Hugh Freeze Expresses Concern Over Auburn' Offensive Line Play

While the quarterback always gets the most ink, the Auburn Tigers' offensive line also underwent significant changes in the offseason. The group seemed to gel fairly well early, but some issues are beginning to creep in as the season opener against Baylor on Friday, August 29th, gets closer.

“The expectation is improvement, for sure,” head coach Hugh Freeze said on Monday. “We’ve got to improve in our one-on-one situations. It’s impossible for you not to have some one-on-ones in pass protection. We’ve got to strain harder. It’s the bottom line. We expect more out of this group than to get beat in some one-on-ones.”

The group features two new starting tackles this season, both brought in via the transfer portal. Starting on the left side will be Virginia Tech transfer Xavier Chaplin, who was a stalwart for the Hokies in 2024. Chaplin was ranked as the No. 10 overall player in the portal and the No. 2 tackle by 247Sports.

Across from Chaplin will be USC transfer Mason Murphy. Murphy had some struggles last season with the Trojans, but many of them were caused by a quarterback duo of Miller Moss and Jayden Maiava that struggled to get the ball out in a reasonable time. Murphy was ranked as the No. 115 player in the portal and No. 15 offensive lineman. 

The interior is made up of three returning starters, led by third-team All-SEC center Connor Lew. The two guard spots will be filled by Dylan Wade and Jeremiah Wright. Despite all of the group’s experience, some inevitable growing pains.

“To this point, we haven’t been consistent enough in training to win some of those battles,” Freeze said. “We do have some things that we can do to help, really haven’t gotten into that yet. Would like to see us hold up and not have to get into some of those deals in the chip world or the max world, but I really think we have the ability to do that.”

Every great offensive line has players who can be reliable presences in one-on-ones, especially out at tackle. The best tackles in the nation are those who can succeed when left on an island against the premier edge rushers in football.

Chaplin showed the ability to thrive in that situation in 2024 at Virginia Tech, but seemingly hasn’t found that form with the Tigers. Freeze is hoping he won’t have to use a tight end or running back to “chip” pass rushers and can use those players as receiving weapons. 

If the Auburn tackles and guards are both having issues in one-on-ones, the line will almost always have a weak link. As coach Freeze said, there are always going to be one-on-one opportunities in the trenches. 

If the Tigers can’t adapt, it’s more than likely going to be a long season for quarterback Jackson Arnold, but the expectation is that the rebuilt line will need some time to gel as a unit. It just may not be as quickly as Freeze likes.