over the last three seasons at USF. Alex is known nationally for his player development prowess, ability to shape creative and explosive offenses, and his relentless approach to building winning programs. I was also struck by his coaching experience on both sides of the ball. In our conversations, he showed the determination and edge that this program demands of its head coach. I want to welcome Alex, his wife Alexis and children Corbin and Barrett to the Auburn Family."

This year, the USF offense ranks No. 2 nationally in total offense (501.7), No. 5 in scoring (43.0) and has posted 500-plus yards in eight of its last nine regular season games. USF finished fourth 6 and 2 in the competitive American Athletic Conference trailing North Texas, Tulane, and Navy.

Under his leadership, USF has been bowl eligible in his first three seasons. Auburn, on the other hand has been bowl eligible just twice in the last five seasons and after a 5 and 7 finish (1 and 7 against SEC opponents) won't be going to a bowl this year either.

"Coach Golesh has experienced tremendous success at every step, rising through the ranks from an assistant coach to coordinator and now as a head coach," Auburn President Christopher B. Roberts said. "He is an outstanding fit for Auburn as a proven program builder with an elite offensive mind. We are excited to welcome Alex and his family to the Auburn Family."

At Tennessee, Golesh was offensive coordinator and tight ends coach. In 2020 he was the offensive coordinator at the University of Central Florida under former Auburn head Coach Gus Malzahn. He has over a decade of coaching experience in a variety of assistant roles at Illinois, Iowa State, and Toledo.

Golesh began his coaching career as a student assistant at Ohio State from 2004-05, where he worked with the defensive staff during the Buckeyes' 2005 Big Ten championship and Fiesta Bowl win. He later held defensive graduate assistant roles at Northern Illinois (2006-07) and Oklahoma State (2008).

He is a graduate of Ohio State University.

Golesh was born in Moscow, Russia, and raised in Brooklyn and Dublin, Ohio. He earned his bachelor's degree in education from Ohio State in 2006.

He and his wife, Alexis, have two children.

Auburn signed Golesh to a six-year contract. Auburn previously signed Hugh Freeze to a six-year deal before firing him after just two and a half years on the Plains. Auburn fired Bryan Harsin after just a year and a half.

Since firing Malzahn in 2020 the Auburn football program has been one of the worst programs in the SEC. Auburn hasn't won seven games or more in a season since 2019.

Cohen fired Freeze after a dreadful home loss to Kentucky in which the Tigers scored just three points (For comparison Kentucky lost to Louisville 31 to 0 on Saturday.)

The Tigers still owe Freeze $15.8 million of the $39 million they promised him three years ago. Freeze was just 15-19 overall and 6-16 in the conference. Auburn's offense has struggled since Malzahn was fired.

Golesh is Auburn's 33rd coach in its history, but the fourth football coach in just the last seven seasons.

The Tigers will end up paying $52.5 million in buyout payments to Golesh's three predecessors.

Auburn had targeted Tulane (and former Troy) Coach John Sumrall, but it appears that he is taking the Florida head coaching position after Ole Miss Coach Lane Kiffin snubbed Florida for LSU. Florida's decision to fire head Coach Billy Napier midseason was influenced by Golesh and USF's shocking defeat of the Gators 18 to 16 in the second week of the season.

Auburn reportedly strongly considered interim head Coach (former Maryland head Coach) D.J. Durkin but ultimately Cohen chose to go in another direction.

Durkin defeated FCS opponent Mercer, but lost to SEC opponents: Vanderbilt (in overtime) and Alabama (27 to 20).

Auburn's roster is much more talented at the end of the Freeze era than it was at the end of the Harsin era. Those highly ranked recruiting classes did not ever translate into wins. For Golesh to succeed in the near term at Auburn he has to convince a lot of those talented players to remain with the Tigers and not leave in coming weeks through the transfer portal. He also has to bring home a 2026 recruiting class that has seen some weakness in the last month given the coaching changes.

One of the biggest challenges will be to navigate the quarterback room. Freeze signed five-star freshman Deuce Knight and then went out and signed Oklahoma QB Jackson Arnold and Stanford QB Ashton Daniels through the transfer portal. Figuring out which of those quarterbacks he wants to retain and can convince to do so (if any) will have a major impact on the Tigers moving forward. Golesh also has to improve a patchwork offensive line that will see some seniors leave for the NFL. Protecting the quarterback may be a bigger challenge than picking a quarterback.

Auburn has a dedicated fanbase that has remained loyal to the program even during a decade that has brought only disappointment. Most Auburn fans – if they are honest – were barely aware of who Golesh was before Sunday. Their success is now depending on his tenure being a success.

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