focus on offensive tackle

[aubiefifty 18,231]

Auburn focused on offensive tackle position

By Giana Han

5-6 minutes

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Brenden Coffey, an offensive lineman who transferred from a junior college last season, gets ready for a drill during Auburn's open practice on Saturday, March 20, 2021. (Photo by Giana Han)

Bryan Harsin and his coaches plan to evaluate the offensive line as spring practice goes on, but one thing made itself clear before practice even started — they will need to seriously focus on the tackle position.

Out on the recruiting trail, they’re working hard to bring in guys who can secure the future success of the line. But they also need to develop the players they have now to be able to win in the near future.

Last season, Brodarious Hamm started at right tackle and Alec Jackson started on the left. Hamm is a strong player who the defensive teammates have talked up for years, but he struggled with injuries over the course of the season. Jackson also hurt himself and stepped out of the starting lineup.

Hamm acknowledged that they all struggled last year. The tackle position was often a weak link in games, especially when Auburn had to dig down into the depth chart and shift the line around when Hamm, Jackson or Brandon Council was out with an injury. But he also said both he and Jackson showed improvement over the season. He goes out every day looking to better himself even more, and he said Jackson is also “only getting better.”

Right now, the two of them are practicing with the ones, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said, but beyond them, the situation is less certain.

“We need some competition at the tackle position,” Bobo said. “I don’t think we’re in a position right now to say, hey, we’ve got competition right there.”

Harsin says there are guys on the team “that can help us,” but they haven’t exactly figured out who can help and where they can help. He said they’d have to see how each player performed in individual drills, and, true to his word, they’ve thrown a lot at the linemen since spring practice started. From the run game to the pass game, they’ve tested the current players, Bobo said.

Austin Troxell is the most experienced guy behind Hamm and Jackson. While Troxell came in with a lot of potential, his career has also been plagued with injuries. As a result, he’s fallen behind, recovering instead of practicing. He played in eight of the 11 games last season. He started four games, once at right tackle and three times at left.

When Hamm went out for the final games of the season, a junior college transfer, Brenden Coffey gained some starting experience, as well. He had played in three games up to that point, all as a backup, before he started as the right tackle against Mississippi State. The biggest reason Coffey didn’t get much playing time, center Nick Brahms said last season, was that he wasn’t big enough. Since then, Brahms has seen him get bigger and “a lot stronger.”

“He’s come a long way, man, just believing in that grind,” Hamm said.

Along with Coffey, Killian Zierer, another junior college transfer, may be in a position to help Auburn out at tackle. Zierer didn’t play at all last season because he was recovering from an injury. He’s regained a lot of strength and then some. Brahms thinks that’s a good sign for Auburn as it looks for depth.

“They’re fast and big now, and they can move,” Brahms said. “They’ll definitely be an asset at tackle.”

Auburn is also still waiting for Council to recover. Council, a graduate transfer, was a big asset at the start of last season because he can play pretty much any position along the line. He mostly lined up at right guard until he was injured and Keiondre Jones came in for him. As Council continues to recover through spring practice, the Tigers are missing the versatility he could add as they try out different lineups.

“We’ve got some guys that have got some length, but we’ve got to, you know, getting the guys to do the little things right,” Bobo said. “Ultimately, we’re going to create some competition and have some competition at that tackle position. But they’ve got to be able to protect at the tackle position, first and foremost. And that’s something we’ll be working on hard this spring.”

[bigbird 60,939]

33 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

We need some competition at the tackle position,” Bobo said. “I don’t think we’re in a position right now to say, hey, we’ve got competition right there.”

[aubiefifty 18,231]

2 minutes ago, bigbird said:

when he started talking guys with length i thought he was talking about something different............grins.

[AUApostle 7,759]

11 minutes ago, bigbird said:

"We suck at the position"