Auburn shakes up depth chart for Week 9 matchup with Mississippi State

Austin Keys and Keionte Scott are back as starters after returning last week from injury.

Auburn returned two starters on defense last week and they are now back in the starting lineup ahead of Auburn’s Week 9 game against Mississippi State.

[autotag]Keionte Scott[/autotag] missed three games after undergoing ankle surgery but couldn’t be kept off the field against Ole Miss. He played 71 snaps and made five tackles and defended two passes and is back as the starting star cornerback.

Middle linebacker [autotag]Austin Keys[/autotag] also made his return after missing five games, playing 26 snaps and making four tackles. He and [autotag]Larry Nixon III[/autotag] are both listed as the starting middle linebacker for Mississippi State, separated by an OR

There was another change along the defense with [autotag]Justin Rogers[/autotag] now listed as the starting nose tackle after backing up [autotag]Jayson Jones[/autotag] all season, Jones is now the backup.

Rogers actually started against Ole Miss and played a season-high 42 snaps. He made the most of his opportunity, making four tackles, including one for a loss.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and Co. also tweaked the offensive depth chart, [autotag]Jeremiah Wright[/autotag] is now listed as a backup right guard with [autotag]Jalil Irvin[/autotag]. Wright was previously listed as the backup right tackle but has been replaced by [autotag]Jaden Muskrat[/autotag].

Here is a look at the complete depth chart.

Auburn Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 50 Jalil Irvin

The veteran is one of Auburn’s most experienced linemen.

Going into the 2023 football season, Auburn Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] in his first season on the Plains.

Up next is veteran offensive lineman [autotag]Jalil Irvin[/autotag]. He has spent played both center and guard during his time at Auburn and he gives them needed depth at several key positions.

Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Stone Mountain, Georgia

Height: 6-3

Weight: 319

Class in 2023: Senior

247Sports Composite Ranking

Three-Star / No. 49 in Georgia / No. 22 OG

Career Appearances

Year G
2019 4
2020 4
2021 11
2022 12

PFF Grades

Year Offense Pass Blocking Run Blocking Special Teams
2019 59.2 16.3 64.1 61.0
2020 50.9 74.1 50.9 60.7
2021 52.5 76.4 52.3 61.0
2022 47.6 50.8 47.4 61.7

Depth Chart Overview

Entering his sixth year on the Plains, Irvin gives Auburn an experienced player who can play both center and guard when needed.

Transfer [autotag]Avery Jones[/autotag] has the starting center spot locked up and Irvin is in a battle with [autotag]Connor Lew[/autotag] and [autotag]Tate Johnson[/autotag] to be the No. 2 center. With both guard spots still up for grabs, it could take some time to determine what the best combination is for the offensive line.

Regardless of where he starts on the depth chart, Irvin is an experienced option that Auburn’s coaches know they can count on at either guard spots or center when needed.

Jalil Irvin’s Photo Gallery

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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The full Auburn depth chart for Week 5

Last week, there were no changes — this week, there are plenty.

We have some changes this week, folks.

There has been some considerable shuffling around the depth chart for this week, with the biggest difference coming at the quarterback position — [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] is set to start his second week in a row, but [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag] has now been listed as a co-backup with freshman [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] since he is practicing this week.

In other news, [autotag]Koy Moore[/autotag] has (again) reclaimed the WRZ position with an “or”, [autotag]Jalil Irvin[/autotag] takes over at center and [autotag]D.J. James[/autotag] is listed as an “or” with Jaylin Simpson.

With all that in mind, here’s what Auburn’s depth chart will look like heading into the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry:

Harsin: Nick Brahms is ‘done with football’

Nick Brahms has decided to end his career due to injuries.

Auburn will be without one of the most experienced linemen in the country.

[autotag]Nick Brahms[/autotag] has started 33 games at center for Auburn but will not be able to play in the 2022 college fotball season due to knee issues head coach [autotag]Brian Harsin[/autotag] announced Monday. Harsin added that Brahms is “done with football.”

Brahms appeared in 40 games during his five seasons at Auburn after redshirting in 2017. The 6-foot-4, 300-pound Brahms became the starting center during the 2018 season and then split starting duties during 2019 before winning the job towards the end of the season.

He was Auburn’s full-time starter for the 2021 and 2021 seasons and will leave a hole in the middle of the offensive line that Auburn must fill.

Junior [autotag]Tate Johnson[/autotag] is listed as the starter on Auburn’s Week 1 depth chart. Veteran [autotag]Jalil Irvin[/autotag] and sophomore [autotag]Avery Jernigan[/autotag] are listed as his backups. Johnson has appeared in one game during his career.

Auburn will start the season Saturday against Mercer at 6 p.m. CT in 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