Alex Golesh assesses current state of Auburn quarterback room
By David Wasson
Published:
New Auburn coach Alex Golesh has hit the ground running on the Plains, including assembling and maintaining a 2026 recruiting class that totaled 18 signees and placed 41st in the 247 Sports Composite Team Rankings.
One of Golesh’s primary tasks has been to assess the Tigers at quarterback. Jackson Arnold has announced plans to enter the transfer portal. Auburn does have returnee Ashton Daniels and talented freshman Deuce Knight back on campus, though, as well as the recent addition of 2026 signee Rhys Brush.
“My intent is not to blow the room up at all. Quite the opposite,” Golesh said to reporters earlier this week. “My intent is to have everybody here that wants to be here. Because I think there’s individually enough talent and enough potential and in a lot of ways, enough production to say man, like we could go win at some point, with you.”
“The one thing I will say is it’s a room full of really, really good dudes that want to get better, want to know what it’s going to take. And then when we’re done with this get-to-know phase, do we need to bring anybody else in? And the intent for us is to have a one and a two and a three that are talented, but also bought into what we’re doing, also able to lead, also can functionally do it, to give us the opportunity to go win games.”
Auburn finished the 2025 season with a 5-7 record and fired coach Hugh Freeze on Nov. 2 after losing to Kentucky at home 10-3. Golesh went 23-15 in his 3 seasons at South Florida before Auburn tapped him to replace Freeze.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
