Auburn hires South Florida head coach Alex Golesh

On Sunday morning, three different American Conference head coaches were hired by SEC programs.

Auburn agreed to terms with South Florida head coach Alex Golesh — two days before the Bulls defeated Rice 52-3 in their regular season finale.

“He has produced wins and record-setting results throughout his entire career, including over the last three seasons at USF,” Auburn athletic director John Cohen said in a statement. “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.”

Golesh spent three years at South Florida, producing a 23-15 record with two bowl victories. The 41-year old Russian born coach inherited a program that produced a 4-29 record in the three seasons prior to his onboarding, owning the longest losing streak to FBS opponents in the country. Golesh turned South Florida around instantly, blanking Syracuse 45-0 in the 2023 Boca Raton Bowl to finish 7-6 in year one and outlasting San Jose State 41-39 in the 2024 Hawaii Bowl to finish 7-6 in year two. The 2025 campaign was his most successful yet. Currently 9-3 entering bowl season, Golesh kicked off the year with back-to-back ranked victories over Boise State and Florida and earned eight of his nine wins by at least 27 points — including a signature 63-36 thrashing of 10-1 North Texas.

The Bulls appeared in the AP Poll in five different weeks this season, ranking as high as No. 18 in two separate weeks — marking their first time in the Top 25 since 2018. USF was also ranked by the College Football Playoff committee earlier in November and essentially controlled its own destiny for the playoff until a 41-38 upset defeat at Navy.

Under Golesh, the Bulls currently boast the 4th-best scoring offense in the FBS at 43.0 points per game, cracking 48 points or more in seven of 12 outings. They rank second in total offense at 502 yards per game, checking in at 11th in rushing and 19th in passing in a balanced unit led by dual-threat quarterback Byrum Brown. Golesh has always been renowned for his offensive prowess, earning the South Florida job after successful offensive coordinator stints at UCF and Tennessee. He operates with a signature spread up-tempo offense, relying on spacing, vertical shots, and snapping the ball as fast as possible — similar to the system he ran with Josh Heupel at Tennessee, although evolving the scheme with a few of his own wrinkles.

South Florida vastly improved defensively this year, ranking eighth in the FBS with 23 turnovers collected. The Bulls demonstrated more physicality up front than they had in past years, limiting opponents to 3.6 yards per carry as a heralded run defense.

Golesh succeeds Hugh Freeze as Auburn’s 33rd full-time head coach. Freeze was fired on Nov. 2 after spending three years as the Tigers’ frontman. Golesh will be the program’s fourth different coach of the 2020s decade. In 2026, he’ll look to resurrect Auburn the same way he did South Florida, as the Tigers currently ride a streak of five-straight 7-loss seasons.