Alex Golesh's 13-Day Fall Camp Plan Could Transform Auburn Football

Before the Auburn Tigers took the practice field on Wednesday, head coach Alex Golesh made one thing very clear, building this football team extends far beyond what happens between the lines.

On Tuesday, Golesh announced the entire roster will spend the first 13 days of fall camp living together at the Marriott Resort at Grand National in Opelika before students return to campus. While it may seem like a small logistical change, the move could become one of the biggest culture-building decisions of Auburn's offseason.

"The reasoning there is just to be able to take the guys, move them off campus, eliminate every single bit of distractions we possibly can," Golesh said.

The first-year head coach wasn't shy about what that means.

"No girlfriends, no dogs, cats, whatever guys are into. It's truly just us for the next 13 days."

That message has been consistent since Golesh arrived on the Plains.

Throughout the offseason, he has repeatedly discussed building Auburn's identity, creating stronger leadership and establishing a standard throughout the program. Now, fall camp presents the first real opportunity to accelerate that process.

This is a way that he can control the new standard he is looking to set and ensure his team is locked in for the upcoming season. 

Let's face it, now more than ever, in this world of college athletics, these players are here to play football, the rest is secondary. While no class is in session, the coaching staff intends to take full advantage of that and have them completely focused on football.

It is a very thought out plan as well.

Veterans are reportedly having to be paired with younger players as roommates to help strengthen leadership, while the coaching staff has planned team meals and activities during mandatory off days to continue building relationships.

It's all designed with one purpose.

Fast-track the culture.

Golesh, as well as some of his leaders who followed him from South Florida, have repeatedly said Auburn isn't interested in waiting years to establish its identity. Every decision this offseason has pointed toward accelerating that process, and the hotel stay may be the clearest example yet.

Byrum Brown stated in an interview at SEC Media Days that they intend to compete this year, and the idea of just focusing on building an identity in year one is off the table. 

Overall, I can't see any downside to giving this a shot. Worst case scenario, nothing improves on the football field, but your team is a lot closer. Not a bad problem to have. 

If Auburn walks out of those 13 days with stronger leadership, clearer accountability and a shared understanding of what this program is supposed to look like, the investment in Opelika may end up paying dividends long after fall camp comes to an end.