When first-year offensive line coach Jake Thornton arrived to Auburn in December of 2022, he was immediately tasked with piecing together the Tigers’ offensive line.

Except with the offseason Auburn had, imagine working on a puzzle but continuously being thrown new pieces. That was the case as Hugh Freeze and the Tigers continued to add offensive linemen via the transfer portal, the last arriving on July 30 in Northwestern transfer Dylan Senda.

“Like any start of the season, you’ve got growing pains to start out with,” Thornton said Tuesday. “Guys are trying to shake off some rust from the summer and you’ve got new guys adding in there and kinda moving guys around to figure out what gels the best.”

Auburn added 10 new offensive linemen during the offseason, including five out of the transfer portal.

Preceding Senda from the portal was Western Kentucky transfer Gunner Britton, East Carolina transfer Avery Jones and Tulsa transfers Dillon Wade and Jaden Muskrat.

Of those transfer additions, a majority could win starting jobs this fall.

Britton was graded the third-best offensive lineman in the transfer portal by Pro Football Focus this offseason. As a junior last season, Britton allowed pressure in only 1.7% of his pass blocking snaps.

“Gunner, in my mind, he’s a pro in every sense of the word,” Thornton said. “He takes care of his body, he does the technique we teach him to do, he’s always up there watching extra tape because he knows he wants to be perfect in that area of his game.”

From what’s been said and seen during fall camp, Britton is likely a lock as Auburn’s starting right tackle.

At the left tackle spot, it’s Wade who is looking like the Tigers’ eventual starter.

Wade’s transfer to Auburn allowed him to reunite with Philip Montgomery, who was Tulsa’s head coach before coming to The Plains to be Freeze’s offensive coordinator.

“D-Wade in the spring, he comes out there and he’s a great athlete. He’s just kinda out-athleting everybody,” Thornton said. “But as he’s started to face better competition, he’s really honed in on his technique and playing with better pad level, better hand placement. So he’s really devoted himself to that part of his game. Because now he can pair up technique with athletic ability and I think he’s got a chance to be a really good one.”

Moving inside to the guard spots is where things get interesting on Auburn’s offensive line.

At the start of camp, the Tigers had anywhere from four to five guys battling for either of two starting spots. However, Thornton sounds to be seeing some separation between contenders.

Sixth-year senior Kam Stutts, who represented Auburn at SEC Media Days in July, has patiently waited for his opportunity on The Plains.

After being a reserve offensive lineman in his first three seasons, Stutts finally made his way into the rotation last fall, sharing the duties of right guard with Keiondre Jones, who transferred to Florida State.

“In today’s world where it’s so easy to leave and go other places, he stuck it out,” Thornton said. “He’s been through good and bad here. And in our room, man, there’s not a bigger presence for what it means to be an Auburn offensive lineman.”

Come this fall, Stutts is slated to return as Auburn’s starter at right guard.

At left guard, however, there seems to be an ongoing battle between juniors Tate Johnson and Jeremiah Wright — two guys who suffered recent injuries that hindered their preseason development.

“They’re both competitors and the toughness level is there for both of them so they’re both growing as well,” Thornton said. “Jeremiah having not practiced in the spring and not getting any reps there and then Tate getting hurt in Practice 5 and not getting a ton of reps there, you know, both of those guys are starting to gel and are starting to figure it out.”

At center, all signs point to Jones winning the starting spot.

In 852 snaps as the starting center at East Carolina, Jones allowed just 12 pressures.

But, as a center, equally as important as his on-field performance is Jones’ leadership capabilities, which Thornton says are improving as camp progresses.

“He’s done a really good job this camp of being vocal,” Thornton said. “In the spring, he was trying to get comfortable, trying to find his place… I feel like he’s now trying to be more vocal and more in-tune with being that vocal leader in the middle because we’re putting so much on his plate at center.”

While Auburn seems to be narrowing down their looks on the offensive line, it’s just as important to note that the Tigers won’t have any shortage of options behind the team’s starters.

Thornton, who is coming off the same stint at Ole Miss, recognizes the importance of having depth along the offensive front.

“This league is brutal physically,” Thornton said. “For us to say we’re going to stay healthy with the first five guys at the beginning of the year, that’s not going to happen.

“The growth process of the offensive line doesn’t stop when you kick and ball off vs. UMass. It continues to develop all the way through the final game. I’m excited about what we have. Like every group we’ve got to continue to work and continue to get better. We’re not where we want to be but it’s two and a half weeks until game time and we want to get there.”