Alex Golesh 'can't wait' for Iron Bowl after taking job at Auburn

It’s a new era for the Auburn Tigers. Alex Golesh is taking over, and he wants to get Auburn back to the top of the SEC. Of course, getting there is going to take a massive effort in some of the biggest rivalries in the country.

At his introductory press conference, Golesh was asked about competing against Alabama and Georgia. There, he latched onto the Iron Bowl, clearly excited to play in it, and explained what it means to get to compete in that legendary rivalry game.

“I think as a competitor in any way you strive for the competition to be elite,” Alex Golesh said. “This is the greatest conference in the entire country. The rivalries you just mentioned are the greatest rivalries in college football. The hair on my arm just stood up thinking about the Iron Bowl. I absolutely can’t wait to be a part of, to be back to being a part of, rivalries like that.”

Over the years, the Iron Bowl has been one of the greatest rivalries in all of college football. Oftentimes, it’s a game that also comes with national championship implications in many seasons. This year alone, had Auburn pulled an upset, it would have kept Alabama out of the SEC Championship Game and likely out of the College Football Playoff.

Of course, the Iron Bowl has been a struggle in recent seasons for Auburn. Alabama has now won six straight Iron Bowls. That goes back to 2020 and encompasses the entirety of both the Bryan Harsin and Hugh Freeze eras. That’s a trend that Alex Golesh would love to turn around as soon as possible.

“It’s, like I already said, goosebumps. That’s what you live for,” Golesh said. “If you’re any sort of competitor, if you’re in this game, that’s what you live for. We’ll be ready to rock.”

A former offensive coordinator under Josh Heupel at UCF before following him to Tennessee, Golesh spent three seasons as the head coach at USF. That time at Tennessee means he does have some experience playing big rivalry games against Alabama.

Golesh also has experience rebuilding programs. At USF, he inherited a team in disarray. The Bulls had gone 4-29 during the Jeff Scott era, and Golesh quickly turned the program around, getting USF bowl eligible in his first season. He finished with a 23-15 record there. Now, Auburn is hoping he can find similar success On the Plains.