offensive line doesn’t lack experience

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Auburn Football

Auburn’s offensive line doesn’t lack experience, or question marks, this spring

Updated Mar 05, 11:15 AM; Posted Mar 05, 11:15 AM

Oct 3, 2020; Orlando FL, USA; Auburn’s offensive line blocking during the game between Auburn vs Northwestern at Orlando. Mandatory Credit: Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

We’re taking a look at each position group as Auburn prepares to open spring practice on March 16. The fifth of a 10-part series looks at the offensive line.

Auburn’s offensive line has been much maligned in recent years, and understandably so. The unit has been at the core of many of the Tigers’ struggles on that side of ball, and last season was no different as the team replaced four of its five starters from the 2019 season and dealt with an unusual offseason that included no spring practices and a carousel of lineups during fall camp.

The good news for Auburn this offseason is that the team is returning all of its starters and key contributors along the offensive line from last fall, with five players who started at least seven games in 2020, including two who started all 11 games at their respective position.

Experience doesn’t guarantee success, but it’s certainly a valuable attribute along the offensive line. Auburn will still have its questions to answer in the trenches, and new offensive line coach Will Friend will have to spend the offseason figuring out the Tigers’ best approach to improving its overall play along the line.

Projected depth chart:

Left tackle

Austin Troxell, redshirt senior, appeared in eight games with four starts. OR

Alec Jackson, redshirt senior, appeared in 10 games with eight starts.

Kilian Zierer, redshirt junior, did not see any playing time due to injury.

Left guard

Tashawn Manning, redshirt senior, started all 11 games at left guard. OR

Brandon Council, senior, appeared in five games with five starts before a season-ending injury.

Tate Johnson, redshirt freshman, appeared in one game as a reserve last season.

Center

Nick Brahms, redshirt senior, started all 11 games at center.

Jalil Irvin, redshirt junior, appeared in five games last season.

Avery Jernigan, redshirt freshman, did not see the field last season.

Right guard

Keiondre Jones, redshirt sophomore, appeared in all 11 games with seven starts. OR

Brandon Council, senior, appeared in five games with five starts last season.

Kam Stutts, redshirt junior, did not see the field last season.

Right tackle

Brodarious Hamm, redshirt senior, started eight games last season.

Brenden Coffey, senior, appeared in five games with one start.

Garner Langlo, freshman, three-star signee who enrolled in January.

Departed: Prince Michael Sammons, graduated; Kamaar Bell, transferred.

Due to arrive in the fall: Colby Smith, three-star offensive tackle signee.

Outlook: Auburn’s offensive line recruiting has left a lot to be desired in recent years, and first-year head coach Bryan Harsin and his staff will have a lot on their hands as they try to restock the Tigers’ talent in the trenches, but there is reason to be hopeful about the team’s situation along the line this season.

After replacing four starters this time last year, Auburn returns all five of its starters from last season — as well as two more players in Brandon Council and Alec Jackson, who started multiple games early in the year. Every offensive line start from last season is accounted for, even as the team had to switch things up throughout last season due to a string of injuries (and the impact of COVID-19 protocols during fall camp, which prevented the same five-man group from getting consistent reps together. The only departures from last year’s offensive line room were reserves Prince Michael Sammons, who graduated and did not see any action last year, and Kamaar Bell, who only saw action late in the blowout of LSU.

At the heart of Auburn’s offensive line is returning center Nick Brahms, who started all 11 games last season after being the Tigers’ lone returning starter from 2020, when he took over the job midseason from Kaleb Kim. Brahms had his share of struggles early in the season, but returning as a third-year starter at center should provide a big boost for the Tigers’ line play this fall.

The biggest question facing new offensive line coach Will Friend will likely come at the two guard spots, where Auburn has three viable options—though it’s unclear if one of them will be fully cleared this spring. Tashawn Manning started all 11 games at left guard last season, and he was arguably Auburn’s most consistent offensive lineman throughout the season. Keiondre Jones made seven starts at right guard and saw action in all 11 games as a redshirt freshman, and the former blue-chip prospect flashed a lot of potential; his ceiling should be high with three more years of eligibility remaining.

Then there’s Brandon Council, the graduate transfer formerly of Akron, who started five games last year — including four at right guard—before sustaining a season-ending knee injury. Council is Auburn’s most versatile offensive lineman, as he has the ability to play all five positions. It remains to be seen where he is in his rehab process after injuring his knee in late October, but when he’s healthy he provides an intriguing option at multiple spots along the offensive line. He has ample college experience and, up until his injury, was Auburn’s top performing offensive lineman. He could easily slot in at either guard position, like he did at times early last season, or he could kick outside to tackle, where he started one game on the right side last year.

Speaking of right tackle, the position should be in good hands this spring with the return of Brodarious Hamm, who started eight games last season but missed some time due to injuries. Still, the 6-foot-5, 300-pounder showed promise both in pass protection and as a run-blocker. If he can stay healthy, he should hold down the right side of the line this season for Auburn. If not, Auburn also has Brenden Coffey, a former junior college transfer who saw action in five games last year and made one start at right tackle in Hamm’s place. Coffey is still developing, but the 6-foot-5, 279-pounder looks to be a capable option at tackle.

As for left tackle, two players split time at that spot last season in Austin Troxell and Alec Jackson. Troxell started each of the final four games after taking over the starting job from Jackson, who underwent hand surgery late in the season. Jackson, a former defensive lineman who made the switch to offense two years ago, started the first seven games of the season at left tackle. He’s still relatively new to the position, and there’s plenty for him to improve upon this spring. The same goes for Troxell, who has dealt with three major knee injuries since high school, which has hindered the former four-star prospect’s development in recent years.

How those two respond and develop this spring will be vital for Auburn’s offensive line, otherwise Harsin and his staff may look to the transfer market for some immediate relief at a position that has been under-recruited on the Plains the last several years.

[cole256 17,085]

I don't know how I didn't know bell left..... That freaking sucks. I figured him and Jones were going to provide a nice foundation at the guard spots. 

People on here blast the o line performance last year but they consistently became better each game. The only position on the team that did so. They weren't perfect or any where close to perfect but they weren't close to being as bad as some would have you to. I think coming up they will be pretty solid