'Let's do this': Auburn QB1 Byrum Brown eager to lead

AUBURN, Ala. – It took Auburn offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joel Gordon one game to realize Byrum Brown was different. 

“He’s tough as nails,” said Gordon, Brown’s position coach the past three seasons at South Florida.  “He’s full of grit. He’s a great competitor.”

The starting quarterback as a redshirt freshman in USF’s season opener in 2023, Alex Golesh’s head coaching debut, Brown rushed for 160 yards on 25 carries. 

“He’s a great human being,” Gordon said. “From day one, he’s been the same guy, every single day. His process, what he brings to the building as a worker, whether it’s the weight room or a meeting about football, whatever it is, he’s infectious.”

After Brown redshirted at South Florida in 2022, he took over as USF’s starter when Golesh and Gordon arrived the following season. In his USF career, Brown totaled 7,690 passing yards with 61 touchdowns while adding 2,265 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns. 

“The coaches feel that energy, the players feel that energy. People feed off of him,” Gordon said. “Byrum Brown inspired that football program to rally around him and he’s going to do the same thing here.”

Golesh’s blueprint for returning Auburn to SEC prominence began with the signing of Brown, who followed his coach from Tampa to the Plains.  

“Coach Golesh showed me his plan from day one when he got to USF, and now he came here and wanted to build something again,” said Brown, who signed with Auburn before knowing who would be blocking for him. “Coach Golesh has never done me wrong. I have full trust and faith in him. What we have building here, I’m excited for the whole country to see.”

There will be no learning curve for Auburn’s new quarterback. 2026 marks Brown’s fourth consecutive season to trigger Golesh and Gordon’s offense.

“A really special opportunity to be together for one more year,” Gordon said. 

Accompanying Golesh at On To Victory’s LAUNCH events in Birmingham, Mobile and Huntsville, Brown discussed his decision to transfer from USF to Auburn for his final college football season.

“Change is sometimes needed,” he said. “I felt like it was needed, to come to a university of this prestige and play SEC football and do it with a coach who’s had my back.”

In an exclusive War Eagle+ interview, Brown previewed what Auburn fans can expect from the Tigers’ offense this fall.

“We’re going to spread the ball out to the playmakers, let them make plays,” he said. “We’ve got great backs who are going to tote the rock, and it doesn’t happen without the O-line. We’ll be rolling, going fast, scoring in eight to 10 plays, maybe even less, and get off the field.”

Further easing Brown’s transition to the SEC is Auburn’s signing of 12 of his former USF teammates, including 10 who play offense and six of his top targets.

“Trying to be the best offense in the country, that’s what we’re striving for,” he said. “Having those guys here will be great for this team. We’re here to do big things and bring Auburn back to where it should be.”

Last season Brown led all FBS quarterbacks with 42 total touchdowns while averaging 347.2 yards of offense per game. The 6-foot-3, 232-pound senior from Raleigh, North Carolina, completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 3,158 yards with 28 touchdowns while rushing for 1,008 yards and 14 touchdowns.

 After joining 11 others in NCAA history with 3,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in the same season, Brown now reunites with Golesh and Gordon, hoping to duplicate those sizzling stats in the SEC. 

“Truly a blessing,” Brown said. “It doesn’t happen without my teammates and the coaching staff calling plays to get us in the right position to put up stats like that.”

Brown graduated from USF in December with a 3.77 GPA in health sciences after setting 15 program records.

“The pros outweighed the cons,” he said of his decision to come to Auburn. “I talked with my family, talked it over with the Lord, and we felt like this was the best decision.

“I’m going to do whatever it takes to win. This 2026 football season is going to be really special, so pack out Jordan-Hare Stadium and let’s do this.”

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