Harrell: OL has chance to be 'really really good'

[Auburn2Eugene 2,317]

Harrell: OL has chance to be 'really really good'

 

Bryan Matthews • AuburnSports.com

 

AUBURN | Marquel Harrell is confident.

And why shouldn’t he be? He’s one of five seniors returning as starters on Auburn’s offensive line. It was a unit that struggled early last season but showed improvement down the stretch.

Going into the offseason, the group is convinced they can be even better in 2019.

“If you go back and you watch those four—those last four or five games as an offensive line, even though some of the games didn’t turn out in our favor, you just seen the offensive line take steps each and every game, and I was proud of that, especially after the bowl game. I was like, OK, we really have a chance to be, like, really really good,” left guard Marquel Harrell said.

 

 

Harrell has started 19 career games at guard.

Robin Conn/AuburnSports.com

How good? Well, Harrell’s not the only returning offensive lineman bursting with confidence.

“I feel like now we’re all ready and we’ve really got a chance right now. I feel like that’s one of the reasons I came back too,” said left tackle Prince Tega Wanogho, who like Harrell passed up on an opportunity to enter the 2019 NFL Draft. “We’ve got all five starters back and now we can fight for something and that’s the championship. I feel like being able to return all the starters, all seniors, we really have a chance.”

Also returning is center Kaleb Kim, right guard Mike Horton and right tackle Jack Driscoll, along with top backup Bailey Sharp, another senior. The last time the Tigers had close to this much experience returning on the offensive line was 2010 as four seniors and one junior led the way to an undefeated season and national championship.

“We’re just going to try to go get it. Every time,” Wanogho said. “Play the way we did late last year, finish plays, finish blocks, and, you know, just play as a team, a whole unit. And I feel lime we’ll be able to do that because we were able to do that in the bowl game. We already know we can do it. So we just have to go do it every time, every game. That’s the expectation as the whole unit.”

The group also looks upon a second-straight year with offensive line coach as another big reason for confidence.

“It’s going to be a huge difference. It’s just a huge difference, especially having Coach Grimes back,” Harrell said. “Because again, like I say, he’s one of the best coaches in college football, especially working on offensive line. He knows what he’s doing, and if we just working with him, and we just keep working to get better with Coach (Ryan) Russell and his training staff and everybody, we’ll be OK. We’ll be good—like really good.”

Spring practice begins March 18.

https://auburn.rivals.com/news/harrell-ol-has-chance-to-be-really-really-good-

[Auburn2Eugene 2,317]

I don't know if I buy it, but we will see.

[toddc 13,194]

I am one that believes they have a shot at being a good, to great, offensive line this season. I have confidence in CGrimes and so do they. I get all the complaints about his recruiting prowess, or lack there of, but most on this board, at one point, said he (cgrimes) was a really good oline coach and developer of players. Anytime you have 5 seniors in a position group you expect good things to happen! It’s not like these guys weren’t SEC caliber recruits out of high school; and we all know it can take a while for o linemen to develop, especially after CHand broke them and set their development back a year.

[McLoofus 35,182]

25 minutes ago, toddc said:

I am one that believes they have a shot at being a good, to great, offensive line this season. I have confidence in CGrimes and so do they. I get all the complaints about his recruiting prowess, or lack there of, but most on this board, at one point, said he (cgrimes) was a really good oline coach and developer of players. Anytime you have 5 seniors in a position group you expect good things to happen! It’s not like these guys weren’t SEC caliber recruits out of high school; and we all know it can take a while for o linemen to develop, especially after CHand broke them and set their development back a year.

I'm going to gently nitpick before somebody gets unnecessarily worked up about that one small part: neither of our starting tackles were SEC caliber offensive linemen out of high school. One was a DE and the other started at UMass. 

Otherwise, I support your post.

[gravejd 3,270]

Seems like i read this same article every season with some names shuffled around. But they should be better then last year if nothing else

[toddc 13,194]

56 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

I'm going to gently nitpick before somebody gets unnecessarily worked up about that one small part: neither of our starting tackles were SEC caliber offensive linemen out of high school. One was a DE and the other started at UMass. 

Otherwise, I support your post.

Didn’t say SEC oline recruits, to gently nitpick back!! I’ll give you Driscoll was underrated and became sec caliber. Misreading posts is sometimes why people get “worked up “!

[AuburnNTexas 7,140]

Since the DE conversion was actually the best O-linemen on the team last year his moving from DE is a moot point. Driscoll also rated fairly well last year,. The real issue last year was on the inside Horton and Center. As we found out later there were some early season injuries that affected Horton's play but as he got healthy he got better.  Kim showed marked improvement he held his own against bama and GA and did really well in the bowl game. No way am I as confident as Harrell that they will be a great O-Line next year but I honestly believe they can be a good O-Line. We now have a solid group of RB's and we are returning a large group of young talented receivers. We are also bringing in some real TE talent.  Now we need one or two of the QB's to show that they are ready to lead this team. 

We have a chance to have a good O next year so the next question is how much if any drop off we will have on D with the loss of all of our starting LB's and Dean.

[McLoofus 35,182]

1 hour ago, toddc said:

Didn’t say SEC oline recruits, to gently nitpick back!! I’ll give you Driscoll was underrated and became sec caliber. Misreading posts is sometimes why people get “worked up “!

