SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA DAYS

July 21, 2026

Byrum Brown

Auburn Tigers

Press Conference

Q. You played against a SEC team last year, Florida. So was there a difference for you, noted difference, of playing against an SEC team? You were highly productive, but you know you played that SEC team and won, so maybe some people might question you coming from South Florida.

BYRUM BROWN: Really just everyone flies to the ball that makes the difference there a little faster, a little bigger, a little stronger. But it's football at the end of the day. We prepare week-to-week so we can perform out on the field. So it's football at the end of the day, but it is the SEC and it does mean more. So we're looking forward to it.

Q. How excited are you to potentially get to participate in Rolling Toomer's Corner and have you gotten a chance to try the famous lemonade?

BYRUM BROWN: I have tried the famous lemonade. It's phenomenal. I got the slush. The slush was really good at Toomer's Corner.

And I'm excited to roll the trees. It didn't happen a lot last year, Cobb told me. But looking forward to doing it after every game this year. So that's the plan.

Q. What emotions come with leaving a place like USF where you had so much growth and so much success in favor of a bigger opportunity?

BYRUM BROWN: A lot of gratitude. I feel blessed to be able to start my journey here. And honestly, it's a blessing, it's like surreal to be back, back with Auburn. Can't wait to produce on the field this year and show everybody that Auburn football is back.

Q. Golesh was in here earlier. He was saying in from the time that y'all got to Auburn to now, he's seen you grow so much in confidence. Do you kind of feel that? And how have you seen it show up, especially over the summer working with these guys, about how your confidence level's grown the longer you've been at Auburn?

BYRUM BROWN: Yeah, the confidence level's growing a tremendous amount. You got a tremendous defense that we go against each and every day at practice. So seeing those looks and becoming confident in those looks, and knowing that I'm going against the best defense in the country every single day, not everybody has the opportunity.

I can't wait to go on Saturdays and play against another defense, because they give us some looks that are fun at times and not fun at times.

But it's truly a blessing. And I think going against the best defense in the country helps you build confidence every single day.

Q. Want to ask about your experience at the Manning Passing Academy, specifically with all the quarterbacks there, maybe your run-in with Marcel Reed and what you see from him as a quarterback?

BYRUM BROWN: First, I wasn't at the Manning Passing Academy. I wasn't there.

Q. But do you have experience just with some of the other quarterbacks in the SEC?

BYRUM BROWN: I've seen a lot of them play. We've got some tremendous quarterbacks in this conference. It will be very fun to go against their teams. We're not necessarily going against each other but going against their teams, their defense. And can't wait.

Q. Few people know Coach Golesh better than you, but at the end of the day he's still a young guy. Only been a head coach for three years. What have you seen in your time with him the past few years that makes you believe he can be a successful coach in the long run?

BYRUM BROWN: He's the same guy every day. He demands the absolute very best from everyone that he comes in contact with. He cares for his players deeply, coaches deeply. He's not going to ask you to do anything that he wouldn't do himself.

So just him being the same guy every day, demanding the very best, that's the man I want to follow.

Q. Coach Golesh has talked about, from year to year, the offense, the scheme can change and have some variance to it. How have you seen that year in, year out? And I don't know if it is an offseason thing, but how do you see this offense maybe evolving with the personnel of this Auburn team?

BYRUM BROWN: Yeah, we're just trying to get better each and every day. So we watched the film from the previous year, see what we can improve on, see what we can do better. We've got a lot more concepts in -- get to third, fourth progression reads, get to my check-down, a lot of those.

I'm looking forward to it. I mean, the talent we have here is phenomenal. And I can't wait to play with those guys. And, I mean, I think they'd say the same thing: We can't wait to just go out there and play football.

Q. Your career at USF, you were QB4 on the roster. If I had told that Byrum Brown that you would be here now and running out on the field to call quarterback for Auburn in SEC game, what would that Byrum Brown have said?

BYRUM BROWN: Man, he'd probably be just extremely blessed and grateful to have that opportunity coming in the future.

