After months of lurking around, the Auburn Tigers finally found their head coach in G5 offense maestro Alex Golesh. The Tigers sure paid the bank to get him in the SEC. His contract kicked off a domino effect in South Florida.

We’re talking a massive payday here: a $44.4 million contract spread out over six years per Yahoo. That means he’ll be raking in about $7.4 million every single year. It’s safe to say he got a sweet deal leaving the University of South Florida (USF) for the SEC. His contract is lavish as it gets. If Golesh leads the team to nine wins, he gets an extra $1.5 million, and if Auburn reaches 12 wins, his yearly pay could go over $12 million.

The Auburn fans are tired of reliving their 2013 season after watching their program rack up 3 losing seasons over the last four years. So why not drop premium money on the best available coach in the market, who just so happens to run a pound for pound top-three offense in the country?

Golesh worked wonders at South Florida in the last three seasons. He literally brought life to that Bulls program. Get this: in the three years before he spawned, USF only managed 4 total wins. With Golesh at the helm, they racked  23 wins in just three years! His last season at USF saw the team go 9-3, with the offense finishing ranked second nationally in total offense and fourth in scoring offense.

The move was part of a wild day of coaching changes in college football, and he was one of the biggest names moving. Plus, he’s bringing some familiar faces with him. According to Matt Zenit of CBS Sports, a few of his trusted USF staffers joining him on the Plains are offensive coordinator Joel Gordon, offensive line coach Tyler Hudanick, cornerbacks coach DeMarcus Van Dyke, and head strength and conditioning coach George Courides.

Expectations in the SEC are always top-notch. The question is: can Alex Golesh exceed the expectations of Auburn’s standard?

Auburn Tigers and AD John Cohen’s expectations for Golesh

Auburn’s brass specifically looked for a guy who could light a fire under the offense and recruit well in the South. Golesh checked both boxes on the paper. The Tigers were a mess, especially on the offensive. Despite having one of the best wide receiving corps in the country, the Tigers offense was barely averaging around 27.4 per game. Not to mention, they were averaging just 370 yards per game. That has to change.

The team finished 5–7 in 2025, the fourth straight year with seven losses. They’ve only made one bowl game in the last four seasons, which is far from what Auburn fans expect or even deserve. Athletic Director John Cohen is counting on Golesh to turn things within 2-3 years. Golesh knows what he signed up for.

“Auburn Football is one of the proudest, most tradition-rich programs in all of college football and my family and I could not be more excited to join the Auburn Family,” Golesh said Sunday. “This will be a player-driven program, and no one will outwork our staff. Auburn has won, can win and will win championships. Let’s get to work.”