Auburn Tigers center Cole Cubelic sees big things in Connor Lew, enough that he has him on a short-list of players who can be the SEC's best at the position.
Cubelic listed Alabama's Parker Brailsford and Florida's Jake Slaughter as Lew's primary competition in the conference.
Most importantly, Cubelic sees this group Hugh Freeze and Jake Thornton built as the most legitimate the Loveliest Village has hosted in a long time.
“So, you have Connor Lew back at center and your middle three all had over 730 snaps last year. That’s left guard, right guard, and center. That’s a lot of reps together. Now, you’re in year two of the system, you have a better understanding of what it’s going to ask of you, how you’re going to operate in it, what details are going to need to be taken care of in order to be successful," Cubelic said, per On3.
“I think Connor Lew, right there with (Alabama center Parker Brailsford) and a couple others we will talk about (Florida center Jake Slaughter) have a chance to be the best center in the SEC. It’s going to be a dog fight to get that No. 1 first-team All-SEC center spot this year. There are four or five that I think have a chance to be really good football players. Lew is great: he’s athletic, he can get out in space, he can climb to the second level, and he’s got that nasty, the demeanor–plays the game in the way it’s supposed to be played.”
Auburn being ranked in several top 25 projections has a lot to do with legitimate NFL talent emerging at one of the most important position groups for team success. Jackson Arnold turning into an effective runner, or, to maximize the talent in the stacked WR room, a pocket passer, only happens if the offensive line holds up.
If this "top roster since 2019" lives up to its name, Cubelic has to be right.