New Auburn Tigers head coach Alex Golesh took the podium at SEC Media Days in Tampa on Tuesday for the first time, with fans eager to hear publicly what his vision for the program is.

After a first impressive offseason, including recruiting and spring practice, Golesh is ready for the start of the season. In terms of what he wants to accomplish this year and moving forward, the goal has never been more clear.

Elite people building Auburn back to where we belong. 🦅@CoachGolesh | #SECMD26 pic.twitter.com/rcbrpRJHUv

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) July 21, 2026

It’s one thing to preach the standard.
It’s another to embrace it and live it. 🦅@CoachGolesh | #SECMD26 pic.twitter.com/7LorSkmxo7

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) July 21, 2026

While praising his new coaching staff, Golesh said that the administration at Auburn gave him the ability to hire a staff that is going to “build Auburn back to where it belongs.”

Following the lean years for the program, building it back to where it needs to be is exactly what fans want to hear. In terms of how he is going to achieve that, it starts with the identity.

“This word identity is the only thing we have talked about as a program,” he said. “The identity is one thing for me to talk about, it’s one thing for me to preach, it’s one thing for me to hold a standard in every aspect of our program and it’s another for our kids to embrace it and live it. The first piece of this identity that we have hammered home is the ability to be physically and mentally tough. That’s what Auburn football was built on. Physical and mental toughness and the ability to be the most violent team on the field on Saturday. Violent.”

Violence, toughness and discipline have been things that have been noticeably absent from Auburn throughout the last half decade. With Golesh at the helm, it’s time for that to change.