Presser: Alex Golesh previews the Baylor Game

**SPEAKER_1** (0:01)
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**Alex Golesh** (0:24)
Awesome, appreciate you guys being here. Appreciate the media that was here last night, covered that event. I thought it was a cool deal for our kids, and certainly appreciate you guys being there, that covered it.
Well, it's game week, which is awesome. We're excited to be a part of the SAFLAC kickoff game on Saturday. Excited to head to Atlanta on Friday, and we've got a long week of work ahead of us to get to where we got to go and to where we're ready to rock and roll. So, our kids, we're in today. They'll be in tonight, normal Tuesday, normal Wednesday, normal Thursday for us, and then we'll practice Friday morning and head over to Atlanta. Again, just excited to get game one. You know, as you go into year one and get rolling, I think, for me, just as exciting as anything to see us go perform. And we spent so much time talking and working through so many different things that you just want to go and play the very best you can and then continue to grow and learn from that. So starting off with Baylor, and you know, a unique challenge in a lot of ways, got a ton of respect for Coach Aranda and what he's done, not just at Baylor, but over his career, having coached against him for a while now, but for him going into his seventh year, and there's a lot of new there, a lot to prepare for, a lot of challenges that are presented just simply with as much newness as you're getting ready for. They're obviously in the same boat where there's a ton of newness they're preparing for. So it should be a really good matchup. You know, these guys offensively, this offensive coordinator, I feel like we've crossed paths just a ton going back to the West Virginia time. He's done a really good job in reference to Coach Spavidle and, you know, was there at the foundation of the air raid and has made it his own and watching it transition from West Virginia to where they are now.
Obviously, really, really tough and present a lot of challenges in terms of using the entire field in terms of the vertical shot game. And just the ability to spread the field with wise present a lot of challenges.
You've got a brand new quarterback and a young guy that is transferring over and has had two years at the University of Florida where obviously played as a young guy, got better and better and better as it went and now a fully healthy version of DJ Lagway, I would imagine is the best version of him and presents a ton of challenges. One, with what he can do with his arm, but two, certainly what he can do with his legs.
In all honesty, if this is the best version of him, is one of the best quarterbacks in the entire country. Again, will present a ton of challenges and here's a young guy that started a ton of games and is just a junior.
It'll be really interesting. I got a ton of respect for him and for that young guy a year ago to watch him play through a bunch of injuries. You know he's tough, certainly presents himself as a leader and you talk about an offense that was top five in the country and passing a year ago and you add somebody like him and top 20 in the country overall offensively, will present a lot of challenges for us. Again, replace a lot in terms of their top rusher, their top four wide outs. There's a lot of new, so as you prepare, you're kind of watching other teams play in order to get from a personnel standpoint, you know schematically what you're going to get, at least you feel like you do going in and it does present challenges defensively. Same deal, a lot of new defensive coordinator coming over from Kansas State, three new coaches on that side of the ball, Coach Aranda obviously involved defensively. So you're preparing for a lot of different things, you're watching a lot of different film and trying to get a really good feel. And you're kind of prepared for the unknown and that's always week one, but certainly when you get a new staff and they do return four starters defensively, bringing over four guys from Kansas State and then an influx on both sides of the ball of talent in terms of through the portal and then some young guys that played a year ago that will get opportunities. From a special team standpoint, return the kicker, return one of the best punters in the country, which presents a challenge in itself. And then in the return game, young man coming over from Oklahoma State, that has shown a ton of promise over the last couple of years as a returner, which will present challenges for us. For us on special teams, week one, you just watch enough week zero games, you kind of figure out, man, there's either you're gonna get embarrassed or you're gonna make a difference on special teams here in week one. And for us to continue to be as aggressive as we've been the last couple of years on special teams will be a huge piece for us to let that be certainly a difference maker in the game. Outside of that, we're in a good spot health wise, we're in a good spot mentally and emotionally, and we're ready to go attack week one. I'm excited to see our guys go play, play really fast, play free and go into week one here as we establish the identity of what Auburn Football is going to be for years to come. So questions?