Tag: Brandon council

Auburn football ranks last among Power Five teams in offensive line continuity

The Tigers will have plenty of new faces gracing the offensive line this season.

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].

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Best photos from Auburn’s Pro Day

The Tigers held their annual pro day and it was well attended.

Auburn held its 2023 Pro Day Tuesday and it was a star-studded event.

Not only were [autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag], [autotag]Colby Wooden[/autotag], [autotag]Anders Carlson[/autotag], [autotag]Eku Leota[/autotag], [autotag]Owen Pappoe[/autotag], [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag], [autotag]Shedrick Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]John Samuel Shenker[/autotag], [autotag]Marcus Bragg[/autotag], [autotag]Killian Zierer[/autotag], [autotag]Brandon Council[/autotag], [autotag]Marquis Burks[/autotag], [autotag]Caylin Newton[/autotag], [autotag]Morris Joseph[/autotag] in attendance but so was [autotag]Cam Newton[/autotag].

The former Heisman winner and national champion was a late addition and threw for his brother. Cam Newton hasn’t been on an NFL team since 2021 after a brief stint with the New England Patriots.

The event gave Auburn’s draft hopefuls a chance to show what they can do in front of NFL scouts and potentially move up draft boards. Here are the top photos from Auburn’s pro day.

Jake Thornton set to join Hugh Freeze’s staff as offensive line coach

Thornton most recently served in the same role at Ole Miss for two seasons.

It appears that not EVERY coach at Ole Miss is safe from Auburn.

According to a report by Matt Zenitz of On3, Ole Miss offensive line coach [autotag]Jake Thornton[/autotag] is set to take on the same role at Auburn under Hugh Freeze. He joins [autotag]Ben Aigamaua[/autotag] (tight ends coach), and [autotag]Jeremy Garrett[/autotag] (defensive line coach) as new hires to the staff. [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Zac Etheridge[/autotag], and [autotag]Christian Robinson[/autotag] are the only coaches retained from Bryan Harsin’s staff.

Auburn’s biggest need on offense is an improvement to the offensive line, and Thornton has the capability to get that done. His offensive line at Ole Miss this season played a role in the Rebels’ gaining 491 yards per game, which is third-best in the SEC. Ole Miss gained an SEC-best 262 yards per game on the ground.

He will need time to develop Auburn’s linemen into the quality of Ole Miss’, as several of Auburn’s front will be graduating including [autotag]Killian Zierer[/autotag] and [autotag]Brandon Council[/autotag].

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Brandon Council is full of confidence ahead of matchup with Georgia

Brandon Council is very confident in what he and his teammates can do against Georgia this Saturday.

Auburn is facing its toughest test of the season this Saturday but center [autotag]Brandon Council[/autotag] is full of confidence ahead of the Tiger’s matchup with the Georgia Bulldogs.

Council made his first start at center last week when Auburn reshuffled its offensive line for their matchup with the LSU Tigers and while he respects their third-down packages, he believes Auburn can have success against the Georgia defensive line.

“I believe just them being able to, like, their third-down package,” Council said. “They got some interior stunts that kind of hinders the run game, but we’re going to start off fast. If you start off fast, run the ball on them and keep them out of their third-down packages, really, we could demolish them, I believe personally, up front.”

That may be tough to accomplish, the Bulldogs are allowing 89.20 rushing yards per game and 3.46 yards per carry. They have also done a great job shutting down Auburn’s rushing attack recently.

Auburn has not won in Athens since 2005 and in their last five trips to Samford Stadium have scored 37 total points and have not scored more than 10 points in a game. They are averaging 93.8 rushing yards and 3.4 yards per carry in those five games.

One advantage for Auburn is that Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Cart will be unavailable for the game.

“The guys that do come out, I don’t think they trust them,” Council said. “If we keep them out of third down where they can’t bring packages and have to keep their main guys on the field, we’re just going to run the ball on them all day because they’re going to get tired.”

Auburn is fresh off a 21-17 loss to LSU and while they had their best game through the air on offense, Auburn once again struggled to run the ball. They managed just 101 yards and 3.3 yards per carry, however, Council thought they can build on the performance.

“I think we did great, and the last game could speak for itself, as you could see the push and the line actually playing past the line of scrimmage instead of being pushed back,” Council said. “That was just a big piece. It also goes back to the communication and everybody knowing what they’re doing on the line, so you don’t have to overcome anything. You can just fire straight off the ball.”

“It’s very important,” Council side of this week’s game. “We have the chance to go out there and do something that hasn’t been done in a long time, that’s beat Georgia at Georgia. I believe the last time was in 2005. That would be a big thing. Our goal is to go in there like a SWAT team, in and out and quiet the noise and beat their behinds and get out.”

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Everything Bryan Harsin, players said after losing to LSU

Auburn blew a 17-0 lead over the LSU Tigers Saturday night in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Whenever Auburn and LSU play a football game, it is destined to be weird.

That was once again the case Saturday night in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn took a 17-0 lead but ultimately fell, 21-17, to the Bayou Bengals.

