Auburn new head football coach Alex Golesh: By the Numbers

South Florida head coach Alex Golesh is seen on the field during a time out against North Texas in an NCAA college football game Friday, Oct. 10, 2025, in Denton, Texas. (AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez)

Here is a look at the performance and background of new Auburn head football coach Alex Golesh.

Auburn announced Alex Golesh as its next head coach this morning. He comes from South Florida, where he led the Bulls for three seasons.

READ: Auburn hires Alex Golesh as next head football coach
READ: Auburn statement on hiring Alex Golesh

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 three seasons.

Golesh went 23-15 with the Bulls, a tenure that culminated with USF ranking fourth in the country in scoring. Prior to his arrival in Tampa, the Bulls had only won four games over the prior three seasons.

Golesh led USF to a 9-3 record in 2025 that included wins over Boise State and Florida. But the team fell out of the American Athletic Conference title race with losses to Memphis and Navy.

His offenses have consistently been among the nation’s most productive and highest scoring, averaging more than 35 points per game and 450 yards per game during his time with the Bulls.

This year, the USF offense ranks No. 2 nationally in total offense (501.7), No. 5 in scoring (43.0) and has posted 500-plus yards in eight of its last nine regular season games. South Florida has recorded the top two passing seasons in program history with Golesh at the helm in 2023 and 2025, while quarterback Byrum Brown became just the 12th 3,000-yard passer/1,000-yard rusher in FBS history this year.

The Bulls rank in the top 25 of 20 national statistical categories, including 11 offensive, seven defensive and two special teams statistics.

Golesh’s leadership also included a boost to USF’s recruiting with the top-rated signing classes in the American Athletic Conference in both 2024 and 2025.

In his first season in 2023, Golesh reshaped the USF offense with blistering tempo and high-efficiency offensive production. His first South Florida team engineered the largest single-season turnaround in school history and the second largest in FBS in 2023, jumping from 1–11 to 7–6 and producing a 45-0 bowl win over Syracuse, the largest shutout victory in NCAA bowl history.

Before taking over at USF, Golesh spent two seasons as offensive coordinator and tight ends coach at Tennessee from 2021-22, engineering one of the most dramatic offensive turnarounds in the nation. The Vols climbed from No. 108 nationally in total offense before his arrival to No. 7 in 2021 and No. 1 in 2022.

His 2022 unit led the country in scoring (47.3 ppg), total offense (538.1 ypg), yards per play (7.35), and points per possession, and was the only offense in the nation to average more than 300 passing yards and 200 rushing yards per game. He coached Biletnikoff Award winner Jalin Hyatt and Maxwell Award finalist Hendon Hooker, both of whom shattered school records. For his efforts, he was a finalist for the prestigious Broyles Award.

At UCF in 2020, he coordinated an offense that ranked second nationally in total offense and produced a Biletnikoff Award finalist. At Iowa State (2016–19), he served as tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator, helping secure the four highest-ranked recruiting classes in program history and contributing to a turnaround that sparked a run of five straight bowl appearances. His tight end groups produced multiple all-conference selections, including first-team All-American and Mackey Award semifinalist Charlie Kolar.

During his four seasons at Illinois (2012–15), Golesh helped the Illini climb from two wins to back-to-back bowl appearances while serving as tight ends coach, running backs coach, recruiting coordinator, and special teams coordinator. Prior to that, he played a key role in Toledo’s rise from 3–9 to consecutive bowl seasons (2009–11) and helped sign the MAC’s No. 1 recruiting class in back-to-back years.

Golesh began his coaching career as a student assistant at Ohio State from 2004-05, where he worked with the defensive staff during the Buckeyes’ 2005 Big Ten championship and Fiesta Bowl win. He later held defensive graduate assistant roles at Northern Illinois (2006-07) and Oklahoma State (2008).

Across his career, Golesh has coached 14 bowl teams and helped send multiple players to the NFL, including Hooker, Hyatt, Marlon Williams, Charlie Kolar, Jacob Harris, and Velus Jones Jr. He was named to the AFCA 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute in 2019 and has twice been recognized nationally as one of the sport’s rising coaches on CBS Sports’ “Top 15 Coaches Under 40” (2023) and ESPN’s “30 Coaches Who Will Define the Next Decade” (2024).

COACHING HISTORY

2004-05: Ohio State, Student Assistant
2006-07: Northern Illinois, Graduate Assistant
2008: Oklahoma State, Graduate Assistant
2009-11: Toledo, Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator
2012-13: Illinois, Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator
2014: Illinois, Running Backs/Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator
2015: Illinois, Tight Ends/Special Teams Coordinator
2016-19: Iowa State, Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator
2020: UCF, Co-Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends
2021-22: Tennessee, Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends
2023-25: USF, Head Coach
2026-present: Auburn, Head Coach

PERSONAL

Education: B.S., Education (Ohio State, 2006)
Hometown: Dublin, Ohio
Wife: Alexis
Children: Corbin and Barrett

CAREER COACHING HONORS

2025 Paul Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Watch List
2025 Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Watch List
2024 ESPN’s “30 Coaches Who Will Define the Next Decade”
2023 CBS Sports’ “Top 15 Coaches Under 40”
2022 Broyles Award Finalist

— from Auburn University