The inevitable became offiicial Tuesday when On3.com reported that quarterback Byrum Brown will join head coach Alex Golesh and several former USF players at Auburn.
The move was widely expected and comes as no surprise. It's a huge boost for Auburn as Golesh seeks to rebuild a program with five consecutive losing seasons. Pro Football Focus rated Brown as the fourth-best quarterback in the country this season -- one spot ahead of Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza of Indiana.
Brown finishes his USF career with 7,690 yards passing and 61 touchdowns in 35 games spread over four seasons. He also rushed for 2,265 yards -- including 1008 this season -- and 31 career touchdowns, including 14 this season.
BREAKING: USF standout transfer QB Byrum Brown has Committed to Auburn, he tells @On3sports
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 6, 2026
The 6’3 230 QB totaled 4,116 Yards and 42 TDs this season
He’s one of the top players in the portalhttps://t.co/avZLZszAnz pic.twitter.com/OrLDZRhy4s
After coming to USF in 2022 under Jeff Scott, Brown exploded on the scene when Alex Golesh took over the Bulls in 2023, He led the Bulls to a seven-win season, including a 45-0 Boca Raton Bowl dissection of Syracuse.
A broken leg midway through his junior season knocked him out of action for the final six games, but he came back stronger and better than ever in 2025. He answered any questions about his recovery from the injury in the opening game against Boise State when, at the end of a touchdown run, he went out of his way to run over a Broncos' defender as he reached the end zone,
It was the prelude for a spectacular senior season.
He led the Bulls to a 9-3 regular season and had them squarely in the conversation for the American Conference championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff.
Ranked in the top 16 of 10 statistical categories - including No. 1 in points responsible for per game and total offense. One of only four FBS players in the last 30 seasons to have at least 2,800 passing yards, 24 passing TD and 900 rushing yards through 11 games of a campaign. T
The others?
LSU’s Jayden Daniels, Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts, Louisville’s Lamar Jackson.
That's rareified air.
Transferring gives Brown a chance to enhance his NFL draft status by performing against power conferene defenders.