When Gus Malzahn and J.B. Grimes first asked right guard Mike Horton to begin taking snaps at center this preseason camp, the redshirt junior didn’t question it, despite having never played the position at any point in his football career.
Instead, Horton was eager to help.
“I’m glad they made me do that,” Horton said. “It made me have to adjust … it’s a new position, so obviously I have to get used it, but right now I feel comfortable enough to where, if I had to in the game, I could play it … both are comfortable for me. It’s whatever they need me to do.”
The 324-pounder started seven games at right guard for the Tigers in 2017 but was tasked to split reps at center this fall because of the team’s inexperience at the position; redshirt junior Kaleb Kim, redshirt freshman Nick Brahms and senior Tucker Brown have no combined starts.
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If Horton were to become the guy in the middle, Auburn has a plan. Former five-star tackle Calvin Ashley moved behind Horton at guard early in camp.
But Horton has since slid back over to the right, as Kim has worked with “orange” first-teamers this fall. And according to his right guard, Kim is adjusting to Grimes’ system well after suffering a knee injury in the spring.
“He’s really progressed coming back from that knee injury,” Horton said. “Very smart guy, very technically sound. I think that’s his biggest asset.”
Horton added that he hasn’t taken center snaps in any of Auburn’s recent practices, making it all the more apparent that Kim has a stranglehold on the starting job.
“Even though he hasn’t played with us in a game, he’s worked with us before,” Horton said of Kim. “It’s not going to be a problem … he’s know what he’s doing.”
The other question mark for Grimes lies at right tackle, where former four-star Austin Troxell was supplanted by UMass transfer Jack Driscoll on the first team at Monday’s practice.
“Jack (Driscoll) really just came in and attacked everything,” Horton said. “It seemed like he was just always here … he’s very athletic and has some aggression to him.”
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Troxell has Driscoll beat in terms of years on The Plains, but Driscoll already started in five SEC contests at UMass (Florida, Mississippi State 2x, South Carolina and Tennessee) and 20 FBS games overall.
“I’m not a coach, but both players right now are pretty good,” left tackle Prince Tega Wanogho said. “Jack (Driscoll) is pretty good, (Austin) Troxell is pretty good.”
For the head coach eager to cement his first-teamers "as early as possible," the Tigers’ final media-open practice may have showcased that group. It’s a group that lost four starters from 2017, sure, but remains confident that Washington’s defensive line won’t get anything handed to them come Week 1 in Atlanta.
“There aren’t a lot of people who actually believe in our line right now,” Wanogho said. “We’ve just got to prove them wrong. I’ve seen improvement. We’ve just got to wait and see.”
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Nathan King, senior in journalism with a minor in business, is The Plainsman's sports editor.
