Auburn Tigers transfer left tackle Jo Simmons shared his thoughts on Alex Golesh's spring practices so far this March, specifically, how the team's offensive trenches have come along. Needless to say, his assessment wasn't overly optimistic.
Instead, the former James Madison Dukes starting blindside was realistic with his response to an offensive line question and admitted that he and his Auburn offensive line mates are not there yet, but are getting there.
“It’s definitely tough. One thing about the OL is that chemistry is the biggest part,” Simmons said. “Just the fact that we had the OTAs and now spring ball has given us a chance to mesh and gel and get to know each other. Getting the pads on is helping because you’ve got to play with each other. I think we’re developing that. It’s going to take time, but I think we’re getting there.”
Simmons shared what the adjustments looked like between going from Sun Belt pass-rushers to Auburn's top-ranked and highly recruited DJ Durkin-led defense every day in practice: the ability to see pressure from every angle.
“I think the biggest difference is everyone can rush,” Simmons said. “There’s not just one good guy, everyone can rush. I kind of embrace that. I love the challenge of being able to go against all of the guys and they’re making me work. I’m excited about the challenge but it is a step up.”
Auburn football fans can justifiably worry about offensive line play. Again.
Tyler Hudanick has plenty of time to get this group together, but Tiger fans have been haunted by subpar SEC offensive line play since the early Gus Malzahn era. It'd be nice to finally protect the quarterback, Simmons' main duty this fall, for once. It'd also be nice to have a running back not need to battle for yards after contact to be a standout. AU has simply been nailing RB recruiting for a while now.
Offensive line play doesn't come together overnight, which is the problem with Auburn having so much coaching turnover and hiring head coach after head coach who doesn't win key recruiting battles for offensive trench talent.
Let's hope the hopeful part of Simmons' statement comes to fruition. And let's also hope the Tigers' pass rush is just that damn good again, hence the uneasy offensive line play early this spring. At a minimum, the defense is dealing with fewer transitions and should be winning these battles early.