Auburn football loses reserve OL ahead of spring practice

It was clear to head coach Hugh Freeze and his staff from the very beginning that there was a lot of work that needed to be done in the trenches of Auburn football. Of course, the defensive line had its issues, but the offensive line struggled mightily all season long, greatly affecting the rest of the offense.

Offensive linemen have been notoriously under-recruited on the Plains for quite a few years, with the class of 2021 having only two OL recruits. and the 2022 class having just one compared with the eight OL recruits and transfers in the class of 2023.

The Tigers were expected to return only eight offensive linemen for the 2023 season, about half of whom are upperclassmen, but that number has shrunk to seven with the news that reserve offensive lineman Avery Jernigan will part ways with the team ahead of the start of spring practice next week.

Jernigan, from Blackshear, GA, was a 3-star inside offensive lineman out of high school. He was ranked as the #482 overall prospect and the #25 OG in the class of 2020 and was the #51 recruit out of the state of Georgia. Jernigan did not see the field in 2020 or 2021, but played in the game versus Western Kentucky at the end of last season.

According to a report by 247 Sports’ Nathan King, Jernigan made the decision to leave Auburn football on his own, and was not kicked off the team.

New offensive line coach Jake Thornton certainly has his work cut out for him between all the young players and new transfers, but he remains optimistic about his position group, per Auburn Live:

"“I think we have the group of talent coming back, a great group of young players coming in, and a great group of transfers coming in,” Thornton said. “As long as we put in the work together, with the style of offense we play we’re going to highlight our strengths and we’re going to play hard and fast, we’re going to put pressure on defenses. I’m excited about getting it rolling.”"

Auburn football’s spring training is set to start earlier than usual this year, with players reporting to practice next Monday, February 27.