Tigers to hire Golesh from USF

How’s that for a twist?

Auburn has hired South Florida head coach Alex Golesh to coach the Tigers beginning immediately. The plan is for him to be in town Sunday to begin assessing the program’s Class of 2026 commitments and developing a plan for the early Signing Day.

The expectation is that DJ Durkin, the Tigers’ interim head coach and defensive coordinator, will remain on staff. Two sources indicate that a new or restructured deal for Durkin to remain on campus for 2026 and beyond has not been finalized, however.

“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 in a statement 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.”

Golesh was on the very first AuburnSports Hot Board and remained there throughout, drawing interest across the country after his Bulls beat Boise State and Florida to open the season. USF has remained in the hunt for a College Football Playoff berth, though a 41-38 loss at Navy on Nov. 15 likely knocked it out of contention.

Still, the Bulls are 9-3 after being Rice 52-3 in their regular-season finale.

Golesh has made his mark on the offensive side of the ball. His current USF squad ranks 5th among Bowl Subdivision teams in scoring (42.2 points per game) and yardage (497 per game). Interestingly, former Auburn quarterback, wideout and assistant coach Kodi Burns serves as Golesh’s co-offensive coordinator.

Josh Heupel, now Tennessee’s head coach, gave Golesh his first coordinator job at UCF ahead of the 2020 season. The Golden Knights finished 8th in the country in scoring at 42.2 per game. Golesh followed Heupel to Tennessee ahead of the 2021 season and served as the Vols’ offensive coordinator.

In Knoxville, Golesh’s offense finished 7th in scoring during the 2021 season and led the country in scoring during the ’22 campaign.

Golesh has been with the Bulls since the 2023 season. He’s currently 23-15 as USF’s head coach.