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Coveted $15 million HC named historic college football program's new coach: Report
South Florida's head coach Alex Golesh reacts to Memphis fans booing him during the game between USF and Memphis at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tenn., on October 25, 2025. Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coveted $15 million HC named historic college football program's new coach: Report

Originally posted on CFB-HQ on SI  |  By Jonathan Adams  |  Last updated Nov 30, 2025 11:17 AM ET

Auburn, Arkansas and Florida are all set to hire new head coaches. LSU also appears on the verge of poaching Lane Kiffin away from Ole Miss, but an official announcement has yet to be made.

After weeks of being linked to Tulane's Jon Sumrall, it appears Florida threw a wrench into Auburn's plans. With Sumrall likely headed to Gainesville, Auburn has found their next head coach by landing another popular Group of Six leader.

USF's Alex Golesh is headed to The Plains on a six-year contract to be the new Auburn coach, per ESPN's Pete Thamel.

"Sources: Alex Golesh will be the next head coach at Auburn," Thamel detailed in a series of messages on X on Sunday. "Auburn has agreed to a six-year deal for Alex Golesh, per ESPN sources. Announcement coming soon to formalize the hire."

Let's dive into the latest college football news as the coaching carousel spins.

Alex Golesh had been linked to Arkansas before being named Auburn coach

Golesh is one of the more coveted coaches in college football. There had been reports that Golesh was set to be named the next Arkansas coach.

Kiffin passing on Florida appears to have had a domino effect across the SEC. On3's Brett McMurphy reported that Arkansas is expected to name Memphis' Ryan Silverfield as the program's next coach.

Auburn coach Alex Golesh landed a new six-year, $44.4 million contract

Golesh was previously on a six-year, $15.3 million contract at South Florida, per College Football Network. It is quite a raise for Golesh who landed a new six-year deal at Auburn with an average annual salary of $7.4 million, per Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger.

Golesh transformed USF into a College Football Playoff contender with marquee wins over Florida and Boise State this season. After firing Hugh Freeze, Auburn has found the program's next coach.


This article first appeared on CFB-HQ on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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