He may not play the most glamorous position on the football field, but senior center Reese Dismukes may be the most indispensable player on the team, according to Auburn coaches.
After a team-high 41 career starts, Dismukes has become crucial to the Tigers' success.
Dismukes is on the watch lists for the Outland Trophy, Lombardi Award and a returning finalist for the Rimington Trophy.
He is also a nominee for the Senior CLASS Award, an honor that recognizes achievements and leadership in the community, classroom, character and competition.
The Spanish Fort native knows his role as well as anybody: a leader.
Dismukes was a team captain as a junior and the only Tiger to head out to midfield for the coin toss in every game last season.
During spring practices, Dismukes was asked if his job is just as important as Marshall's. The Tigers' 6-foot-3, 295 pound offensive line anchor came back with a humble answer.
"Obviously, I don't have to make reads, and I don't have to make touchdown throws," Dismukes said. "All I've got to do is snap the ball and hope that he's going to score points for us. I've got a little more on my hands up front, getting everybody going the right way, and that kind of deal, but all my teammates are important. I don't think I'm more important than anybody else."
J.B. Grimes, Auburn's offensive line coach, has taught 11 NFL centers and said Dismukes' physical and mental toughness make him the best he has ever coached.
"I'm telling you, the kid has a photographic memory, nearly," Grimes said. "He knows exactly what we are supposed to be doing because he listens and he hears."
Dismukes was the first freshman to start at the center position since Ryan Pugh in 2007. A team's center is usually as an offensive leader, but head coach Gus Malzahn said he believes his leadership carries throughout.
"He demands that his teammates practice at the level that the coaches expect," Malzahn said.
Dismukes made the 2013 SEC academic honor roll and represented Auburn at SEC Media Days, something Malzahn has made clear is an honor and privilege after not allowing senior quarterback Nick Marshall to attend in 2014.
Dismukes' leadership in the locker room, on the sidelines and on the field is something his teammates react to and his coaches encourage.
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