Rivals’ Bryan Matthews was dramatic about the improvements the Auburn football offensive line has made since Hugh Freeze was hired last November — claiming that they went from “non-functioning” to an energized competent group.
“Freeze and his staff have overhauled the roster by more than 50 percent, turned the Tigers into a recruiting force and brought excitement back to a program that has suffered through nine consecutive seasons of four or more losses,” Matthews prefaced before saying, “There’s no better current example of this transformation than the offensive line. Freeze inherited a non-functional position group on Nov. 28 and with the help of offensive line coach Jake Thornton, built it into perhaps one of the SEC’s better units.”
Non-functioning may be going far, but only an inch over the arbitrary and imaginary decider line. Auburn’s offensive line was banged up, inexperienced, and in over their heads during the 2022 season. Carnell “Cadillac” Williams got more fight from the group in the final four games and schemed around them better but during Bryan Harsin’s reign for the better part of the 21 games he coached, they fell brutally short from a protection standpoint.
Tank Bigsby set to prove Auburn football OL doubters of the last few years right
Tank Bigsby, now the RB2 for the Jacksonville Jaguars but soon to be the RB1 by the 2023 NFL season’s end, is about to prove the doubters of the Auburn football OL the past few years right this fall. No. 4 was the symbol of the OL’s struggle, battling for the most yards after contact in the SEC and still having top-tier rushing stats.
Things should change this year a good deal for Jarquez Hunter and Damari Alston, and newcomers Brian Battie and Jeremiah Cobb will experience less resistance from opposing defensive fronts than rushers have in a long time on the Plains.
Too bad it couldn’t be better for Bigsby, but Tank still left a legacy no Tiger fan will ever take for granted despite the down-years.