Photo by Todd Van Emst
Originally, these posts were supposed to come on a daily basis, but the blog was swamped with preps coverage the past two days, and unfortunately, the offensive line had to wait a little.
So far, the blog has already taken a look at three of Auburn’s position groups. Remember, the goal here — as established by my predecessor, Andy Bitter — is to take a look at how the Tigers’ roster shakes out at the end of the spring and how things might shake out when the freshmen arrive.
For a look at the other three position groups in the series, take a look at the following links:
As always, feel free to disagree with my take. At this point, with such a young roster, everything’s open to discussion.
Full disclaimer: Any depth chart projections here are only my best guess. Nothing more, nothing less.
For more on Auburn sports as the spring progresses, follow the blog on Twitter and Facebook.
PROJECTED STARTERS
- LT: Greg Robinson, 6-5, 309, R-Fr.
- LG: John Sullen, 6-5, 336, Sr.
- C: Reese Dismukes, 6-3, 302, So.
- RG: Christian Westerman, 6-3, 298, R-Fr.
- RT: Chad Slade, 6-5, 314, So.
- OT: Patrick Miller, 6-7, 273, Fr.
- OG: Eric Mack, 6-3, 330, So.
- C: Tunde Fariyike, 6-2, 302, So.
- OG: Thomas O’Reilly, 6-3, 314, R-Fr.
- OT: Shane Callahan, 6-6, 280, Fr.
- OT: Shon Coleman, 6-6, 295, R-Fr.
- OL: Avery Young, 6-5, 292, Fr.
- OL: Jordan Diamond, 6-6, 289, Fr.
- OL: Alex Kozan, 6-4, 295, Fr.
- OL: Will Adams, 6-6, 280, Fr.
- OL: Robert Leff, 6-6, 270, Fr.
- OL: Colton Wingard, 6-2, 289, So.
“Auburn fans are going to realize once and for all how dominant last year’s line was. It’s a luxury you don’t realize until it’s gone. Well, it’s gone, and the Tigers are going to have some growing pains up front this year. Auburn has recruited well, which bodes well for the future, but offensive lines take time to jell, something that’s not going to happen overnight. Everything about Jeff Grimes’ track record suggests he’ll get the job done.”
OVERVIEW
Credit Andy, he hit the nail on the head. With a largely inexperienced line in 2011, Auburn had plenty of growing pains on the offensive line, especially against the SEC’s better defenses up front. Injuries didn’t help, either, as Auburn’s offensive line seemed to be in a constant state of flux due to injuries to A.J. Greene early and a season-ending injury to Jared Cooper in the middle of the season. Because of a lack of depth imposed by graduation, Auburn was awfully thin on the line toward the end of the year. In Cooper’s absence, Chad Slade played a lot in 2011. As for original starters, Reese Dismukes caught the attention of most onlookers as a freshman in the SEC, and John Sullen started every game, but it took a little longer than some observers expected for the highly-touted 2011 class to get on the field.
GOOD THINGS
On the blind side, Greg Robinson took a little more time than expected to acclimate to the college game and redshirted, but every indication from Auburn’s players and coaches is that Robinson has the athleticism and the potential to be a bedrock player on the line. In addition, Robinson’s running mate, Christian Westerman, made some good strides before getting injured, Dismukes has gotten leaner and stronger, and Sullen’s move to the left side to pair him with Robinson could give the line a road-grading side to run behind. In addition, early enrollee Patrick Miller impressed with his ability to come on campus and mix it up right away, earning a starting role at one of the tackle spots in all three of Auburn’s big spring scrimmages.
BAD THINGS
Westerman’s injury kept him from really grabbing a spot by the end of spring practice. Slade, always a tweener, moved back and forth between tackle and guard throughout the spring. For the most part, Auburn’s offensive line was never physical enough for Grimes or offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler in scrimmages during the spring, and a young group is going to have to play physical football for the Tigers to run the football against the SEC’s power defenses.
ARRIVING SOON
Throughout the spring, Grimes made it clear that other than a couple of key starters — Robinson and Sullen on the left, Dismukes at center — he was not planning to make any big decisions in the spring, because he wanted to wait until the rest of the freshman class arrives in the summer. Out of an impressive class that brought in seven players, Avery Young and Jordan Diamond generated the most buzz from the recruiting experts. If one or both come in during the fall and make a play for a spot — highly unlikely, given the nature of the position — the chance to earn playing time is there.
POTENTIAL BREAKOUT
Has to be Robinson. At 6-5, 309 pounds, Robinson is enormous, but it’s his feet that give him a chance to be truly special on the outside at left tackle. Defensive end Dee Ford, one of the fastest players on Auburn’s defensive front, said that the thing that stands out about Robinson is the quickness of his feet. Robinson moves much faster and with much better quickness than most men his size. If he can translate that to the field when the games start, Robinson could be a special player for Auburn.
BATTLE TO WATCH
Both spots on the right side of the line appear to be up for grabs, but the battle at right tackle among some combination of Slade, Miller and the rest of the incoming freshman class may be the one to watch. Options with some experience or time on campus appear to be plentiful at right guard, but the key is whether or not Miller, who had a very impressive spring but needs to put on a lot of weight during the summer, or somebody else can win the job over Slade. In that scenario, Slade would likely become a part of the race at right guard, and even if Robinson’s holding down the blind side, somebody has to protect the quarterback’s line of sight.
THEY SAID IT
“He’s a kid that really, really tries hard. It means a lot to him. He’s got a great amount of desire and passion for the game. I really believe he’s going to be a really good player for us. I’m just not sure when, yet.” — Jeff Grimes on Patrick Miller.
NUMBERS GAME
32 — Sacks allowed by Auburn in 2011.
THE END OF THE DAY
No matter what Grimes ends up doing on the offensive line, Auburn’s going to be very, very young up front this year. Only Sullen will be an upperclassman, but the Tigers do have players with starting experience returning in Dismukes and Slade. What could give Grimes a chance to get Auburn’s offensive line back to a big-time unit is the athletic ability of some of Auburn’s young players. During bowl practices last year, A.J. Greene said Greg Robinson possessed much more athleticism than he himself, and Patrick Miller’s length at 6-7 gives him a chance to keep his athleticism even as he adds weight. What makes projecting a final starting lineup extremely difficult is that Grimes is a pretty straight shooter in interviews, and he made it clear during the spring that he wasn’t going to come up with any kind of depth chart until his full complement of players arrives. From there, it’s up to him to gel Auburn’s line together and get things going, although after a painfully uneven season in 2011, the Tigers really can only improve.