Auburn's new QB bet arrives with Alex Golesh's playbook already installed
Alex Golesh brought Byrum Brown from South Florida to Auburn, banking on a proven dual-threat quarterback to steady the Tigers in the SEC.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
3 min read
Byrum Brown is arriving at Auburn with something the Tigers have badly needed at quarterback: a working knowledge of the head coach’s offense before fall pressure starts.
Alex Golesh, hired to replace Hugh Freeze after last season, made one of his first major Auburn moves by bringing Brown with him from South Florida, according to CBS Sports. Brown played three of his four seasons with the Bulls under Golesh and ran the system Auburn now plans to use.
That gives the Tigers a cleaner starting point than they had under Freeze, whose three-year Auburn run never produced a settled answer at quarterback. CBS Sports noted that Payton Thorne, Jackson Arnold and Ashton Daniels all arrived with starting experience, but each had to adjust to a new staff and scheme.
Golesh sees more than a transfer quarterback
At SEC Media Days on Tuesday, Golesh framed Brown as a player he has watched grow from an inexperienced young quarterback into the leader of his offense.
“Byrum is a young man that I've known since he was an 18-year-old redshirt freshman that has grown through these four years into one of the best football players that I've ever been around,” Golesh said, according to CBS Sports. “(Brown is) a young man that has not only developed as a player to become a complete quarterback, but a guy that has developed as a leader.”
Auburn has been chasing steadiness at the position since Bo Nix left after the 2021 season. CBS Sports reported that Nix, who went 21-13 as Auburn’s starter from 2019 to 2021 before transferring to Oregon, is the last quarterback to finish his Auburn career with a winning record.
Brown brings a different résumé. He has not played at the Power Four level, but his South Florida numbers put him above recent Auburn options in key efficiency areas, according to CBS Sports.
- Brown completed 64.8% of his passes across 32 career starts at South Florida.
- He averaged 8.1 yards per pass attempt and 4.7 yards per rushing attempt.
- His passing touchdown rate was 6.4%, while his rushing touchdown rate was 7.8%.
CBS Sports compared those figures with Auburn quarterbacks Thorne, Daniels and Arnold, noting that Brown’s passing efficiency and rushing impact stand out among that group.
The SEC test is next
Brown’s biggest question now is how his production travels into the SEC. He has already faced Power Four competition six times at South Florida, with starts against Alabama twice, Miami twice, Florida and Syracuse, according to CBS Sports.
His résumé includes an 18-16 road win over Florida last season and a 45-0 victory against Syracuse in the 2023 Boca Raton Bowl. Asked about the SEC jump after beating Florida, Brown pointed to the speed and size of the league.
“Really just everyone flies to the ball,” Brown said, according to CBS Sports. “That makes the difference there a little faster, a little bigger, a little stronger. But it's football at the end of the day.”
Brown also sits in rare statistical company. CBS Sports reported that he is one of six FBS quarterbacks in the past 11 years to throw for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in the same season, alongside Deshaun Watson, Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts and Jayden Daniels. Jackson did it twice.
Golesh’s public message is that Auburn does not need Brown to become someone else. “Byrum Brown is one of the best quarterbacks in the country, and he's shown that over the years,” Golesh said, according to CBS Sports. “What's got to happen for Byrum is he's just got to continue to be him every single day.”
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.