Auburn’s loss to Vanderbilt highlights the importance of OL recruiting

chestnut fans were unhappy 17-7 loss to Vanderbiltand the offensive line was a major concern. It also wasn’t a shock based on Auburn football’s recent history, but help should be on the way.

The Tigers have spent years trying to bring in top offensive players. Hugh Freeze arrived on the Plains and began honing the talent through the draft. More on that below, but that fact didn’t help last Saturday.

Even though Vanderbilt’s rushing defense wasn’t enough, the Commodores beat the Tigers. To make matters worse, Vandy showed better athleticism than Auburn in the trenches, watching his players shoot the net and wreak havoc. Vanderbilt had 7 tackles for a loss and 3 sacks against the Tigers. Beyond the statistics, there was another concern.

Just by sight check, Auburn’s offensive front was often pushed back or had obvious mental lapses with the Commodores breaking free, leading to rushing attempts that were stalled before the play had barely begun. I hated watching Auburn’s offensive line fail so often.

for the game chestnut ran 29 times for 88 yards. But wait, how did that happen after the Kentucky performance?

Jarkes Hunter just outrushed the Wildcats by 278 yards. He was the SEC’s leading scorer before the Vanderbilt game. Overall, Auburn seems to have fixed its rushing attack. Here’s what Daniel Locke wrote in Auburn on SI after that game against the Wildcats:

“The improvement of the Auburn Tigers offensive line was a key factor in picking up a win over Kentucky last week.

This made it possible to run back Jarquez Hunter rushed for 278 yardstying his previous career high of 183 yards, which he set in Auburn’s win over Vanderbilt in 2023.”

Maybe it was just an aberration or Auburn’s scheme that caused the British approach? Hunter rushed 12 times for 50 yards against Vandy. It was hard to see how the offensive line broke up the state of kentucky and was porous compared to Vanderbilt. This is where the eye in the sky comes into play.

There is a lot of film about Auburn’s rushing attack. Many of Auburn’s runs are power-based with inside zone challenges. That turned out to be a limitation based on how the Commodores stuffed the Tigers time and time again. Even after the break, the Tigers had no answer to being whipped in the first stanza.

After an embarrassing 12-yard run in the third and fourth quarters combined, several adjustments were made.

You read that right, 12 yards rushing. Auburn’s fourth quarter rush was -3 yards, which was more ridiculous. Now it’s time to discuss Auburn’s offensive line talent.

There wasn’t a single lineman that dominated the offense this season. Not having a player to hang their hat on has been a problem for the Tigers. Perhaps the growth spurt is over, or at least soon to be.

One could point to the second center Connor Lew as the future He was inserted into the starting lineup against Mississippi State last season and has been the starter ever since. Still, he hasn’t been a dominant player, at least not yet.

Lew would be on the Plains for two more seasons, and it was pretty obvious that there was help from freshmen and the 2025 class. Two players of the future for Auburn have been identified.

From current freshman, offensive lineman DeAndre Carter was Rivals’ 97 recruit. He showed the frame of a typical SEC inside linebacker, watching him at Jordan-Hair during pregame warmups and during media viewing sessions at Auburn practices. Carter was a bull in the bullpen for traditional national team Mother Day (Calif.) in high school and should be a player to compete for starting minutes next season.

From Auburn’s 2025 recruiting class, offensive receiver Broderick Schall showed himself as a beast on film as he was a dominant player at Bixby (Oklahoma) High School. He was also selected as the On3 Recruit #27. Schull was a pure offensive tackle, and it wouldn’t be a shock if he was at least competed for playing time the following year.

Auburn’s offensive line struggled against Vanderbilt. It’s not talked about, but at least there’s reason to believe that 2025 will be better.