Auburn football kicks off preseason practice

AUBURN, Ala. –  Four weeks before Auburn kicks off the Alex Golesh era, the Tigers continue to ramp up preseason camp, progressing from shorts to shells to full pads.

“I’m good with where we are,” the first-year head coach said after Thursday’s workout, Auburn’s second of the week. “We’re nowhere near where we need to be, and we certainly will get there.”

Auburn will add shoulder pads beginning in Saturday morning’s fourth preseason practice before transitioning to full pads next week.

“The guys are learning how to take care of each other but play hard,” Golesh said.

Freshman receiver DeShawn Spencer, the MVP of Auburn’s A-Day game with nine receptions for 93 yards, continues to impress, says Golesh.

“He’s mature beyond his years,” said Golesh of the 5-11, 175-pounder from Saraland High School north of Mobile. “He comes from a really good program. He’s been coached really hard. All he’s done is win, and it translates really quickly because he’s worked incredibly hard. He’s got stuff you can’t really coach. The football savviness is what you can’t really teach and he’s got it.

“He spends as much time as anybody in here so that he’s prepared, and he’s earned the reps he’s getting. He’s rolling with the first two groups and not just fits in but stands out at times.”

Another emerging youngster, sophomore running back Omar Mabson II, is competing for carries.

“He is the definition of you know what you’re going to get every single day,” Golesh said. “The ball security is consistent, the way he catches the ball is consistent, his vision is consistent. He just works. I told these guys we’re going to play the dudes we trust, and he’s slowly but surely earned that.”

Mabson starred at Auburn High School before reclassifying into the 2026 class and debuting last season as one of the country’s youngest freshmen.

“Since we walked through the door, has been as consistent as anybody on our side of the ball,” offensive coordinator Joel Gordon said. “He loves Auburn. He's a great teammate, he's a leader for us and he has gotten better even though we are not playing against anybody throughout the summertime. You can see that he's getting faster, he's getting smoother and it's just the nature of more exposure to reps in this offense.”

Golesh and Gordon’s up-tempo offense seeks to wear down defenses as games progress. Center Cole Best, who played in this system in three previous seasons at South Florida, has seen it work.

“That’s why I love the tempo,” Best said. “There’s nothing better than when you get late in a game and you look in the eyes of the guy across from you and you can tell that they’re blown out when you have more in the tank. That’s the best feeling in the world.”

One look across the line of scrimmage is all it takes.

“A hundred percent,” Best said. “Body language, eyes. It tells you everything you need to know.”

Of course, preseason attention and accolades pale in comparison to what happens when the season starts. For Auburn, that’s Sept. 5 in Atlanta against Baylor at 2:30 p.m. CT before the Tigers host Southern Miss Sept. 12 at 6:45 p.m. CT in Kickoff on The Plains.

“Awards are not won in the preseason,” said linebacker Xavier Atkins, a regular on preseason All-SEC and All-America lists. “It’s what you do in the season. That’s why I always try to keep my even keel, but it’s a great thing though.”

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