Auburn football can't stay this bad, right? Why we're buying stock in Alex Golesh
Only the old-timers remember a stretch of Auburn football as bad as what the Tigers have produced this decade.Bryan Harsin, then Hugh Freeze, failed to serve up even one single winning season on the Plains. The Tigers have endured five consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 1946-50.Its now Alex Goleshs job to fix it.EXCLUSIVE: Alex Golesh brings some 'Fe' fire. Auburns future hinges on whether he finds a QB RED IS DEAD: How deep does Auburns hatred of Alabama go? Check the GatoradeAuburn made its third hire since firing Gus Malzahn (who never had a losing season at Auburn, by the way), when it plucked Golesh out of South Florida.Will this hire fare any better than the last two?On this edition of SEC Football Unfiltered, host Blake Toppmeyer of USA TODAY is joined by the Montgomery Advertiser's Adam Cole as they examine the start of Golesh's tenure and whether hell spark an Auburn upswing.Toppmeyer shares some details of his offseason visit to Auburn, and Cole details the mood of the fanbase, and he also explains why quarterback Byrum Brown's ability couldn't be judged properly from Auburn's spring game.Subscribe to SEC Football UnfilterediTunes | Google Play | SpotifyAlso in this episode, Auburn center Cole Best, in an interview with Toppmeyer, shares a revealing conversation he had with Brown that pulls back the curtain on how Auburns quarterback wins support and respect from his teammates.So, new coach, new quarterback, new offense, even a new mantra.New results? Let's discuss:OPINION: Big Ten football took the SEC's power. Then, it broke the SEC's brain Are we buying, selling or holding stock in Auburn football?Cole: Id buy it. I would. Theres just something about Golesh.Harsin didn't fit Auburn. Freeze seemed like he fit, but his best days already were behind him by the time he got to Auburn, and he could never get the quarterbacks going.Hiring Golesh is a move toward a younger, up-and-coming coach whos not going to be outworked by anyone. Golesh brought in a lot of USF transfers wholl have familiarity with him and his system. That includes Brown, a pivotal piece of the rebuild. Auburn still attracts talent. Freeze signed some good recruiting classes, but he didn't do enough with the talent. I think Golesh will get more out of an Auburn roster than his two predecessors.In Year 1, bowl expectations are reasonable. If were stretching this outlook out over a few years, Id be comfortable buying stock now.Toppmeyer: Before we talk football, lets talk stocks. I like buying into good companies that are trading at a bargain price.That brings us to Auburn. I still believe Auburn football is a solid company, long-term, but after five years of bruising results, its trading at a value price.Buy low, sell high. Thats basic investment strategy. Im buying in.Golesh cannot fare worse than his two predecessors, right?Tennessees best season under Josh Heupel came with Golesh as its offensive coordinator, in 2022. Heupel deserves a lot of credit. So does Hendon Hooker. But, at least a bit of the credit ought to go to Golesh. Later, as a head coach, he accelerated USF.Undeniably, its a big step up from the American Conference to the SEC. Also, the up-tempo spread offense Auburn will operate under Golesh is not as revolutionary within the SEC as it was four or five years ago. Defenses are more familiar with defending this system. But, Golesh is a nimble offensive mind wholl adjust where necessary, and hes developing as a program builder. Unlike Freeze, Goleshs career is ascending, and his best achievements occurred more recently than a decade ago.Plus, although I dont expect Auburn to keep up dollar-for-dollar with the likes of Ohio State, Texas and other top spenders, Auburns investment is strong enough to expect much more than the 27-35 record Harsin and Freeze combined to produce.Would I predict Golesh will deliver a national championship? No, but Id say that for a lot of his SEC peers, too. I would buy into him accelerating the program in ways Freeze and Harsin couldnt. I'd also pick him to end Auburns Iron Bowl losing streak, although maybe not this season.SEC POST-SPRING RANKINGS: The league is deeper than ever. Does it have a champion?Where to listen to SEC Football UnfilteredAppleSpotifyiHeartGoogleBlake Toppmeyeris the USA TODAY Network's senior national college football columnist.Adam Cole is the Auburn beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser.Subscribe to theSEC Football Unfilteredpodcast, and check out theSEC Unfiltered newsletter,delivered straight to your inboxThis article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Buy stock in Auburn football under Alex Golesh? Here's why answer is yes
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