New Auburn HC Alex Golesh admits to looking for eligibility loopholes

New head coach Alex Golesh has to do whatever he can to bring the Auburn Tigers back to the top of the college football world.

That’s absolutely his mandate. Average is not going to cut it at Auburn, especially considering the success the program has seen in the not-so-distant past. 

Golesh, of course, has to follow the rules, but making some big splashes in the transfer portal and on the recruiting trail will be a part of any early success he can find on The Plains.

Could he try looking at the professional football ranks for talent? We’re not talking about bringing back Cam Newton, but the eligibility fiasco in college basketball right now has certainly opened up a hypothetical where a UFL or CFL player, or even an NFL practice squad player, could try to make the jump.

Recently speaking to the media about Alabama basketball playing with Charles Bediako, even though he had previously signed a two-way deal in the NBA, Golesh admitted that he is keeping a keen eye on these types of loopholes.

“College football has evolved so fast, and every single time there’s a situation like that, my antennas go up,” Golesh said, according to Barkley Traux of On3. “I think with every change, every ruling, or lack of ruling, you’ve got an opportunity to either sit and complain about it, which I think we tend to do as coaches.”

Alex Golesh open to using loopholes to bring talent to the Auburn Tigers

Again, the chances of an undrafted NFL free agent rookie who made it onto a practice squad somewhere coming back are almost NIL. How about a player who has made an actual 53-man roster in the league? That’s like a nonstarter.

One has to wonder if we’ll see players with remaining eligibility who wound up in Canada or playing spring football try to make the jump back to college, though.

We’re not talking about superstar players here, but we are talking about players who can help a program like Auburn get back on track. For instance, over at Alabama, Bediako has averaged 13.5 points per game in the two games he’s played in so far for Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide.

Football is a much different sport, especially at the bottom of the roster, but it makes sense why a coach like Golesh would have his eyes on the situation happening in college basketball.

“I’ve always looked at it as, where’s the loophole in here? Who’s available out there that we can go get that fits what we do. (It’s) certainly fascinating,” he said.