Hugh Freeze and his staff have worked swiftly to address one of the biggest concerns on Auburn’s roster — one that has been growing for years now.

On Thursday evening, Auburn picked up a commitment from Western Kentucky offensive tackle transfer Gunner Britton, giving the Tigers seven offensive line additions — between signees and commitments — since Freeze took over as head coach at the end of November. The seven offensive linemen is the most Auburn has added in a single cycle since the 2012 recruiting class, when Gene Chizik’s staff brought in seven linemen, all from the high school ranks (four three-star prospects and a trio of three-stars).

Read more Auburn football: Auburn adds another transfer OT, pulls Gunner Britton from Western Kentucky

Former Auburn assistant lands new job at Memphis, per reports

Auburn football 2023 projected scholarship chart

“This is a big man league,” Freeze said last month during his early signing day press conference. “…Our emphasis will always be on making sure those rooms are correct. We’re not there yet. I hope recruits are listening.”

Since those remarks, Auburn has gotten two major pickups along the offensive line via the transfer portal: Tulsa offensive tackle transfer Dillon Wade, who previously played for current Auburn offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery, and Britton, the former WKU tackle who committed during a visit to campus Thursday.

The additions of the 6-foot-4, 290-pound Wade and 6-foot-6, 275-pound Britton has turned Auburn into arguably the biggest transfer portal winner when it comes to the offensive line. The Tigers have secured commitments from two of the top-five rated offensive tackles in the portal, according to 247Sports’ rankings.

Both Wade (No. 3) and Britton (No. 5) are viewed as four-star transfers, and both bring a wealth of experience to a position of need for Auburn. Wade started every game at left tackle for Tulsa last season, while Britton has 18 career starts to his name, including all 14 games at WKU in 2022.

The additions of Wade and Britton provide some immediate relief at tackle for Auburn heading into Year 1 under Freeze. Wade should have two years of eligibility remaining, while Britton should have one year left. They aren’t long-term solutions, but they should at least provide some cushioning as a stopgap while Freeze and his staff work to replenish the numbers and develop younger offensive linemen on the back end of the roster—and make up for years of poor recruiting and under-development in the trenches by the previous two staffs under Gus Malzahn and Bryan Harsin.

“We need the most help on the O-line; we’re continuing to develop that,” Freeze said.

That’s something Malzahn struggled to do in the later years of his tenure at Auburn, and something Harsin seemingly ignored altogether.

Auburn signed just three offensive linemen during Harsin’s time as head coach — two three-star prospects in his transitional class in 2021 (Garner Langlo, who committed under Malzahn, and Colby Smith) and local four-star offensive tackle E.J. Harris in the 2022 class. The Tigers had commitments from two linemen prior to Harsin’s firing: four-star interior lineman Clay Wedin and three-star local lineman Bradyn Joiner. There was also three-star prospect Gernorris Wilson, who decommitted when Harsin was fired and ultimately signed with Oregon last month.

During Malzahn’s last few seasons at Auburn, offensive line recruiting fell off as well. The Tigers signed just one blue-chip lineman during Malzahn’s final three full recruiting classes (Keiondre Jones in 2019). In all, Auburn signed three or fewer offensive linemen eight times in the 10 years prior to Freeze’s arrival.

Freeze has worked to avoid repeating the same mistakes his predecessors made, putting a priority on offensive line recruitment since his arrival in late November. Along with the two key portal additions, so far, Auburn signed four high school offensive linemen last month — Wedin, Joiner, and three-star recruits Connor Lew and Tyler Johnson — and junior college transfer Izavion Miller, the fourth-ranked JUCO offensive tackle in the country. It’s the first time since 2015 that Auburn has signed at least four offensive linemen from the high school ranks.

Improving the numbers is one part of the equation, as Auburn was set to return three tackles, none of which have extensive playing experience, and just five interior linemen in 2023. Freeze and his staff know they must continue to restock the numbers up front but also develop those prospects to get Auburn out of the offensive line quagmire it has found itself in over the last several years.

This is just the beginning of Auburn’s long-overdue overhaul along the offensive line, but as Freeze noted last month, the Tigers have at least “made some dents” in a short time when it comes to their needs up front.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.