But I'm truly blessed to even be a quarterback for Auburn university. I was blessed to be a quarterback for USF when I was QB4. So tremendous gratitude to USF as well.

Just can't wait to play at Auburn, and I think he would be happy.

Q. You had tons of success at South Florida. What was kind of your thought process in transferring to Auburn for your senior year?

BYRUM BROWN: Thought process was, I mean, Coach Golesh, he's had a tremendous amount of confidence in me since I was 18. Handed the reins over to me. And then got hurt one year. And then like poured into me even more, had more confidence in me.

I mean, when you go through the ups and go through the downs, having a coach that's being there by your side, it means a lot. And I definitely took that into consideration. And why not go play for the man that has demanded the very best of me since I got there, has helped me in ways I can't express and a tremendous offensive staff has gone as well? So there's a lot of familiarity, and can't wait to play.

Q. Going off of that, you and Golesh, you've been through a lot together, as you're mentioning. You had an incredible career here in Tampa with South Florida. What did your time at USF kind of do for you? How did it prepare for you for what you're doing now?

BYRUM BROWN: It prepared me in a lot of ways, just being able to play and showcase my ability. We had some tough games. We played Bama. We played Florida, Miami. So it's definitely helped me now.

But having that ability to play for the Bulls -- I'm an alum, got a degree from there -- truly grateful. And I mean, I think it's just prepared me from every single game you can take something from every game. So truly grateful.

Q. Auburn hasn't had a winning season since 2020. The fan base is pretty hungry. From what you've seen from this team so far, what does a successful season look like for you?

BYRUM BROWN: A successful season looks like taking each and every game, preparing to our absolute best and going out there and playing and -- we don't control the outcome. We just control our process that leads to the outcome.

Hopefully it's a favorable one, but it's just working each and every day, and that started in January. And it's continuing now, going to continue into fall camp.

And we can't wait to strap it up in fall camp, strap it up for the first week against Baylor and go play.

Q. Talk to me about the relationship that is required with a quarterback in his receiver room, a lot of those guys making their way from South Florida as well, but you have some incoming freshmen, some transfers as well. Talk to me about that relationship that you're continuing to build through OTAs and into the fall?

BYRUM BROWN: It's huge. You've got to get on the same page. You've got to know what kind of ball to throw, where to put it. Luckily, with our guys, you put it anywhere, they go get it.

I mean, they've been working their tails off. They've been in the weight room. They've been on the JUGS. They're going up watching extra film. You can tell that they really want it. It's one cohesive unit. It's not just one guy; it's more than one. So they're bringing others along with it. And that's building that connection and that trust piece. So that trust from coach -- I mean from quarterback to wide receiver is huge.

Q. Talk to me about the quarterback room and what Coach Golesh and Coach Gordon has been able to do for not only you, but also Tristan and Locklan and the rest of that unit?

BYRUM BROWN: They have done a lot for us. Coach Gordon played the position, so he's looking at it from a quarterback's point of view. And that truly helps, especially when you're seeing it for the first time.

And I'm able to mentor Tristan, Lock, Rhys, John, Will, like all those guys. It means a lot when you have a head man, he played the position and he knows what it really takes to win and to play.

We call him the Sheriff in Auburn. Coach Gordon, he's been tremendous in my growth. He's had confidence in me since I was 18 as well. And I'm extremely happy to play for him.

Q. A lot has been made about whether or not you all who came over from USF are prepared for the SEC. But I want to flip that on the other side. What do people need to know about what you all are bringing to the SEC when you're coming in here?

BYRUM BROWN: I mean we're bringing, obviously you could say a chip on our shoulder. We know we're looking down upon. But we don't really take it any type of way. We just put our head down, go to work, be the best "us" that we can be every single day.

And I think that speaks for everybody that transferred. And we just want Auburn to be its best, and want to leave it better than we found it. And that's the plan, bring Auburn back to where it should be. And that's been it since day one.

So I can't wait to be a leader of that. But everyone else can't wait to continue to do that as well.