It is no secret who the Auburn Tigers' starting quarterback will be for the 2026 season. That question was answered when Byrum Brown announced he was transferring to Auburn and following head coach Alex Golesh to the Plains. After the first scrimmage of fall camp, it appears Oregon State transfer Tristan Ti'a has settled the backup quarterback position, according to Golesh. “Tristan Ti’a has taken a majority of the two reps in fall camp so far. He did some really good things today," Golesh said following Auburn's first fall scrimmage on Friday at Jordan-Hare Stadium. He did mention during the scrimmage that Ti'a did attempt a "last-second heave," but other than that, it was all positive remarks from the head coach on his backup quarterback. Golesh attributed the mistake to Ti’a’s youth, which is understandable from a sophomore who does not have much playing experience. Golesh continued, "Tristan has taken monumental steps. He had a really good first seven practices, and then as install started getting heavy and you started getting into heavy situational football, it started happening fast for him. I thought for the most part, other than one throw, I would tell you, it slowed down for him today. He's got some gamer in him when he is out there. He’s got a cool swag and a cool confidence about him, and he's played a bunch of football for being so young. He just needs more reps in this system." Before arriving at Auburn, Ti'a was a four-star prospect when he signed with Oregon State as part of the 2025 recruiting class. According to 247Sports, he was rated as the No. 21 quarterback and No. 36 player in California. During his freshman season with the Beavers, he appeared in three games. He completed 37 of 53 passes for 385 yards and three touchdowns. The most playing experience he received was in late November during a 32-8 loss to Washington State. In that game, he was 28 of 41 for 240 yards and one touchdown. Since Ti’a has emerged as the clear leader for the backup quarterback job, the No. 3 position seems to be between South Florida transfer Locklan Hewlett and freshman Rhys Brush. "We rolled (Locklan Hewlett) and Rhys (Brush) with the threes today. They have rotated there all camp. They are competing like crazy there, and I'm excited about both of those guys too," added Golesh.
Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Phillip on Twitter @PJordanSports This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Alex Golesh comments on Auburn QBs, tabs leader for backup role