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The 21st century has featured extreme highs and lows for Auburn football, but the highs have been something to behold.
The Tigers won a national championship in 2010 behind arguably the single greatest individual season in the sport's history from Cam Newton, played for another in 2013 and nearly cracked the four-team College Football Playoff in 2017. However, since the 2020s began, it's been a rough time on the Plains.
AU has only finished above .500 once in this decade, and it came amid a 6-5 pandemic-shortened 2020 season that culminated in coach Gus Malzahn's dismissal. The program is now on its third coach since then after it hired Alex Golesh this offseason.
Speaking at his first SEC media days on Tuesday, Golesh said the goal at Auburn is clear: return the program to national prominence.
"This was a top-5 program in the country for a long time — like 10 years ago," Golesh said, per ESPN's David Hale. "We've got to get it back to that. And that's where all the time and energy has been getting kids around us. ... It's been changing a mindset even in our own state."
Golesh said a harrowing moment came early in his tenure when, during a conversation with a recruit, he realized the player was in the sixth grade during the Tigers' last winning season in 2020. He still wants to build the program for the long haul, as he did at USF, but he recognizes that there's a bit of added pressure to win right away now that he's in the SEC.
Despite that lofty goal, Golesh said he doesn't have a specific benchmark in mind for his team this fall.
"I don't set goals... I set standards," Golesh said. "What's a successful Year 1 look like? I don't have any goals, other than laying a foundation for what our football's going to be for years to come."
Auburn fans will hope that philosophy translates to some improvement in Year 1 after the program missed bowl games in the final two seasons under former coach Hugh Freeze.
SContact/Follow @College_Wire on X and @College_Wires on Threads. Like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of college sports news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Alex Golesh outlines a clear mission for Auburn football
Continue reading...
The Tigers won a national championship in 2010 behind arguably the single greatest individual season in the sport's history from Cam Newton, played for another in 2013 and nearly cracked the four-team College Football Playoff in 2017. However, since the 2020s began, it's been a rough time on the Plains.
AU has only finished above .500 once in this decade, and it came amid a 6-5 pandemic-shortened 2020 season that culminated in coach Gus Malzahn's dismissal. The program is now on its third coach since then after it hired Alex Golesh this offseason.
Speaking at his first SEC media days on Tuesday, Golesh said the goal at Auburn is clear: return the program to national prominence.
"This was a top-5 program in the country for a long time — like 10 years ago," Golesh said, per ESPN's David Hale. "We've got to get it back to that. And that's where all the time and energy has been getting kids around us. ... It's been changing a mindset even in our own state."
Golesh said a harrowing moment came early in his tenure when, during a conversation with a recruit, he realized the player was in the sixth grade during the Tigers' last winning season in 2020. He still wants to build the program for the long haul, as he did at USF, but he recognizes that there's a bit of added pressure to win right away now that he's in the SEC.
Despite that lofty goal, Golesh said he doesn't have a specific benchmark in mind for his team this fall.
"I don't set goals... I set standards," Golesh said. "What's a successful Year 1 look like? I don't have any goals, other than laying a foundation for what our football's going to be for years to come."
Auburn fans will hope that philosophy translates to some improvement in Year 1 after the program missed bowl games in the final two seasons under former coach Hugh Freeze.
SContact/Follow @College_Wire on X and @College_Wires on Threads. Like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of college sports news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Alex Golesh outlines a clear mission for Auburn football
Continue reading...
