Change was inevitable on the Plains when Auburn athletic director John Cohen announced Hugh Freeze would be the Tigers' next head coach. Since then, new and old faces have joined Auburn football's rebuild.
On Dec. 22, 2022, Freeze named Jake Thornton the new offensive line coach. Thornton spent the last two years with Ole Miss, where he mentored All-SEC offensive linemen and played a big role in the Rebels' electric offense.
"As far as the pressure, this is the SEC, so any situation, any team, any game, everything is a pressure field. That's why we as competitors do that and why we accept these challenges," Thornton said. "And I'm so excited about it. I couldn't ask for a better group as far as work ethic, and they want to be good. They want to flip the script."
Freeze and Thornton recognized this challenge and have added many new faces to the offensive line to aid the Tigers offense.
"We have a lot of new faces, but for me, all of them are new," Thornton said. "So, I tried to do the best I could knowing strengths and weaknesses and kind of figuring out what they were good at and not so good at and what we need to work on."
Auburn has been busy adding veteran transfers and young freshmen to its roster as the Tigers hope these new additions play a major role in 2023. Tulsa transfer Dillon Wade, Western Kentucky transfer Gunner Britton and East Carolina transfer Avery Jones were mentioned specifically by Thornton as players that bring years of experience and leadership to the offensive line.
"None of the three are extremely vocal, but their presence out there is certainly felt. Yesterday, you can tell that Gunner (Britton) has played a ton of football at multiple positions in the way he practices and the way he carries himself," Thornton said. "Wade's got a big personality. He's a competitor. He wants to finish. He looks to finish, so he brings that element to it. Avery (Jones) being the guy in the middle, also playing a ton of ball, he brings an element of leadership, making the calls and getting everybody in the right direction."
Thornton mentioned his plan to teach all of his linemen how to play all five positions, and he explained why it is valuable for all offensive linemen to learn each position.
"I want all my guys to know how to play all five. I think that's the best for their personal development if they want to play in the National Football League, and unless you're the $40 million first-round left tackle, you need to know how to play all five of them," Thornton said.
He emphasized the importance of understanding each lineman's role, and if his guys don't understand their roles, he has "failed them as a coach, and they're not going to be fully prepared."
By allowing each lineman an opportunity to try each position, Thornton's system may help these players find where their skill set is better suited.
"I might have a guy that's playing this position, and if we move them inside or outside, their skillset might be better at that position, and you don't know that until you try that," Thornton said. "Fortunately for us, with the way Coach Freeze manages our practices, it's gonna give us a lot of opportunities to play around and figure out who our best five guys are and what spot they're in."
With spring training in session, Thornton expressed his excitement about being a coach on the Plains.
"It was great getting out there and working with the guys," Thornton said. "When I walked out there, I had to take a minute and let it soak in... I thought they worked really hard. Obviously, a lot of stuff to clean up, but there's also a ton of good to build off of, so it was fun being out there again."
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Caitlyn Griffin is a sophomore from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. She started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @caitlyngrif99
