Auburn football’s class of 2021 is shaping up nicely with the addition of offensive center Thomas Kirkham from Montgomery, AL. The OC will play for Bryan Harsin as a preferred walk-on in his freshman year.
Kirkham was a major asset on The Montgomery Academy’s offense and made the 2020 ASWA first-team All-State football team. He had several Group of 5 offers, including Coastal Carolina, South Alabama, Troy, and Middle Tennessee.
The addition of Kirkham makes the second offensive center Auburn has recruited for the class of 2021 as a PWO. Cort Bradley of Auburn High School also recently committed to the Tigers as an OC PWO.
War Eagle🦅 @336edits @Keith247Sports @MAEagleSports pic.twitter.com/Ne8rdYG0QF
— thomas kirkham (@thomaskirkham11) February 25, 2021
As we saw over the last season, Auburn football’s offensive line needs some work. Fans relentlessly compared Patrick Mahomes’ Super Bowl scrambles to Bo Nix’s performances under center for the Tigers.
Too many times we saw Bo Nix out of the pocket and running for his life because of O-Line issues. Kirkham will land behind Auburn’s returning center, Nick Brahms, on the depth chart.
Also joining the offensive line in the recruiting class of 2021 are three-star OTs Garner Langlo and Colby Smith, the latter of whom signed with the Tigers after being recruited by Coach Will Friend.
The bottom line is that Auburn football needs a better, stronger offensive line, and according to AL.com, Bryan Harsin thinks Will Friend is the guy to make those changes:
"“I’m happy to welcome Coach Friend to our staff here at Auburn,” Harsin said. “We both strongly believe that winning the line of scrimmage is one of the most important parts of a successful football team. His offensive lines have a history of being physically and mentally tough. We’re excited to have Will join the Auburn family.”"
As the class of 2021 continues to develop, we should expect to see more depth on the offensive line get added to the list of signees.