As much promise as Alex Golesh has delivered during his first offseason as the Auburn Tigers' head football coach, he didn't inspire much confidence in the team's ability to protect the backfield. The offensive line really may remain a sore spot for the team, like it's been for the entirety of the program's five-year losing season streak.
247Sports' Christian Clemente doesn't believe there are any standout guards who have earned their keep as a starter. During an interview with Rocky Top Insider's Ryan Sylvia, Clemente claimed there's only one clear starter at all: USF Bulls transfer center Cole Best.
"It’s a lot of USF transfers and then a bit of a hodgepodge of an offensive line. That’s where we’ll start, as that’s the biggest question mark and likely the weakness on this side of the ball. Just three total players return from last year’s team, and they’re all second-year players who are likely in the two-deep but probably not starters. Cole Best is the only “lock” of a starter, as he was USF’s starting center, ranked pretty well in the transfer portal and is expected to maintain his role at Auburn. The continuity there with Brown and Golesh should help the unit. A combo of James Madison transfer Jo Simmons and Michigan State transfer Stanton Ramil are the likely tackles, but questions surround Ramil’s health with multiple injuries previously and very limited in spring. The guard spots are still completely up in the air, to be honest," Clemente said.
Now that is a nightmare to hear, full stop. Any resurrection on the Plains during the 2026 season will have to involve the offense finally matching DJ Durkin's defensive dominance. Without a strong base of protection, it's hard to see why the product will look radically different. Even with practically an entirely new offensive cast.
It's not as though Ashton Daniels, Jackson Arnold, Payton Thorne, Robby Ashford, and Bo Nix didn't have wheels over the five losing seasons. In the SEC, with some of the toughest offensive line talent to contend with in the entire country, and uber-athletic linebackers and nickels to spy, you need to give your QB room to operate.
Golesh and Tyler Hudanick did well enough to find a few tackles who could develop, but if Stanton Ramil can't suit up, it's hard to have much confidence in the blindside spot. With no concrete plan between the tackles after spring practice, to boot, this could get ugly quickly against the SEC's best defensive fronts.
Auburn's 2026 expectations don't typically exceed 7-5 for a reason
You may be seeing some list the Tigers' ceiling at eight wins. If that happens, the 2026 season will have been a best-case scenario. Anything above eight wins would be a fever dream. At this point, let's set the bar at six wins, with seven being a successful year.
Auburn can't possibly expect more as long as the OL is in the shape it's in. We expected growing pains for the group, but not to the extent that team insiders don't even know who will start at the guard spots in June.
Golesh has done a lot of good. Right now, that doesn't include building a makeshift offensive line that could keep the team contending for the SEC crown in year one.
Add us as a preferred source on Google