Listening to Auburn Tigers head coach Alex Golesh this spring and summer, there's an emphasis on running the football ahead of the 2026 season. While starter Jeremiah Cobb is expected to be productive, there's another on the depth chart who is standing out.
Auburn native Omar Mabson II has been around the University for as long as he can remember. Now, entering his sophomore season, coaches and players alive have seen what he can add to the Tigers' offense in the first season of the Golesh era.
New offensive coordinator Joel Gordon has seen it since he moved to the Plains in the winter.
"Omar, since we walked through the door, has been as consistent as anybody on our side of the ball," he said on Tuesday. "He loves Auburn. He works his butt off, and that's physically and mentally."
A former three-star recruit from the 2025 class, Mabson saw limited time last season for the Tigers. He played in 10 games, only getting 16 rushing attempts for 71 yards and a touchdown, scoring so against Missouri .
Since his freshman season, he has been looking to build on his hometown program. Even the transfers, like quarterback Byrum Brown, see his competitiveness both on and off the field.
"He's a dog. He comes to work each and every day, dedicated, works hard," he said. "Like, me and him have competitions in the weight room just squatting. He's like, 'How much you squat today?' I'll tell him, and then he'll try to outdo it."
The running back room itself is getting better due to Mabson's competitiveness. For Cobb, although he is going to be the starter to begin the season against Baylor next month, he understands that he has a hungry underclassman behind him on the depth chart.
"I've seen him grow in lots of ways. he came in mature, already knowing a lot," Cobb said. "So, he's definitely just stacking that up."
A freshman season typically has a player understanding the process of strength, nutrition and connections on the staff. Mabson has done all three of those to make it difficult for Gordon not to have him on the field. He's seeing that improvement among everybody in the room.
"You can see that he's getting faster, he's getting smoother and it's just the nature of more exposure to reps in this offense," Gordon said. "As long as these guys are working they're going to get better."
More importantly, Mabson is a player that many want to be around. Even for a sophomore, the leadership that the Auburn native has been able to show in his second season has been impressive.
It makes Auburn's run game multidimensional with Cobb and Madson, as well as many others who will look to make a splash on the ground next season.
"He's a joy to be around," Brown said. "He makes that running back room better as well, so I can't wait to see all those guys get on the field and make plays."
"He's a great teammate," Gordon added. "He's a leader for us and he has gotten better even though we are not playing against anybody throughout the summertime."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/auburn as Sophomore Auburn Running Back Receiving Plenty of Buzz Heading Into 2026 .
