New Auburn head coach Alex Golesh just laid out a mission for the Tigers, and honestly, the goal is pretty straightforward: get this program back to national prominence. But the real gut punch came early in his tenure when Golesh talked to a recruit and realized the kid was in sixth grade the last time Auburn even had a winning season back in 2020. That’s rough, man.
The Plains Have Been a Wild Ride
Look, Auburn football has seen some serious highs and some crushing lows in the 21st century. We’re talking about a team that snagged a national championship in 2010, powered by what many called the single greatest individual season ever from Cam Newton. They even played for another title in 2013 and almost crashed the four-team College Football Playoff in 2017. But since 2020 hit, it’s been a whole different story on the Plains. This decade has seen the Tigers finish above .500 only once, a 6-5 run in that pandemic-shortened 2020 season that still ended with Gus Malzahn getting the boot. Golesh is now the third coach to step into the head role since then. Yikes.
No Goals, Just Standards for Year One?
Speaking at his first SEC media days, Golesh didn’t mince words about the state of things. “This was a top-5 program in the country for a long time , like 10 years ago,” he told ESPN’s David Hale. “We’ve got to get it back to that. And that’s where all the time and energy has been getting kids around us. … It’s been changing a mindset even in our own state.” He wants to build this program for the long haul, just like he did at USF, but he totally gets that the SEC brings a whole new level of pressure to win right away. What does a successful Year 1 look like for him? He’s not setting specific goals. “I don’t set goals… I set standards,” Golesh said, adding that his only goal is “laying a foundation for what our football’s going to be for years to come.”
Auburn fans are absolutely banking on that philosophy translating into some real improvement this fall. After missing bowl games in the last two seasons under former coach Hugh Freeze, the faithful are desperate for Golesh to show some progress. It’s a tough road ahead, but if that mindset shift actually takes hold, it could be the start of something special. We’ll be watching to see if Golesh’s “standards” can turn the tide on the Plains this season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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