USF QB Byrum Brown commits to transfer to Auburn

USF Bulls quarterback Byrum Brown has committed to transfer to the Auburn Tigers, he tells On3’s Hayes Fawcett. He spent the previous four seasons with the Bulls.

A Second-Team All-American Conference selection in 2025, this move comes after he began a visit to Auburn on Saturday, January 3rd, for an official visit. His former head coach at USF, Alex Golesh, was hired by the Tigers this cycle, giving the two some familiarity as they enter this new era of Auburn football.

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Byrum Brown played his high school football at Rolesville in North Carolina. There, he was a three-star recruit in the Class of 2022. He was the 1,158th-ranked player nationally and the 67th-ranked quarterback in that recruiting cycle.

In 2022, his first season at USF, Brown would play in four games, utilizing his redshirt in the process. By 2023, he’d become the team’s starting quarterback, a role he’s held in the three years since then, outside of missing some time in 2024 due to a lower leg injury. The exact nature of it wasn’t disclosed at the time, but it would cost him seven games that season.

Brown would play a total of 35 games at USF. During that time, he completed 64.8 percent of his passes for 7,690 yards and 61 touchdowns to 19 interceptions. On the ground, he rushed for an additional 2,265 yards and 31 touchdowns, making him a major threat with his legs.

Byrum Brown was recruited to USF by Jeff Scott. However, that coaching staff would turn over following the 2022 season. It would be Alex Golesh who came to Tampa in 2023 and, when combined with Brown, helped spark the program. The Bulls went 23-15 under Golesh, becoming bowl eligible all three seasons. After inheriting a 1-11 team, that success was no small feat.

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At Auburn, Golesh is hoping to spark a similar turnaround. He inherits an Auburn team coming off a 5-7 season that has been to just two bowls in the last five seasons.

One thing Auburn is certainly experiencing is a massive roster turnover, largely through the Transfer Portal. This is, of course, not uncommon for teams when they undergo coaching changes in the modern era of college athletics. In the 2026 cycle, Auburn has already seen 33 players transfer out. That includes all three quarterbacks who saw action last season — Jackson Arnold, Ashton Daniels, and Deuce Knight.

Notably, Byrum Brown isn’t the only USF quarterback coming to Auburn. Prior to his commitment, USF freshman Locklan Hewlett also committed to transfer to Auburn.