Although Auburn football is slated to return most of last season’s offensive line for the 2022 season, next year will be a different story as the Tigers will lose most of their established starters from the O-Line. Because of this, a major emphasis has been placed on recruiting offensive linemen in the 2023 cycle.
Offensive line coach Will Friend and the rest of the staff have been making a major push for 3-star offensive tackle Connor Stroh, who is ranked as the #397 overall prospect and the #28 offensive tackle in the recruiting class of 2023 as well as the #65 recruit out of the state of Texas.
The work is paying off for the Tigers as they make the cut in Connor Stroh’s Top 5 schools, along with Texas, Texas A&M, Arkansas, and Florida. It’s no surprise that Stroh is looking hard at both the Texas schools being from the Lone Star State.
Stroh visited the Plains in March and got the chance to see an Auburn football spring practice and how the coaches interact with the players. According to Auburn Undercover, the coaching staff is one of the main reasons that the Tigers are still in the mix for the OT:
"“I really like coach (Will) Friend and coach (Joe) Benardi,” Stroh told Mike Roach of 247Sports. “I think they are two well-regarded and seasoned offensive line coaches. I think they are doing good there. I like the way coach Harsin coaches and I got to see it at their spring practice. It goes without being said that all of these places have great facilities.”"
Stroh also announced that he will be taking an official visit to the Plains on May 20, and hopes to make his final decision later this summer after taking OVs to all of his top schools. Friend has made it very clear to Stroh that he is wanted on the roster, but they’ll have to beat out the Texas schools to earn his commitment.