Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze has said from the beginning that improving the offensive line would be a top priority for the Tigers in year one.
The o-line has seen a complete overhaul this offseason, but some veterans of the Auburn program remain. Jalil Irvin is going into his sixth season with the Tigers and has played a role in the mentorship of the younger players in the room.
"I say probably chemistry," Irvin said on the biggest strength of the position. "Everyone has bought in, and we all know we have to do on the field and communicate better out there. We got an older group too. I mean, we got it; we got a good mix of old guys and young guys. We got four six-year seniors."
A problem that has hurt the offensive line for the past few seasons is a lack of depth, but Irvin believes the issue has finally been addressed.
"I think there's a lot," Irvin said. "You have a lot of people that can play all over the field. I mean, you got me. I can play center and guard. Tate (Johnson) can play center and guard. Gunner (Britton) is playing right and left tackle as well. So we got a lot of people that could do a lot. So if anything happens during the season, I think we'll be okay to go in there and get the job done still."
Auburn had its first scrimmage of fall camp over the weekend, and Irvin saw some things from his group that he liked.
"I think we ran the ball really well," Irvin said. "We wanted to run the ball and really put our imprint on the game. I feel like we have a lot of guys who can do what needs to get done running the ball. Our quarterbacks played really good too. So I think the offense as a whole, obviously, we can get better at certain aspects but as a whole, we did what we were supposed to do and handled it really well."
Irvin said that Connor Lew, a freshman from Kennesaw, Georgia, has impressed him the most so far.
"I've talked to him about how it is to come in and play center at 17 years old," Irvin said about Lew. "Too tall (Izavion Miller) is doing really well too."
While Auburn has been going after guys who can make an instant impact, they are also building for the future. Irvin said he is a fan of the process.
"It's fun. I know how it is to be the young guy just trying to get some reps, and they take their opportunities pretty serious," he said.
Auburn's offensive line and the rest of the Tigers football team will have a chance to show their improvements against the UMass Minutemen on September 2.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