While [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] had his best college game, the host Tigers were unable to overcome four turnovers and another poor offensive performance in the second half.

The Tigers are 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the SEC. Bryan Harsin and several players met with the media after the game to discuss the loss and how they will attempt to move on. Here is everything they said.

Auburn football names its top players from Mercer victory

There were quite a few commendations to go around after Auburn’s dominant win.

It’s hard to pick standouts in a dominating victory like the Tigers’ 42-16 rout of the Mercer Bears, but there were a few standouts in Auburn’s home opener last Saturday.

The official Auburn Football Twitter account gave its picks, and it included five standout players from all over the ball — [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag], [autotag]Cam Riley[/autotag], [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag], [autotag]Brandon Council[/autotag] and [autotag]Colby Wooden[/autotag]. All of them contributed in a big way, but each had their own unique performances that allowed the Tigers to coast past the Bears.

On the offensive side of the ball, Bigsby showed everyone why he’s considered one of the SEC’s best backs by busting off 147 yards and two touchdowns behind the efforts of Council. Meanwhile, Riley and Wooden wreaked havoc on the defense, with the former recording 15 total tackles and the latter recording three, both with a quarterback hurry each.

Finally, Hunter took back a single kickoff in the game and returned it 14 yards.

All of these Tigers will look to continue their production this weekend when Auburn takes on San Jose State back at Jordan-Hare stadium.

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2022 Auburn football preview: Offensive Line

Will this be the year the offensive line puts it all together?

The offensive line has been one of the most criticized units on the roster for the past several seasons. However, with nine upper-classmen competing for spots it is also one of the most experienced units on the team.

Starters [autotag]Nick Brahms[/autotag], [autotag]Brandon Council[/autotag], [autotag]Keiondre Jones[/autotag], and [autotag]Austin Troxell[/autotag] all return and veterans [autotag]Alec Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]Kilian Zierer[/autotag], [autotag]Brenden Coffey[/autotag], [autotag]Kam Stutts[/autotag], and [autotag]Jalil Irvin[/autotag] are pushing hard.

Offensive line coach [autotag]Will Friend[/autotag] has his work cut out for him trying to find the best starting five to help pave the way for Tank Bigsby and the rest of Auburn’s running backs. While the group flashed at times last season, they need to become more consistent for Auburn’s offense to take a step forward.

Tight End Preview

Wide Receiver Preview

Running Back Preview

New list names potential Auburn breakout candiates

Who do you think will emerge as a star player this season for Auburn?

You never know which players could break out over a season, but there are certainly some that show more potential than others.

A new list by the Montgomery Advertiser has done its best to try and predict who these players will be, and it’s never an easy feat. Here is the criteria the new list uses to try and determine which Auburn players could shine under [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag]’s second year with the Tigers:

“There are two schools of thought for applicable returners. The first type: someone who hasn’t gotten much playing time in previous years and who Auburn needs to step up with increased reps. The second type: someone who’s already a regular but underachieved last season.”

There will certainly be an influx of these types of players coming to play for Auburn in Bryan Harsin’s second year. Following the departure of Bo Nix and a massive wave of transfers out of the program following Bryan Harsin’s controversy, plenty of players will have the chance to make their mark on the program as Harsin will desperately look to prove his worth and keep his job at the end of the 2022 season.

Here are the six players the list names as potential breakout stars for this— upcoming college football season:

Brandon Council is helping Auburn prepare against his former team

Get ready for the Brandon Council Bowl, Auburn fans!

Auburn’s season opener with Akron might as well be known as the Brandon Council Bowl.

Council started at guard for the Tigers last season after transferring to the Plains from Akron. He instantly was one of the best and most NFL-ready players on the offensive line.

He was listed as one of the starters on the offensive line in the depth chart that was put out earlier this week.

The leader of the offensive line, Nick Brahms, was asked how Council had handled conversations about getting ready for the matchup with Akron during meetings.

“He’s filled us in on all of their personnel and stuff so he’s got a little insight to that,” Brahms said. “But yeah, he’s excited to do it. I know he is. We’ve talked about it for sure. He’s looking forward to getting out there.”

Council, Brahms, and the Tigers take on Akron at 6:00 PM. the broadcast can be seen on ESPN+.

Stream this Saturday’s Auburn-Akron game, plus college football games from the SEC, Big 12, The American, and more on ESPN+

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Five Auburn players with the most to prove against Akron

These five Tigers have a ton to prove this weekend.

The Bryan Harsin era will officially begin this weekend, but it will be another two weeks before Auburn will face its first test.

Auburn opens the season with two home games against Akron and Alabama State before traveling to Penn State in the third week. Neither of the first two games should be competitive, as Akron is expected to be one of the worst FBS teams in the country and Alabama State is an FCS program. Auburn is simply in a different class of football than the two.

That does not mean Auburn shouldn’t take the games seriously. Also, there will still be plenty to learn as the coaches and players try to work out the kinks of a new season and a brand-new system. Here are five players with something to prove in the opening game against Akron.