Auburn hires South Florida’s Alex Golesh as next head football coach
Auburn has hired South Florida’s Alex Golesh as its next head coach.
The 41-year-old Golesh, who was born in Russia and moved to the United State at age 7, is signing a six-year contract to replace Hugh Freeze. Freeze was fired in early November after failing to fix Auburn’s offensive issues in three seasons on the Plains. Freeze lost 12 of his last 15 Southeastern Conference games.
The Tigers owe Freeze $15.8 million, with no mitigation, from a six-year, $39 million deal he signed to replace Bryan Harsin in 2022. Freeze got the boot at 15-19 overall and 6-16 in the conference. The last five losses included more offensive woes.
Golesh becomes Auburn’s fourth football coach in seven seasons. The Tigers fired Gus Malzahn in 2020, Harsin in 2022 and now Freeze in 2025. Together, the school will end up paying $52.5 million in buyout fees.
READ: Auburn University statement on hiring Alex Golesh
READ: Alex Golesh – By the numbers
Golesh went 23-15 in three seasons with the Bulls, a tenure that culminated with USF ranking fourth in the country in scoring. The Bulls upset Florida in Gainesville in September and lost road games at Memphis and Navy by three points each to miss out on the American Conference championship game and a potential berth in the College Football Playoff.
Golesh led USF to a 9-3 record in 2025 that included wins over Boise State and Florida. The Bulls fell out of the American Athletic Conference title race with losses to Memphis and Navy. Golesh became a hot name on the coaching market, and reportedly turned down the coaching job at Arkansas, according to CBS Sports.
He previously worked as Josh Heupel’s offensive coordinator at UCF (2020) and Tennessee (2021-22) before taking over at USF.
On Monday, Auburn will welcome Golesh with a special Tiger Walk at 11:45AM and pep rally at 11:50AM. Both events are open to the public.
That will be followed by his introductory news conference at noon, which will air live on Action 8.
Golesh becomes the Tigers’ 33rd head coach in history and is widely regarded as one of the top offensive minds in the game. Prior to Golesh’s arrival in Tampa, the South Florida Bulls had won just four games over the prior three seasons.
“I want to thank President Roberts and John Cohen for the opportunity to lead the Auburn program,” Golesh said. “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. 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.”
“We are thrilled to announce Alex Golesh as the 33rd head coach of Auburn Football,” Aubun Athletics Director John Cohen said. “He has produced wins and record-setting results throughout his entire career, including over the last three seasons at USF. Alex is known nationally for his player development prowess, ability to shape creative and explosive offenses, and his relentless approach to building winning programs. I was also struck by his coaching experience on both sides of the ball. In our conversations, he showed the determination and edge that this program demands of its head coach. I want to welcome Alex, his wife Alexis and children Corbin and Barrett to the Auburn Family.”
In 2025, USF returned to the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2018 and recorded consecutive victories over ranked opponents for the first time in program history after season opening victories over Boise State and Florida.
He is also the first coach to lead USF to bowl eligibility in his first three seasons, including postseason victories in both 2023 and 2024.
Auburn has not had a winning season since going 6-5 in Malzahn’s final year in 2020. Since then, the Tigers have gone 28-35 and have made it to two bowl games, losing both. This year the Tigers went 1-7 in conference play and finished tied for 13th with Mississippi State and South Carolina, with only Arkansas below them.
(Copyright 2025 The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
