Now charged with getting the best talent to the Barn, Alex Golesh has a long way to go. The Tigers’ front office has struggled big time this season, tumbling down 28 spots in the national recruitment rankings. But the new HC’s efforts seem to be making their mark. Now, the Tigers have already gotten off to a great start, signing two great talents for their 2026 class.

Golesh will mark the start of his tenure at Auburn by signing 3-star OL Mykall Lundy-Foster. He is Golesh’s first signee and followed him to Auburn after initially committing to South Florida.

“I cannot wait to join the Auburn family,” Lundy-Foster told AuburnSports. “The development that Coach (Alex) Golesh promised me in the past at USF is amazing and I can’t wait to play for that guy.”

Apart from the HC, who signed the six-year deal with an average annual salary of $7.4 million, it was the Former USF O-line coach Tyler Hudanick who convinced Lundy-Foster.

“That guy recruited me right off the rip,” Lundy-Foster said. “He is beyond football for me. He’s a mentor in my life and knows how to coach me. That is who I choose to play for.”

Apart from Lundy-Foster’s last-minute flip to the Tigers, more players committed to Auburn. Alex Golesh has another great talent locked for 2026, in safety Wayne Henry.

Auburn is almost like a home for him, since he comes from the St. Frances Academy pipeline. Henry committed to the Tigers in August last year and has remarkably stayed on despite the turbulent year since then. At that time, Henry was the 46th-best safety in the 2026 class, and Auburn’s roster was the nation’s best. He is wrapping up his senior season, trying to help St. Frances clinch a national championship in the last remaining game.

Auburn enters the signing period with a 2026 class ranked 58th in the country, per On3. With Alex Golesh’s hire, the program has suddenly become an intriguing avenue and is pushing prospects to flip. For now, Golesh will be content having signed another serious player for 2026. 

Alex Golesh secures Auburn’s 2026 crown jewel on National Signing Day

4-star LB Jaquez Wilkes headlines Auburn’s 2026 signees. Being the highest-rated commit in the class, he was a priority recruit for Alex Golesh. He also plays running back, but will play on defense as a Tiger. Wilkes is the 6th-best LB in the country by 247Sports, making him a massive recruiting win for Auburn.

Alex Golesh might be set for something big in his first year as Auburn HC. He’s already forced some prospects to flip here, including those from USF. He has to control a class that’s fallen 48 places below its 2025 rank, which was among the country’s Top 10. Golesh signing someone like Jaquez Wilkes will rekindle the buzz around Auburn recruiting once again.

“We’re going to develop as hard as anybody ever has,” Alex Golesh said at his Auburn inauguration. “The investment that has been made by the administration to go and attack every single part of recruiting is phenomenal. We’ve got every resource known to man right here to be able to go attract, recruit, retain, and develop the best talent there is in the entire country.”

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With 3 signees on National Signing Day, Auburn added 11 more players, and it is a good reason to celebrate. Golesh saw a big loss in the departure of Peyton Falzone, the only QB commit of the 2026 class. He’s going to have a mix of hits and misses in his journey as Auburn HC, so he’ll be taking whatever wins he can get.