Coach Jack Bicknell brings intensity

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1. Auburn Football

Coach Jack Bicknell brings intensity to Auburn’s offensive line

Posted Aug 21, 2020

Tyrone Truesdell (94) and Tashawn Manning (56) Auburn football practice in shells on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020 in Auburn, Ala. Todd Van Emst/AU AthleticsTodd Van Emst/AU Athletics

 

 

By Giana Han

When Jack Bicknell was hired to be Auburn’s offensive line coach back in February, he was excited that he’d get to build from the ground up.

Four out of the five starters on the line graduated, and Auburn was also getting a new offensive coordinator in Chad Morris, so Bicknell would get to “start from scratch,” said his brother Bob Bicknell, the Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver coach.

But with COVID-19 wiping out the entire spring, Bicknell suddenly has to build his line in just five and a half weeks. On top of that, Bicknell can’t just look for the top eight linemen — three tackles, three guards and two centers. Instead, he needs to establish a much deeper lineup in case a group of linemen test positive for COVID-19.

Bicknell is evaluating his players without any prior knowledge of them, except for if he recruited them or played against them while at Ole Miss. Coach Gus Malzahn is keeping out of Bicknell’s way and not interfering with his process.

 

“I’ve tried not to give them any kind of pre-conceived thoughts from the past about this and that,” Malzahn said. So far, he’s seen Bicknell keep a very open mind.

 

While Bicknell is familiarizing himself with his players, the Auburn linemen also have to get to know him as a coach. They got the chance to know him off the field during the time away from football, but they weren’t able to find out what he’s like on the field until recently, tackle Brodarious Hamm said. In the short time they’ve spent together on the field, Bicknell has made a good impression on Hamm.

“He’s going to be able to take our game to the next level,” Hamm said.