The Auburn Tigers dropped another matchup on Saturday afternoon against the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville, fumbling away a very winnable game against a ranked opponent on the road, largely due to the fact that the team is simply not effective enough on offense right now.

On a day in which the Tennessee offense was so bad that the Volunteers decided to bench their five-star true freshman starting quarterback, Auburn found a way to be even worse with the ball in their hands. With the Tigers now sitting at 1-2 in conference play, with by far the hardest portion of the schedule still to come, the bye week is a good time for fans to reflect on the fact that it might take Alex Golesh some time to build a contender, and that’s okay.

The transfer portal has turned college football fanbases into microwaves, expecting coaches to come in and see immediate massive success just because there was a lot of roster overhaul. As it turns out, it’s easier said than done, and it’s going to take Golesh more than one full offseason and recruiting cycle to get the kinds of players he needs to compete for SEC titles.

This is not a competitive offensive line right now, and Byrum Brown does not look like he has the makings of a quarterback who can give you a shot week in and week out in this conference. As unfortunate as that reality is, it’s indeed reality nonetheless.

Auburn is going to struggle to make a bowl game this year unless it beats someone it’s not supposed to, and fans are right to be upset about that reality, but they also need to give Golesh more time and experience to execute what will be a multi-year process to get things going in the right direction.

If Tigers fans can acknowledge the situation and show a little bit of patience here, it will go a long way towards Golesh being able to build his vision. This is the coach they have trusted the program to, and turning on him not even halfway through his first season does not benefit anybody.

It will take some time, and while that is a tough pill to swallow in 2026, it is something Auburn must accept and understand.