Out of all units that Auburn football will trot out onto the field in 2023, the offensive line will see the most changes.
It comes with good reason, as the Tigers’ line allowed 32 sacks last season, and they were only able to help their offense gain just 378 yards per game. Most of that was due to inconsistency within snap counts.
According to Pro Football Focus, only two offensive linemen were on the field for more than 700 snaps, [autotag]Killian Zierer[/autotag] and [autotag]Brandon Council[/autotag]. The next player on the list was [autotag]Austin Troxell[/autotag], who played in 482 snaps over eight games.
If those facts sound crazy, that is because they are. Auburn’s continuity rate among offensive linemen was super low last season. So low, that it was the worst among Power Five teams.
College Football Graphs recently shared its list of offensive line continuity, and Auburn ranks No. 69 among Power Five programs with a rate of 35.6%.
While only three players played more than 400 snaps on the offensive line last season, a total of six were able to play 345 or more snaps last season. Among the nine players who shuffled through Auburn’s offensive line last season, only three return to the 2023 roster: [autotag]Tate Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Jalil Irvin[/autotag], and [autotag]Jeremiah Wright[/autotag].
Hugh Freeze hopes to increase Auburn’s continuity rate in 2023 by sending several of his experienced transfer portal finds to pick up the slack. Several names that should contribute heavily to Auburn’s line this season are [autotag]Avery Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Gunner Britton[/autotag], [autotag]Dillon Wade[/autotag], and [autotag]Jaden Muskrat[/autotag].
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1364]
Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__