Auburn introduces Alex Golesh: 'It starts right now'

AUBURN, Ala. – Before his formal introduction as the Tigers’ 33rd head football coach, Alex Golesh arrived at Jordan-Hare Stadium Monday in a uniquely Auburn manner.

Tiger Walk.

Following Aubie and the spirit squad down Donahue Drive while the Auburn University Marching Band played, Golesh high-fived fans before addressing the crowd.

“This is going to be the most exciting brand of football we have played around here for a really long time,” said Golesh, standing between statues of hall of fame coaches Shug Jordan and Pat Dye. “We’re going to play hard, we’re going to be tough, we’re going to do things the right way, and we’re bringing championships right here to Auburn! We will bring pride back to the Plains!”

As students and fans cheered their approval, Golesh entered the Tigers Den at the Harbert Family Recruiting Center, where athletic director John Cohen highlighted Golesh’s track record of producing potent offenses, recruiting prowess and the remarkable turnaround he’s overseen at South Florida.

“It’s time for the football program to give this fanbase – which is the best in the country – exactly what it deserves,” Cohen said. “That starts today, it starts right now, and it starts with Alex Golesh, the 33rd head football coach in Auburn history. Please welcome Alex, his wife Alexis, and their children, Corbin and Barrett, to the Auburn Family. War Eagle!”

In his opening remarks, Golesh told Auburn fans what they can expect under his leadership.

“What you’re going to get from me, from our staff and as we get rolling our players, is the hardest-working, toughest, grittiest program in the entire country,” he said. “We’re going to find wins at every single margin we can find. 

“We’re going to be explosive on offense. We’re going to play really fast. We’re going to challenge teams in every imaginable way. We’re going to run the freaking ball. It’s going to be a brand of football that’s going to be fun to watch. 

“Defensively, we’re going to be just as fun to watch. We’ll be aggressive, create negatives, create turnovers. We’re going to be the most violent freaking team on the football field every single Saturday. 

“We’re going to be different on special teams. We’re going to create explosives on teams. It’s going to be a huge difference in why we win. We’re going to outwork, outthink and out-process people across the entire country.”

Golesh reinforced what he told the Auburn football team Sunday in their first meeting about the importance of the program being player-led. 

“When the standards are upheld within that locker room, within each position meeting room, in every aspect of their lives, when it’s driven by the players, we’ll bring a national championship here to Auburn University,” he said.

Golesh will focus Auburn’s recruiting efforts on a 250-mile radius around campus.

 “We’re going to identify, we’re going to recruit, we’re going to attack, and we’re going to bring those guys right here to the Plains,” he said. “We’re going to develop as hard as anybody ever has. The investment that has been made by the administration to go and attack every single part of recruiting is phenomenal. We’ve got every resource known to man right here to be able to go attract, recruit, retain and develop the best talent there is in the entire country.”

Answering questions from reporters, Golesh discussed his offensive philosophy, quarterback development and his first-week priorities, before sharing what he learned from his parents, who emigrated from Russia to the U.S. when Alex was 7 years old. 

“One thing about this country is you can still out-work people,” he said. “It's the same in football as it is in the business world as it is in any aspect in any other industry. 

“Two, more than anything else, the power of love, the power of commitment, the power of sacrifice. It resonates in every aspect of society. You go outwork people, love on people, give them more of yourself than you ever take, you can change people's lives. 

“Amongst all of the craziness in college football, the one thing that hasn't changed is these young guys still want someone to love on them, help them get better, help develop them, and know that somebody cares. Build a level of trust that they'll do anything for you because they know you'll do anything for them. That's what I learned from my parents."

Before walking out to Pat Dye Field for a family photo commemorating the occasion, Golesh summarized what the opportunity to be Auburn’s head coach means to him.

“I have dreamed of this moment,” he said. “I wanted to coach because I had incredible coaches growing up. I had elite examples of men of character, who care about young people, who give more of themselves than they ever take. Some of them are going to be on our staff. 

“I had some incredible opportunities as I’ve gone through this profession that I continued to immerse myself in the game, and here we are.”

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer