VIDEO: Alex Golesh Press Conference

Auburn’s new head coach hasn’t been on campus long, but he already grasps the taxing task ahead.

Alex Golesh spent more than 50 minutes on Monday discussing his approach toward the early National Signing Day period. He also talked about how he assesses holdover staffers/coaches, what he’s looking for in players. Golesh wants to build the program through signing high school players. The former South Florida head coach and Tennessee offensive coordinator sees value in portal additions, but only to fill holes.

That’s not crazy talk; Hugh Freeze planned to build things that way and largely succeeded in that. Golesh’s first Auburn class currently is listed 46th in the latest 2026 Industry Rankings. That’s a bit misleading insofar as Golesh was hired just a few days before the signing window opened, which severely limited what he could accomplish.

With that said, yes, Golesh has a lot of work ahead when it comes to getting a better grasp of his roster’s strengths and weaknesses. He knows that. He has a plan for that.

Golesh discusses all that and more in this comprehensive interview:

INTERESTING COMMENTS:

“This is a place where you should be able to recruit elite, highl-level talent, elite, high-level people and develop them all the way through.” (7:48 mark)

“Were there areas that there was success? Those are the first (people) you want to look at.” (12:34 mark)

“You know that a year from now, there’s going to be a culture set and a program that they’re going to feel a part of. The money piece is still going to be critically important, but no as important because they’re going to be a part of something they helped build.” (28:33 mark)