With losing top quarterbacks such as Jackson Arnold, Ashton Daniels, and Deuce Knight, it seemed like all hope was lost for Auburn Head Coach Alex Golesh. But one of his former QBs has voiced his support for Golesh.

The quarterback is none other than former USF QB Byrum Brown. He has signed with Auburn. During his introduction with Auburn’s fans at the Neville Arena, Brown opened up about why he chose to sign with the Tigers and shared his thoughts on his head coach.

“Coach Golesh has shown me his plan from day one, when he got there, got to USF, and now came here and wanted to build something again,” Auburn’s new QB, Byrum Brown, said. “I trust in that man fully, so I can’t wait to bring this place back to where it should be.”

Brown’s familiarity with Alex Golesh and the new Auburn staff did play a key role in his decision. Brown has previously been coached by Golesh during the Tigers HC’s time at USF between 2023 to 2025 and thus trusts his HC completely. On top of it, Joel Gordon’s presence in the team as offensive coordinator just makes the transition even easier. That confidence clearly shows in his words when he says, “We’re going to score a lot of points.”

Beyond the familiar scheme, Brown is also excited to play with similar faces, as former USF pass catchers Christian Neptune, Kory Pettigrew, and Jonathan Echols are all coming to Auburn, with South Florida’s wide receivers Keshaun Singleton and Chas Nimrod ready to join the team.

“I’m very excited. But I’m also very excited to get other pieces here and then build with a team that’s already here,” Brown said. “Looking forward to meeting those guys and, hopefully, being accepted fairly quickly.”

Above all, moving from a G5 program to Auburn, which is in the SEC conference, gives Brown major visibility. Alex Golesh’s team will give him a bigger stage to prove his dominance in front of top defenses and move to a better NFL team in the 2027 draft.

While Brown had other options, such as Miami, he chose to reunite with his former Head Coach. Golesh got him at the perfect time. Brown will not just tackle the quarterback position but will also bring stability to the 32 portal exits so far. His commitment puts the Tigers in a strong place and will help them grab top players. His competitiveness ranks him as the no. 11 overall transfer and no. 4 QB in the portal, trailing just behind Sam Leavitt, Drew Mestemaker, and Brendan Sorsby.

While coaching the South Florida Bulls, Golesh has a 14-12 overall record in the regular season and is 2-0 in the Bowl championships. In 2023, the Bulls captured the Boca Raton Bowl, and the following year, Golesh coached his team to lift the Hawaii Bowl.

Brown comes into Auburn after completing 226 of 341 passes for 3,158 yards and 28 touchdowns while also rushing for 1,008 yards and 14 touchdowns on 175 carries during the 2025 season. USF also finished No. 5 in points per game and No. 7 in yards per play; now, Auburn is positioned to import the core of that attack.

Adding to this, Brown has an overall record of 7,690 passing yards and has scored 61 touchdowns. He also proved to be a dominant force in the rushing department. He has 2,265 rushing yards with 31 touchdowns.

Brown comes in the top 10 nationally in yards per attempt, quarterback rating, and passing touchdowns despite playing in only 12 games. Brown even posted a 0.32 EPA per dropback, ranking 14th nationally. Now, this explosive QB will turn Alex Golesh’s fate in the coming season.

Adding to Brown, Alex Golesh makes another USF addition to Auburn.

Alex Golesh makes a major defensive addition

After tackling the QB position, Alex Golesh adds another key player to his team. USF defensive back Fred Gaskin III joins Golesh after entering the transfer portal. He made his move just after Golesh took the reins at Auburn following their Cure Bowl loss to Old Dominion.

Gaskin brings in a solid resume to Auburn. He recorded 53 tackles, two interceptions, two PBUs, one sack, and one forced fumble, adding to a career total of 65 tackles and three interceptions. Gaskin has two years of eligibility left, which makes him even more valuable for Auburn.

Now, with that experience, he joins the long list of USF commits to Auburn. This includes wide receivers Jeremiah Koger and Christian Neptune, along with quarterback Locklan Hewlitt.

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SEC teams are filled with five-star and four-star players, and Alex Golesh is building a team with 3 stars, even though that rating is not confirmed. So, will these players match the pace in the SEC? That’s something we need to wait and see in the 2026 season.