Alex Golesh isn't shying away from Auburn's rivalry with Alabama

Auburn head football coach Alex Golesh. Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Alex Golesh isn't shying away from Auburn's rivalry with Alabama

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Jul 1, 2026 11:36 PM ET

New Auburn Tigers head coach Alex Golesh was born in Moscow, Russia. He went to college at Ohio State and made a name for himself as the head coach of the USF Bulls.

Golesh had a stint in 2021 and 2022 as the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach of the Tennessee Volunteers, but much of his coaching career was spent in the Midwest or in Florida.

And yet, Golesh already understands how important the Iron Bowl rivalry between the Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide is.

If he wants to be considered a success at Auburn, he's going to have to get the Tigers back on the right track against their in-state rival.

Alabama has won the last six Iron Bowl contests, and that's not going to fly down on The Plains. As Golesh has quickly found, there are some very strong emotions over at Auburn as it relates to the Crimson Tide.

“(The Iron Bowl rivalry) is real. … Like, I’m telling you, man, I’ve been to a lot of events, a lot of fundraisers, a lot of alumni deals, and every single message is the same,” Golesh told David Pollack on the "See Ball Podcast" (h/t On3). “It’s like: ‘War Eagle, beat them cats.’ ‘War Eagle, we hate those guys.’ ‘War Eagle, coach that last game …’ and they’re not joking. (Auburn fans) grow up with a legit hatred (for Alabama), and I know hate is a strong word, but that’s about what it is.”

David Pollack ONE-ON-ONE with @AuburnFootball HC Alex Golesh https://t.co/pNPpA8amDl
— David Pollack (@davidpollack47) July 1, 2026

The rivalry between Auburn and Alabama is one of the most heated in all of sports

Even in the era of conference expansion, where Oregon, Washington, UCLA and USC are in the Big Ten and Stanford is in the ACC, rivalries are still a thing -- especially down in SEC country.

Alabama and Auburn first met in 1893, and the two rivals have been playing every year since 1948. The rivalry is one of the fiercest and most historic not just in college football, but in all of sports.

When you think of sports rivalries, the Iron Bowl is right up there with the Green Bay Packers vs. the Chicago Bears, the New York Yankees vs. the Boston Red Sox and the Michigan Wolverines vs. the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Golesh can do a lot wrong at Auburn in his first season, but if he beats Alabama at the end of the year, almost any other on-field issue can be forgiven by the Auburn fanbase.

"This state is so unique in the sense that there’s no pro sports and everybody grows up and you’re either an Alabama fan or an Auburn fan and there’s no in between. (That’s) something I understood really, really quick," Golesh explained.

In 90 all-time meetings on the gridiron, Alabama leads Auburn, 52-37-1. Gus Malzahn was in his second-to-last season with the Tigers the last time Auburn won the Iron Bowl. Since then, Auburn has been outscored 197-120 and has gone through three head coaches.

Malzahn is joined by Bryan Harsin and Hugh Freeze as head coaches during this losing streak. That's a group that Golesh is going to be desperate to avoid.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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