After opening the season in Atlanta, Auburn will return to the Plains in Week 2, taking on Southern Miss in its home opener.
In their second straight non-conference affair, the Tigers will potentially be looking to start 2-0 for the fifth time since 2021.
The Golden Eagles are familiar with Auburn as they’ve met 23 times in program history, with the Tigers leading the all-time series 18-5.
Most recently, the two sides met in 2018 at Jordan-Hare Stadium, when Auburn emerged victorious, 24-13. The orange and blue will enter the 2026 matchup riding a four-game winning streak in the all-time series.
The showdown will feature two first-year head coaches in Alex Golesh and Blake Anderson.
Golesh, the former USF head coach, was hired by Auburn's athletic director, John Cohen, just one day after the Tigers' heartbreaking defeat to the Alabama Crimson Tide. In the three seasons before Golesh arrived at USF, the Bulls posted an ugly 4-29 record. The offensive guru turned the program around, leading the Bulls to a 23-15 record during his tenure. Auburn is hoping he can replicate that success starting in Year 1.
Anderson takes the helm at Southern Miss, replacing Charles Huff, who took the head coaching job at Memphis, Tennessee. He's a familiar face for Golden Eagles fans, as he was the team's offensive coordinator during the 2025 season, leading the No. 1 passing offense in the Sun Belt. Auburn will have plenty of tape to watch on Southern Miss offense, as there won't be any schematic changes under Anderson as head coach.
Like Golesh, Anderson has prior head coaching experience, as he was the head coach at Utah State and Arkansas State, posting a combined 74-54 record and winning three conference titles.
Picked to finish fifth in the Sun Belt Preseason Coaches Poll, Southern Miss' starting quarterback is still undecided as John White, Ethan Hampton and Landry Lyddy are in a competition heading into the fall. This comes after Braylon Braxton departed from the program after starting all 12 games and leading the Sun Belt with 24 touchdown passes and 3,054 passing yards last season.
It's not just the quarterback position that will be overhauled for the Golden Eagles. Southern Miss enters the 2026 campaign with just 22% of its production from last season returning, among the nation's lowest marks. There are no returning players from last season's defense, which will loom large early in the season.
“There are no returning starters on the entire defense,” Anderson said after his team’s first spring practice in March. “There’s no depth chart. We don’t have one. We’ve got competition wide open to every spot.”
However, they do have a significant number of incoming transfers to help build out the roster. A few that Auburn fans should get familiar with before Week 2 include former Utah State running back Robert Briggs, former Illinois wide receiver Mario Sanders II, former Penn State wide receiver Kaden Saunders and former Akron linebacker Melvin Springs.
Stay tuned for more coverage over the next few weeks, as The Auburn Plainsman will be previewing every opponent on Auburn's 2026 football schedule as the season approaches.
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Rory Garvin, junior in journalism sports production, has been with The Auburn Plainsman since Spring 2025. Garvin previously served as a Sports Reporter. He is currently serving as the Assistant Sports Editor.
