Alex Golesh hasn’t exactly had an easy start to his time leading the Auburn Tigers. From day one, he was tasked to rebuild the roster after 37 players chose to enter the transfer portal. With only two pledges in the 2027 bag, they are lagging in the recruiting trail. They saw some silver lining as Auburn seemed to be the favorite to land highly rated four-star quarterback Israel Abrams. But that optimism is on hold now that both the Big Ten and the ACC have entered the conversation.

“I still like my Auburn prediction for Abrams, but Purdue, Florida State, and Kentucky are in the thick of it with offensive coordinator Joe Sloan from the Wildcats program in regular touch,” On3 analyst Steve Wiltfong’s latest intel came with a clause for Golesh. 

Auburn holds an 88.1% chance to land Abrams, followed by Iowa State at 3.0%. In that list, Barry Odom’s program stands with a 2.2% chance. While the recruiting plot thickens, the hot target has already caught eyes with his feet at the Elite 11 in Indianapolis.

The Rivals shared a clip of his performance, and the four-star quarterback is spotted making long throws that landed perfectly in the hands of another player waiting at a distance. That might already turn up Golesh’s fear of losing Abrams. 

They had already leaped in the wooing race after the two-time state champion quarterback took a visit to the Auburn camp. 

“The coaches, they show so much love,” Abrams said. “They’re always reaching out. They’re always there. I probably talk to Coach Hayden Kingston and Coach (Joel) Gordon at least three times a week, both of them. The connection is definitely building and getting better.”

But the current situation is a bit different. Among the competing suitors, who puts the most pressure on Auburn?

“Purdue remains Auburn’s biggest competition,” wrote Wiltfong, stirring some more fear for Golesh. “He has great familiarity with the staff and has visited the nearby campus several times. He believes in Barry Odom and likes the people he’d be around.”

The No. 3 signal-caller in the country made a trip to Purdue for their 2025 season opener against Ball State in September. Even though head coach Barry Odom might be a big factor for Auburn to lose the race, the Boilermakers’ history might have been a factor, too.

However, they have worn the “Cradle of Quarterbacks” tag like a badge of honor, but the Purdue Boilermakers football team has hit a rough patch. Just three wins in the last two seasons, their air game has been stuck in first gear.

With pressure mounting, Golesh is casting a wide net. Abrams may be a priority, but four-star Antioch quarterback Andre Adams is also on the radar. What are the factors that might allow Auburn to have an edge in the recruiting race?

The NIL factor might favor Alex Golesh amidst a critical coaching hire

For recruits out of high school like Abrams and Adams, the NIL factor serves as a great pull. In that field, Golesh and the Tigers have already left a good mark. According to On3, the Tigers have already pushed beyond their $30 million plan for next season’s roster. They have planted themselves firmly among the national big spenders in combined revenue-sharing and NIL firepower.

Sources say the early game plan sat around $25 million, and they had set $30 million as the limit. But when portal season turned into a full-blown bidding war, Golesh went full throttle and shattered their limit to flex their NIL muscle. Keeping the money talks aside, a coaching addition, however, might not turn in favor for Auburn to land the quarterbacks.

Former Alabama offensive lineman Chris Kapilovic, who was fired by Kalen DeBoer, landed a job in Auburn. Even though the offensive line under him averaged 4.6 yards per, allowing only 24 sacks, the 2025 stats were concerning. In total, 32 sacks were allowed while their average dropped to 3.4 yards per carry. Will that be a big turnoff for the quarterback recruits?

So, Alex Golesh will now have to be patient until Abrams steps on campus on June 5 for that all-important official visit.