New Auburn coach Alex Golesh knows Georgia rivalry is ‘a giant deal’

Saturday in Atlanta, the latest coach from Auburn to attempt to overthrow the reign of Kirby Smart and Georgia will begin his term in earnest.

Alex Golesh, whose Tigers play Baylor at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the Aflac Kickoff Game on Saturday, has heard plenty about the imbalance in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.

“It’s interesting when you hear people that are from Atlanta,” Golesh told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution when he was in town in July to promote Saturday’s game. “Obviously, we have such a huge student base from Atlanta and certainly South Georgia, and they’ll continuously remind me that, ‘Hey, by the way, this Georgia thing’s like a giant deal.’”

Smart’s control of the rivalry has only increased its significance for Auburn supporters. Georgia has won the past nine meetings. Only once before in the series has either team won that many games in a row (Georgia, 1923-31).

“Every time we play Georgia, some crazy things happen,” Auburn athletic director John Cohen told the AJC. “Sometimes they involve officials, sometimes they don’t.”

Golesh is Auburn’s fourth full-time coach to contend with Smart since his hire in Athens after the 2015 regular season. Hired from the University of South Florida, he follows Gus Malzahn, Bryan Harsin and Hugh Freeze.

“I think Alex brings great energy, great offensive prowess,” Cohen said. “He brings an amazing relationship with student-athletes and I think his energy is contagious. Very excited what he’s done in the recruiting area as well.”

As happens, supporters are dreaming that Golesh will revive the Tigers, even comparing him to Indiana savior Curt Cignetti.

A primary reason is his use of the transfer portal to bring in his former players and to add experience, a strategy Cignetti used to lead the Hoosiers to the national championship in his second year in Bloomington, Indiana.

Of the 39 players that Golesh signed out of the portal in January, 13 followed him from USF. That includes record-setting dual-threat quarterback Byrum Brown, who led the Football Bowl Subdivision last season in points responsible for per game (21.3) and total offense (347.2 yards per game).

That has brought familiarity with, and confirmation of, Golesh’s methods.

The group also includes 16 seniors, 11 of whom play either offensive line, defensive line or tight end, where advantages in physical maturity and strength figure to most avail the Tigers.

Golesh has also begun harvesting the bounty of the state of Georgia’s high school recruits as well, securing commitments from seven class of 2027 prospects. That includes 4-star cornerback Chance Gilbert from East Coweta High, who was a major target of UGA and Smart.

“It’s been huge,” Golesh said of recruiting in the state of Georgia. “Which helped when we were at South Florida and it’s huge for us here, too.”

Golesh’s task is considerable. The Tigers have completed five consecutive losing seasons, which is tied for the longest such streak in school history.

But Golesh has an admirable record. He effected a major turnaround at USF. The Bulls were 8-37 in the four years before his hire before the 2023 season, but then 23-15 in his three years at the helm.

For two years before that, he was offensive coordinator at Tennessee with coach Josh Heupel, helping the Volunteers offense rise from No. 102 in total offense in 2020 before their arrival to No. 9 in 2021 and No. 1 in 2022. Auburn was 77th in total offense this past season.