Auburn linebacker Xavier Atkins did not hold back following the Tigers’ first spring practice. After three frustrating losing seasons under Hugh Freeze, Atkins immediately noted a drastic culture shift. The relaxed atmosphere is gone and has been replaced by head coach Alex Golesh’s demanding environment, where starting jobs are no longer guaranteed.

“It’s different. Obviously, y’all can tell — the music when y’all first got in here. It’s different. There’s more structure and leadership. It’s not where they’re asking – they’re demanding greatness,” the Auburn Tigers linebacker said after his first spring practice on what stood out about new head honcho Alex Golesh. “They demand it where you’re gonna show up and do your job every day, and that’s the type of stuff that we need as a team.

Last year, we shouldn’t have to feel like we can just walk in here and just — no, you’ve got to come do your job every day and prove yourself. Nobody’s job is guaranteed, so that’s the biggest thing he emphasized in the first practice. We’re gonna make sure we compete every day.”

The message was clear as day: if you aren’t here to work your tail off every single second, you’re in the wrong place. Atkins mentioned that under the old regime, it felt like some guys could just “walk in” and assume they had a spot. Alex Golesh eliminated this entitlement on his first day at Auburn. Atkins emphasized that the new staff demands high-stakes intensity on every single rep. The glaring difference isn’t just the loud music, but strict and unavoidable accountability.

Retaining defensive coordinator DJ Durkin was crucial for keeping playmakers like Atkins fully bought in. While Golesh completely overhauls the offense, keeping the defensive scheme intact allows returning veterans to entirely focus on adjusting to this brutal new practice intensity instead of learning a new playbook.

Golesh runs a strict strike system, which starts with a very basic, non-football theme. He truly believes that how you handle the little things, like being on time for breakfast or keeping your locker clean, is exactly how you’ll handle a big game. In his strike system, if a player racks up five strikes for minor slip-ups, they’re heading to his office for a serious accountability talk right after the practice wraps. He even has players do up-downs in front of the whole team when they mess up because he wants them to feel the weight of letting their teammates down. He expects to run the same system here.

One of the reasons his last year’s USF Bulls team’s chemistry was at its pinnacle is because of his player-led culture. He has this unique rule, making guys from different position groups sit together at lunch to learn each other’s life stories. He figures if you actually know the guy next to you, you’re going to play a lot harder for him when things get ugly.

Alex Golesh is all about ‘preach what you practice.’ He even keeps himself accountable. He’s the first to admit when he calls a bad play or messes up a practice schedule. That’s going to be the standard at Auburn from now on. No wonder Alex Golesh took the 1-10 South Florida team to 9-3 within just 3 years. Their first winning season since 2017.

His reputation as a genius, explosive play-caller is backed by staggering numbers. In Tennessee in 2022, his ‘go-go-go’ offense led the entire country in scoring (47.3 PPG) and total offense (538.1 YPG). He doubled down at USF. He led the nation in plays per game (82.1) and produced the program’s first-ever 3,000-yard passer and 1,000-yard receiver in the same season. By 2025, his USF offense was ranked No. 2 nationally in total yards, averaging about 488.7 yards per game.

The real question is, can he turn the fruit of his labor into a Year 1 playoff run in a brutal conference like the SEC?

The year 1 expectations for Alex Golesh

The thing Alex Golesh did when he set foot in Plains was go all-in on the portal, and for good reason. He brought about 39 new transfers to flush out any lingering bad habits and replace them with guys who are desperate to win.

Since he brought his star quarterback, Byrum Brown, and 10 other transfers from South Florida, the expectation is that the offense should click immediately. If he can turn Auburn into a team that’s fun to watch again and snag 8 or 9 wins. It’ll be considered a success.

Even though he got a late start, Golesh has already jumped Auburn up about 40 spots in the national rankings, landing a class in the top 30-40 range. The goal for this first year is to prove to the top recruits in the South that Auburn is a place where you can play fast and put up huge numbers. If they do so, it’s only a matter of years before they play a playoff game at Jordan-Hare Stadium.