It’s safe to say that Indiana football has significantly changed the definition of winning in college football. First, it was Ohio State’s GM Mark Pantoni, who appeared in front of the camera ten days ago and said, “I think the Indiana model in football has shown us that having older players, having an older team does mean something.” So now, while the Buckeyes are revamping their investment strategy, they don’t seem to be alone in this adaptation.

Along with OSU, Auburn, under Alex Golesh’s new leadership, is all set to quietly follow a similar pattern to that of the Hoosiers.

“I think the paradigm has changed a little bit because I think it’s become more evident that being older and older,” Auburn AD John Cohen said. “Keeping kids together, if possible, means something.”

Familiarity matters a lot when you want to develop a championship-worthy staff and roster. And sometimes it doesn’t require more investment in high school kids. Sometimes, all it requires is bringing the right guys with experience. On average, Auburn invests between $1.3 and $1.6 million annually to direct high school recruiting. In fiscal year 2024, Auburn reported $1.49 million in recruiting spending, a slight decrease from approximately $1.6 million in 2023. 

And Hugh Freeze made high school recruiting the center pillar at Auburn. He believed this was the only way to establish a lasting program culture similar to elite competitors like Alabama and Georgia. Their 2025 class ranked 7th nationally, as per On3. But did it really matter? The high school stacking gave elite individual results, but it didn’t lead to on-field results. Auburn finished the 2025 season with a disappointing 5–7 record (1–7 SEC).

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Now the school has fired Hugh Freeze, and it has hired Alex Golesh. And let’s face it, he is here to stay. Golesh will now follow the Hoosiers blueprint. Last year, Indiana was built around transfers. This system started when Curt Cignetti arrived in Bloomington from James Madison. Within weeks of his hiring, Cignetti signed 13 transfers from his former team. During that same year, he went on an overhaul by bringing in 30 transfers to replace the 3–9 roster he inherited.

And it bore results. Indiana finished the 2024 season with an 11-2 record. And that’s why Cignetti doubled down by getting 22–24 more transfers for the 2025 campaign, including Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza from Cal. The starting lineup had 12 transfers compared to only two homegrown recruits among those who started at least 10 games.

The average age of Indiana’s roster is approximately 23 years old. However, they try to keep it balanced. Their 2026 recruiting class signed 22 incoming freshmen alongside 17 transfers. In that way, they aren’t avoiding the recruiting procedure.

Now in his first season with the Tigers, Alex Golesh will do the same thing, and he has already started. Even Golesh brought 13 transfers with him from USF. Having players who already understand the system makes it easier for the staff to work efficiently. Otherwise, younger players, while they have talent, take time to grasp the process.

“So, I think that this group of kids out of the portal, along with the class, was very carefully selected,” Cohen said.

The Alex Golesh era at Auburn

After the tragic 2025 season, Auburn saw 37 players leave, for obvious reasons. But Auburn responded by adding 39 players, including players from USF. That’s where QB Byrum Brown comes in. The former USF QB played three seasons under Alex Golesh, and he knows the system perfectly. This gives Golesh some breathing room going into the 2026 season.

“Absolutely priceless,” he told the media on January 28. “It honestly lets you go to sleep at night a little bit… I think every day that you can get ahead offensively, and you feel like there’s continuity and rhythm, you got a chance to have success, you can kind of skip that first couple of games where people are figuring it out. Both Cole and Byrum honestly let you sleep at night a little bit.”

Brown was the first player Golesh wanted when he signed for the Auburn helm. Now that he has just one year of eligibility remaining, there’s no doubt that Brown will be starting. However, the urgency is absolutely justified. The Auburn QB room is empty after Jackson Arnold, Ashton Daniels, and Deuce Knight all hit the portal. And along with Brown, other USF players also followed Golesh.