New Auburn Tigers head coach Alex Golesh was born in Moscow, Russia. He went to college at Ohio State and made a name for himself as the head coach of the USF Bulls.
Golesh had a stint in 2021 and 2022 as the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach of the Tennessee Volunteers, but much of his coaching career was spent in the Midwest or in Florida.
And yet, Golesh already understands how important the Iron Bowl rivalry between the Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide is.
If he wants to be considered a success at Auburn, he’s going to have to get the Tigers back on the right track against their in-state rival.
Alabama has won the last six Iron Bowl contests, and that’s not going to fly down on The Plains. As Golesh has quickly found, there are some very strong emotions over at Auburn as it relates to the Crimson Tide.
“(The Iron Bowl rivalry) is real. … Like, I’m telling you, man, I’ve been to a lot of events, a lot of fundraisers, a lot of alumni deals, and every single message is the same,” Golesh told David Pollack on the “See Ball Podcast” (h/t On3). “It’s like: ‘War Eagle, beat them cats.’ ‘War Eagle, we hate those guys.’ ‘War Eagle, coach that last game …’ and they’re not joking. (Auburn fans) grow up with a legit hatred (for Alabama), and I know hate is a strong word, but that’s about what it is.”
