On The Plains with Cole Best: 'A true, authentic leader'

Cole Best arrived on The Plains in the spring, following head coach Alex Golesh from South Florida to Auburn, and the senior center from Winter Park, Florida, is ready to put an exclamation on his final chapter of collegiate football with the Tigers. 

Best first ventured into the realm of football when he played flag football at a young age and moved up in the sport until eighth grade. He stopped playing altogether and only went back out after his friends begged him. 

“I was the biggest guy in our grade,” he said. “They were begging me to come out and try tackle, and I kept telling them, ‘No, no, no,’ and then finally I did it. At that level, if you're just big and strong, you are just kind of tossing kids around.”

After spending his entire football career in the state of Florida, Best arrived on The Plains alongside Golesh after five seasons at South Florida. 

“Obviously being really, really loyal to Coach Golesh, when he took the opportunity to be the head coach here, and they wanted me to come with them, I was like, ‘Man, that's like a dream come true,’” said Best. “That's a no-brainer.”

Throughout his USF career, Best grew in his role and improved each season, he says.

“Obviously, there comes the physical component with playing O-line, that's just getting bigger, stronger and faster,” said Best, a USF captain in 2025. “For me, the part that I always struggled with early on was the mental part of it – being able to process stuff at a super-high clip, especially in the really high, up-tempo offense that we run.”

Best redshirted his freshman season and then played in two games the next season. 

After playing 11 games in 2023, Best started 10 of 13 games in 2024, beginning a streak of 20 consecutive starts that he’ll take into the 2026 season.

Throughout his time as a Bull, his skills at center as well as his leadership ability grew and that all came to fruition when he earned All-American Conference recognition last season.

At the end of the 2025 season, his connection with Golesh helped with the decision to transfer, but Best also held an appreciation for the university and town before deciding to come to The Plains. 

“I've always loved Auburn, loved the area,” he said. “I had a bunch of friends that came here out of high school, and I came and visited them. I've always loved this place, always loved the culture. I always thought the eagle in the stadium was the coolest tradition in college football.”

Before announcing his commitment to the Tigers, Best was already starting to feel the pull of the Auburn faithful.

“That Auburn Family is real,” Best said. “The way that even before I committed, the fanbase was reaching out to me and interacting with me and saying, ‘Come home, come to The Plains.’”

Best not only comes to Auburn with his coach but also with quarterback Byrum Brown. After several seasons together, Best and Brown have developed strong bonds on and off the field. 

“Over the years, we've just gotten closer and closer and closer, especially snapping the ball to him every play,” Best said. “We have a good time, we joke around, we talk on the field, we talk off the field, we hang out in the building, we hang out outside the building, and I think that center-quarterback connection is everything.

“I've got to be able to trust him, but he's dang sure got to be able to trust me to put the snap right where he wants it every time. Not only that, but to get the O-line right and make sure that he's protected.”

Entering the 2026 season, Best looks to help Auburn take the next steps towards competing for championships again. 

“This year all I have on my mind is being a leader to set the foundation, and that's what we did at the last spot,” Best said. “That's what I'm going to do here. It starts within the position room. You start small, so you get around those guys in the position room.”

Best has accomplished many things throughout his collegiate career, but there are still some achievements that remain and he is not done yet. 
 
“To win a conference championship, go to the playoffs and go to a national championship,” Best said. “So, I’d say not even close to being done yet. The number one individual goal this year is to go get that Rimington Trophy.”

While Best’s achievements and accomplishments are meaningful, learning how to be a leader has been a defining and essential lesson of his career.

For Best, leadership is not simply about leading by example. It is about holding others accountable and having the confidence to speak when necessary.

“Don’t be afraid,” Best said. “You’ve earned the right to speak up. You've earned the right to demand it from the younger guys and even the older guys.”

More than anything else, Best is looking forward to his first game under the lights in Jordan-Hare when the Tigers take on Southern Miss.

“When I think about what I'm most excited for is standing in that tunnel at that first home game and just looking up and seeing almost 90,000 fans just losing their minds,” Best said. “To me, that's what I'm most excited for and just winning a lot of games, getting this place back on the map and giving these Auburn fans what they deserve.”

After the 2026 season, Best, who earned his degree in marketing from South Florida, looks to play in the NFL.

“The league is on my mind 100 percent,” Best said. “If it's meant to be, God willing, then it's meant to be, and that's been my dream my entire life.”

And life after football? 

“I'd really like to get into real estate, and then I'm just excited to be a father, be a husband and start a family,” he said.

Best looks to write his final chapter on The Plains and hopes to leave a lasting impact on the program. When asked how he wanted to be remembered, his response had little to do with statistics or awards. 

“True authentic leader and a dude that gave his all in everything that he did,” Best said. “I'd want to hear, ‘That dude came in and worked his tail off every day.’”