South Florida head coach Alex Golesh reacts to penalty call during the first half of a NCAA college football game against Navy, Saturday, Nov.1 5, 2025, in Annapolis, Md.(AP Photo/Gail Burton)

Auburn hired South Florida’s Alex Golesh as its next head coach on Sunday.

The 41-year-old Golesh, who was born in Russia and moved to the United State at age 7, is signing a six-year contract to replace Hugh Freeze. Freeze was fired in early November after failing to fix Auburn’s offensive issues in three seasons on the Plains. Freeze lost 12 of his last 15 Southeastern Conference games.

The Tigers owe Freeze $15.8 million, with no mitigation, from a six-year, $39 million deal he signed to replace Bryan Harsin in 2022. Freeze got the boot at 15-19 overall and 6-16 in the conference. The last five

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