Auburn’s most important position battle this fall carries ton of weight

Practice kicks off Friday for the Auburn football team and while there are plenty of things to be interested in keeping an eye on leading up to the season opener, there’s one thing that outweighs them all.

The offensive line.

We’ve written here that the Auburn running game will be better this season than it was last year when it boasted the last two SEC rushing champions in Kerryon Johnson (2017) and Kamryn Pettway (2016). We’ve also taken a deeper look at how the running back position has played out during the Gus Malzhan era.

But the bottom line is this: No team can run the ball effectively with any kind of consistency without a strong offensive line. And the Tigers have questions entering fall camp. Lots of them.

The players competing for those five important spots across the line are mostly inexperienced, but not short on talent. Plus, with the addition in the offseason of OL coach J.B. Grimes — just the type of coach/teacher this unit needs — the group should be OK.

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Make that better than OK.

On Day 1 of practice, about the only thing we know for sure is that Prince Tega Wanogho at left tackle is as locked into a starting position as anyone on the offensive line.

Here’s a look at the five offensive line battles:

Left tackle: Wanogho, who opened last season as starter, was benched and then returned later in the season (and looked improved) is a solid No. 1 on the depth chart. The junior has a high ceiling, he’s got great size (6-7, 307) and strength. Bailey Sharp and the team’s other Prince, Prince Michael Sammons provide depth on the left side.

Left guard: Marquel Harrell looks pretty solid to start here, too. He stepped in and played valuable snaps late last season and performed well. You could see a combination of Brodarius Hamm, Tyler Carr and Tashawn Manning competing with Harrell.

Center: It’s been assumed for some time that Kaleb Kim, a 6-4, 300-pound junior, would be the starting center when Auburn meets Washington on Sept. 1. That still could be the case. Kim was hobbled with an ankle injury during spring practice and Nick Brahms won’t be 100 percent yet after breaking his leg in the spring. If that sounds ominous and creates wear and tear on your fingernails, join the party. If one of those to doesn’t satisfy Grimes, you can bet that Grimes will find someone else. Guard Mike Horton has been mentioned as a possibility to slide over and man the spot. Remember, last year Casey Dunn, a transfer from Jacksonville State, emerged as the starter in fall camp.

Right guard: Here’s where Horton resides, for now. He’s a solid option. He started seven games last season and saw the field in 2016 as a redshirt freshman in Auburn’s jumbo sets as the sixth offensive lineman. Auburn likes what it has in Horton. Getting him reps at center shows how strong the coaches feel about his versatility. Behind Horton is uncertain. Hamm could backup at either guard spot. Redshirt freshman Calvin Ashley could be an option here, too, if he doesn’t win the starting right tackle job.

Right tackle: One of the most interesting battles across the line. Ashley, the 5-star prospect from the 2017 recruiting class, looks great on paper. But it’s time for him to prove it on the field. Much like Dunn came on board last year, Auburn added Jack Driscoll, a 6-5, 300-pound transfer from UMass. He started 20 games in two seasons and received accolades for his work. Grimes wants to put his five best linemen on the field. If that means Driscoll starts at right tackle and Ashley slides next to him at guard, you can expect to see that.

Grimes loves having versatile linemen and he’s cross-training multiple players to prepare for different roles. How that plays out over the next few weeks remains to be seen. But the sooner the Auburn football team has its clear first- and second-team offensive lines, the better it will be for QB Jarrett Stidham, his receivers and the running game.