The college football season is only a couple of weeks away, and soon the quest for the College Football Playoff will begin. A number of teams haven’t made the tournament despite their brands being recognized across the nation.
One of those programs is the Auburn Tigers. They haven’t made a national championship appearance since the 2013 season. That was the last BCS Championship Game, as the modern College Football Playoff began the following year. Auburn has lacked stability in recent years, but one college football analyst believes its newest hire might have something promising.
Paul Finebaum praised Auburn head coach Alex Golesh this week. He was especially impressed by Golesh’s unconventional changes to fall camp. Golesh moved the entire team off campus and to a resort to lock in and focus on football.
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“I do like what he’s doing … There’s a method to that madness…We do feel like we know what’s going on at Auburn,” Finebaum said on a McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning podcast appearance. “It’s a significant step up from what we’ve seen in a long time. So, I really, really like the whole concept of it, and I like almost everything I’ve heard from Alex Golesh so far.”
Auburn Needs Stability, Can Golesh Finally Bring That?
Auburn has cycled through four head coaches in the last six years, making consistency difficult to establish within the program. Hugh Freeze was the latest coach to depart, and the Tigers are now hoping Golesh can provide the stability they have been missing.
Constant coaching changes can create problems well beyond the sideline. Leadership becomes harder to establish, recruiting can lose momentum, and player development can suffer when coaches and systems constantly change. Auburn needs a clear direction if it hopes to consistently compete in the SEC and eventually return to the College Football Playoff.
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That makes Golesh’s approach particularly important. The former South Florida head coach has an opportunity to establish his culture from the beginning rather than inherit a program built around another coach’s vision. His decision to take the team away from campus for fall camp is one example of the kind of intentional leadership Finebaum believes could make a difference.
Still, creating stability will require more than an unconventional fall camp. Golesh must develop Auburn’s roster, recruit at a high level, and build a culture capable of lasting beyond a single season. If he can accomplish those things, Auburn could finally have the foundation it has lacked for years.
For a program with Auburn’s resources and national profile, another short-lived coaching tenure would be another major setback. Golesh now has the chance to prove he can be the coach who changes that cycle.