Just over a month before the 2026 football season kicks off, there’s already a noticeable change before the Tigers have taken the field, and it’s not just the change of staff or the influx of transfers.
It’s the culture.
“I don’t really have any goals, other than laying a foundation for what Auburn football is going to be for years to come,” Auburn head coach Alex Golesh said during SEC Media Days earlier this week.
Golesh also emphasized identity within the program, highlighting the distinction between enforcing standards as a coach and having players embody the new philosophy in daily life and on the field — not only on Saturdays.
“[It’s] one thing for me to talk about, one thing for me to preach. . . But it’s another for our kids to embrace it and live it,” Golesh said.
The players and staff work hard conditioning through Alabama’s summer heat, cold winters, volunteering their holidays and breaks to push themselves as a team. These efforts were not designed solely to train strength and toughness, but also to build trust, communication and accountability.
“I’ve always said that if a team is coach-led, you’ll max out at a level or at a point. When a team is player-led and it’s player-driven, you wield championships,” Golesh said. “We’ve spent a lot of time building leaders.”
Golesh then praised Auburn’s three SEC Media Days representatives Alex McPherson, quarterback Byrum Brown and defensive back Champ Anthony for embodying the standards he set surrounding identity and leadership.
It also helps that Golesh’s philosophy isn’t an entirely new concept to the team. Brown and 12 other transfers followed Golesh from South Florida and have witnessed it in action.
Thus, those efforts to construct a team identity and the continuity from South Florida have created a closer locker room than previous seasons.
“I would just say the relationship part of the team,” McPherson said of the difference within the program this offseason compared to past years. “I think we have talent. . . I think we have built a great foundation for the brotherhood of this team. . . Just to be able to hold one accountable, lift one another up, things like that.”
Anthony seems to believe the same, and says that this year’s squad has a different feel than the past few.
“This year, I really feel like this is the closest team I’ve ever been with,” Anthony said. “This is a real tight-knit team, and when you have a tight-knit team with a bunch of talent, and a head coach who has some fire under him, and a defensive coordinator who’s going to call the plays and an offensive coordinator who’s going to call the shots. . . that’s all you can ask for.”
Golesh added that he encourages the team to celebrate and uplift each other's successes, as well as accept their failures together, which is evident in a squad that possesses a strong bond and unified culture.
“I think that's something you can watch and see. It's something that you can look at and say, man, this is a physically and mentally tough football team, a team that's connected,” Golesh continued. “Guys score, do they celebrate together? Guys make mistakes, do people pick them up? Create an explosive on defense, is everybody in there celebrating together?”
Whether Auburn Football exceeds expectations is to be determined this fall. However, what is already known is that the Tigers have embraced a new identity — a new culture of brotherhood under Golesh, built upon toughness, accountability and trust.
“A group that's connected,” Golesh added. “A group that communicates extremely well, a group that plays for each other, a group that has leadership.”
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