The Suncoast has watched plenty of great college football moments over the years, but watching local coaches and players make the leap to the SEC is something special. When Alex Golesh arrived at the University of South Florida in 2023, expectations were modest. The AAC is a respectable conference, but it’s not the power structure of college football. What Golesh did with the Bulls, though, was remarkable. In his final season, USF went 9-4 with quarterback Byrum Brown leading an offense that turned heads. By November 2025, Auburn had seen enough and offered Golesh the head coaching job. Brown didn’t hesitate to follow, and now both are making the jump to one of the most storied programs in the country.
SEC Media Days showcase the best coaching talent in America. Today in Tampa, Golesh and Brown are getting their moment on that stage as Auburn representatives. The questions will be tougher, the competition fiercer, and the national spotlight will follow every decision they make. What’s remarkable is how seamlessly this transition happened. In college football’s transfer portal era, loyalty between a coach and quarterback is rare. Yet here we are, with Brown sticking with Golesh through a career-defining move. Auburn fans should feel optimistic about what these two bring to the program.
For those of us in the Tampa Bay area who watched the USF magic happen last season, this is a chance to follow two guys who earned their success. They didn’t buy their way there or make excuses. They built something from the ground up and got noticed by a Power Five program. That’s the recipe for respect in college football. How do you think Auburn will look in year one with Golesh running the show?
