Alex Golesh shares at least one thing in common with several of his predecessors at Auburn.

Golesh comes to the Tigers from South Florida, a member of the American Conference. Auburn’s three previous head coaches were all also hired away from Group of 5 schools — Hugh Freeze from Liberty in 2023, Bryan Harsin from Boise State in 2021 and Gus Malzahn from Arkansas State in 2013.

Auburn has not hired a sitting power conference head coach since plucking Gene Chizik away from Iowa State in 2009. Chizik’s predecessor, Tommy Tuberville, also came from the power conference ranks at Ole Miss in 1999.

Terry Bowden, hired in 1993, was head coach at Samford, a Division I-AA (now FCS) school. Pat Dye, hired in 1981, came from Wyoming, which was then in the Western Athletic Conference, the equivalen

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