Nah, I didn't misread it. 

30 minutes ago, AuburnNTexas said:

Since the DE conversion was actually the best O-linemen on the team last year his moving from DE is a moot point.

That our best OL is a DE is actually the entire point. Well, that and our 2nd best guy coming from UMass. And that the Tech transfer would have his pick of 2 of the 3 other starting jobs the day he stepped on campus. 

I'm not going to get excited about a guy who's better than our  OLs. We need guys who are better than our opponents'  OLs. I'm not sure we have more than one or two, if that. 

[cole256 17,051]

I just feel like I don't want to hear anybody talk....I can't even be sure they know what good looks like so them saying he feels they have a chance doesn't domuch. Just acknowledge you underperformed and say you're going to work as hard as you can to not let that happen again

[IronMan70 3,277]

All Auburn fans hope he is right. Now do it. 

[WDE_OxPx_2010 5,297]

[jAUSon 2,836]

3 hours ago, cole256 said:

I just feel like I don't want to hear anybody talk....I can't even be sure they know what good looks like so them saying he feels they have a chance doesn't domuch. Just acknowledge you underperformed and say you're going to work as hard as you can to not let that happen again

Nailed it. 

[Sizzle 3,912]

Hopefully whoever the next starting QB is has some actual pocket awareness and can help the oline by moving up in the pocket 

[doc4aday 1,887]

I have hope for the OL for the 2019 season. The potential is there for them become a solid unit from tackle to tackle. Not to forget the TEs in that Deal and Fromm have a world of potential to be really good. I hope whoever is the starting QB will have the time in the pocket to make good throws. JS got gun shy early on and was not able to break this habit even when he started to get sufficient protection.

JS did become more relaxed in the pocket at the end of the season of which was significantly noticeable in the Purdue game. Oregon should be a true test of the progress the OL has made. I am anxious to see this.

[JDUBB4AU 5,116]

Meh . We will see 

[Eagle-1 3,821]

Hope he's right, but talk is cheap. Show me.

[AURex 1,994]

This is what I want to hear from every OL player. This is what I want to hear from every Auburn player on the team. We can be better! I want to hear optimism from them. Motivation. Determination. Dedication. High expectations for self-improvement.

 

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

I hate players with expectations, that don't fold it in 8 months before a season, decide to show some faith, and hold themselves accountability.

God I hope we cut this guy and bring in someone that quits and just says let me quit and transfer cause it is everyone else's fault. Mean that is exactly what our program needs.

Poor guys are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

[DAG 33,980]

1 hour ago, Texan4Auburn said:

I hate players with expectations, that don't fold it in 8 months before a season, decide to show some faith, and hold themselves accountability.

God I hope we cut this guy and bring in someone that quits and just says let me quit and transfer cause it is everyone else's fault. Mean that is exactly what our program needs.

Poor guys are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

Actually , if they go out and perform , they will be good. I think that is all anyone is saying. Just go out there and punch people in the mouth. Best way to be accountable. 

[Auburn2Eugene 2,317]

9 hours ago, Texan4Auburn said:

I hate players with expectations, that don't fold it in 8 months before a season, decide to show some faith, and hold themselves accountability.

God I hope we cut this guy and bring in someone that quits and just says let me quit and transfer cause it is everyone else's fault. Mean that is exactly what our program needs.

Poor guys are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

I feel ya, but that's the wrong way to go about saying what you said. Being passive aggressive is rarely, if ever, the solution.

[NCTiger1982 169]

18 hours ago, McLoofus said:

Nah, I didn't misread it. 

That our best OL is a DE is actually the entire point. Well, that and our 2nd best guy coming from UMass. And that the Tech transfer would have his pick of 2 of the 3 other starting jobs the day he stepped on campus. 

I'm not going to get excited about a guy who's better than our  OLs. We need guys who are better than our opponents'  OLs. I'm not sure we have more than one or two, if that. 

Thanks you ! When you see a team like GA playing sophomores with major success you have to ask why not at Auburn? 

It’s failure at recruiting, development & coaching and the HC holding position coaches responsible for their results or lack of results in this case. 

[alexava 6,973]

If you don’t believe you will be better you won’t be. I think there’s going to be significant improvements. “Really,really good “ is hard to quantity but he didn’t say “great “ . We need Braun, but I like to see the confidence. 

[oracle79 3,569]

14 hours ago, Sizzle said:

can help the oline by moving up in the pocket

Would be even better if there was a pocket and it had room to step up inside.  That didn't exist last year.

[Sizzle 3,912]

21 minutes ago, oracle79 said:

Would be even better if there was a pocket and it had room to step up inside.  That didn't exist last year.

It wasn't just the oline. It was him too

[AUght2win 6,834]

21 hours ago, cole256 said:

I just feel like I don't want to hear anybody talk....I can't even be sure they know what good looks like so them saying he feels they have a chance doesn't domuch. Just acknowledge you underperformed and say you're going to work as hard as you can to not let that happen again

In the age of the internet, nobody moves in silence. It's a shame really. I remember Jeremy Johnson talkimg smack about doubters on his IG before his senior year. Like you said, just shut up and go to work. You (the OL) haven't earned the credibility to tell us how great you're gonna be.