Offensive lineman Gunner Britton became the first Auburn player to reel in a weekly honor from the SEC this season after being named offensive lineman of the week on Monday afternoon.

And no one can say he didn’t earn it.

In Saturday’s season-opening 59-14 win over UMass, Auburn fielded 13 different offensive linemen.

While Britton was a member of the starting group — first lining up at right tackle — he later went on to play at two other positions along the offensive line.

“He needs to be on the field, and we need to stay fresh because we do like to go fast,” Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said of Britton after Saturday’s win. “He gives us freedom to move some puzzle pieces around because of his flexibility. He’s really invaluable with that.”

With Britton playing a big role, the Auburn offensive line blocked for a rush attack that went finished just south of 300 yards after tallying 289 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns in Saturday’s win.

The Auburn offensive line also kept the Tigers’ trio of quarterbacks off their backs, giving up no sacks to get the 2023 season underway.

“Every offensive line has a goal to not give up a sack and have a certain yards per carry,” Britton said Monday. “I’m pretty sure we ended up hitting both of those.”

Britton finished Saturday’s game with the highest grade of the other 12 Auburn offensive linemen that saw action against UMass.

Britton, who a South Carolina native who transferred from Western Kentucky in the offseason, was made aware of the news Monday afternoon while visiting with media members.

“It’s a blessing. It’s not really about me. It’s about my teammates and what they do for me,” Britton told Jeff Shearer of AuburnTigers.com. “I can’t wait to call my dad. He’s going to probably cry.”