Walk around Toomer’s Corner this Saturday and you’ll feel it. That weird, jittery energy that only happens when a program is basically being rebuilt from the studs up in real-time. It’s January 18, 2026, and if you think the "offseason" means things have slowed down on the Plains, you haven't been paying attention to the absolute whirlwind Alex Golesh is whipping up.
Honestly, it's a lot.
While most of us are just trying to recover from the holidays, Golesh and his staff have been treating the transfer portal like a 24-hour supermarket sweep. This weekend specifically has been a massive turning point for the 2026 roster. We aren't just talking about depth pieces; we are talking about the guys who will determine if Auburn is a playoff contender or just another team caught in the SEC meat grinder.
The Big Fish: Why Da’Shawn Womack Changes Everything
The headline of the weekend—and probably the whole month—is Auburn landing Da’Shawn Womack.
Snagging him from Ole Miss isn't just a win; it’s a statement. You’ve got to remember that Auburn’s defensive front got absolutely gutted after the 2025 season. Losing Keldric Faulk and Amaris Williams left a crater at the edge position. Womack is a former five-star talent who has played at LSU and Ole Miss. He knows the SEC. He’s "chameleonic," as some scouts put it, meaning he can slide between defensive end and buck linebacker.
This move was a chess match. Golesh utilized Wayne Dorsey—the Tigers' assistant edge coach who coached Womack back at St. Frances Academy—to close the deal. It’s that Baltimore-to-Auburn pipeline working overtime again. Without Womack, the defense looked scary thin. With him, DJ Durkin (who, thank goodness, stayed on as DC) has a genuine weapon to build around.
📖 Related: NFL Football Teams in Order: Why Most Fans Get the Hierarchy Wrong
Fixing the Left Side of the Line
If you watched any film from last year, you know the offensive line was... let’s be kind and say "inconsistent."
Losing Xavier Chaplin to Florida State was a gut punch. Then Dillon Wade ran out of eligibility. Suddenly, the left side of the line was a ghost town. This weekend, the Tigers threw a veteran bandage on that wound by signing Jack Leyrer from Stanford.
Leyrer is an interesting case. He’s been in college football since 2021. He’s huge, experienced, and—most importantly—he’s desperate to play after a medical waiver gave him this final year in 2026. He visited Saturday and signed almost immediately. Is he a first-round NFL pick? Probably not. But he’s a grown man who has played a lot of high-level football, and that is exactly what Byrum Brown needs protecting his blind side.
The "USF Auburn" Identity Crisis
There is a segment of the fan base—you know who you are—that is kinda worried about how many former USF players are on this roster.
I get it. It feels like Golesh is just moving his old team to a different zip code. This weekend saw even more movement in that direction, with the total number of transfers under the new staff climbing past 30. Jack Luttrell, the defensive back who spent time at Tennessee and Arizona, also jumped on board this Sunday.
👉 See also: Why Your 1 Arm Pull Up Progression Isn't Working (And How to Fix It)
But here’s the thing people get wrong: Golesh isn't just "hiring his friends." He’s installing a system.
Byrum Brown, the projected QB1, has already spent years in this offense. He’s not learning a playbook; he’s teaching it to the others. When you have a quarterback who can "trigger" the offense on Day 1, you can afford to have a lot of moving parts everywhere else. The chemistry isn't something they have to build from scratch; it’s being imported.
What Most People Are Missing
The noise is all about the portal, but the real story is the staff continuity Golesh managed to keep. Keeping DJ Durkin was the biggest "recruit" of the cycle.
Durkin’s unit was top 30 in scoring defense last year. In the middle of a head coaching change, the defense usually falls apart. By keeping Durkin and adding pieces like Womack and Walter Mathis Jr. (the LSU transfer who signed earlier this week), Auburn is ensuring they don't have to start from zero on both sides of the ball.
Also, don't sleep on the return of Kodi Burns. Having him back as associate head coach and WR coach is a massive bridge to the "old" Auburn. He’s a legend on the Plains, and he’s the one currently tasked with keeping the young talent like Brian Williams Jr. and DeShawn Spencer from looking at the exit door.
✨ Don't miss: El Salvador partido de hoy: Why La Selecta is at a Critical Turning Point
Auburn Football This Weekend: The Practical Reality
If you’re looking for a spring game or a practice report, you’re too early. This weekend was about survival and reconstruction. The portal window for new entrants closed on Friday, meaning the "menu" is set. Now, it’s just about who signs the papers.
Key takeaways from the last 48 hours:
- Edge Presence: Da’Shawn Womack gives Auburn a legitimate SEC-proven pass rusher.
- OL Stability: Jack Leyrer fills the massive hole left at left guard/tackle.
- Secondary Depth: Jack Luttrell adds much-needed experience to a room that saw 37 players leave via the portal (yes, 37).
- Staff Wins: The "Baltimore Pipeline" is officially the strongest recruiting tool Golesh has right now.
The sheer volume of turnover is staggering. Thirty-seven out, over thirty in. It’s a literal roster swap. But for the first time in a while, it feels like there’s a coherent plan behind the chaos rather than just throwing scholarships at whoever is available.
Your Next Steps as a Fan
If you want to stay ahead of the curve, stop looking at the 2025 stats. They don't matter anymore. This team is fundamentally different.
Keep an eye on the official A-Day announcements. It's set for April 10-18, and that will be the first time we see Byrum Brown actually operating this high-speed Golesh offense in Jordan-Hare. Between now and then, the focus shifts to "Launch 2026," the NIL-driven initiative designed to keep this expensive new roster together.
Go ahead and clear your calendar for September 5. The opener against Baylor in Atlanta is going to be the ultimate "pass/fail" test for everything Golesh did this weekend.
Watch the film on Byrum Brown from his USF days. Study how he uses the tight ends. If the portal additions from this weekend hold up, Auburn won't just be different—they'll be fast. Really fast.