“One of the biggest things we were lacking, maybe, is football IQ

[aubiefifty 17,349]

Friend brings a new mindset, and Auburn offensive linemen welcome it

ByPhillip Marshall

4-6 minutes

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Auburn's offensive line going through drills in preseason camp

 

AUBURN, Alabama – Offensive line coaches are a unique lot in college football. They are, surveys of Power 5 programs show, typically the highest paid assistants outside of coordinators. They are responsible for more players than any other position coach. They are charged with teaching players to work in unison in the controlled violence that is the line of scrimmage.

Over the past eight seasons – Gus Malzahn’s tenure – Auburn offensive line coaches were often viewed differently. For much of his two stays at Auburn, J.B. Grimes was among the lowest paid coaches on the staff. Malzahn’s insistence on controlling who played, what drills were run and who was recruited proved frustrating.

When Grimes decided to head home to his farm in Arkansas after the 2019 season, Malzahn was uncertain where to go after his first choice, Marcus Johnson, went to Missouri. An assistant coach told Malzahn that Jack Bicknell Jr. had not been retained after Lane Kiffin took over at Ole Miss and was looking for a job. Within a matter of days, Bicknell was Auburn’s offensive line coach.

(Photo: Todd Van Emst. Auburn University)

Like every assistant except running backs coach Cadillac Williams, Bicknell was swept out when Malzahn was fired after the 2020 season. When Bryan Harsin was named head coach and hired Mike Bobo from South Carolina as offensive coordinator, Bobo brought Friend with him to coach the offensive line. That move was part of the deal when Bobo was hired.

Friend inherited an offensive line with six players that started in the past. He brought a different mindset, and his players embraced it from the start.

“One of the biggest things we were lacking, maybe, is football IQ,” center Nick Brahms said. “I think Coach Friend has done a great job in teaching us the game of football. That can help us make the game slow down for us a little bit and really help the guys know what's coming.”

It has not been easy, senior Brodarious Hamm said, but the change has been welcomed.

‘We do a lot more drill work, just working on the little things we have to perfect,” Hamm said. “There’s no standing. You’re doing something every period, every minute and just learning. It’s good for us. It’s going to help us in the long run.”

Brandon Council, who missed much of last season after having knee surgery, said Friend has been what Auburn’s offensive linemen needed and wanted.

“He brings the old-school style,” Council said. “He wants us to be physical in everything we do. Run off the ball, don't shuffle off the ball. He wants us running off the ball, contact, back shoulder pad, under the chin. He wants smashmouth football. Smashmouth football is how we're going. He's probably one of the best o-line coaches I've had."

Friend, who played at Alabama, and Bobo, who played at Georgia, became friends at Georgia in 2002 when Bobo was the quarterbacks coach and Friend was a graduate assistant. Friend returned to Georgia as offensive line coach from 2011-2014. When Bobo left to be head coach at Colorado State, Friend went with him. And now they are together again.

“Some of the best professional years that I'd had were working with Mike, working within his system,” Friend said, “so that was a blessing. We wanted to get back together. We ended up in Auburn.”

On Sept. 4, in the season-opener against Akron, Friend will coach in a game at Jordan-Hare Stadium for the first time since 2013, when he looked on in dismay as Ricardo Louis caught a batted pass and turned into a 73-yard touchdown that lifted Auburn to a 43-38 victory over Georgia.

7COMMENTS

Friend said moving to Auburn, to a program he competed against in rivalry games as a player and coach, came easily.

“You always had so much respect,” Friend said. “My position coach in college was Neil Callaway, who coached here for a long time. I knew a lot of guys from that era - the Coach Dye era - that I had met through working for Coach Callaway. I worked with Coach Callaway for four years when he was the head coach at UAB. I had so much respect for this program and the toughness that this program has always had. To get the chance to be here and work here is great.”

">247Sports

[Barnacle 9,064]

You love to hear it

[DAG 34,060]

Being physical is a state of mind. I hope to see more of that and I have a great feeling we will. 

[WDE_OxPx_2010 5,324]

1 hour ago, aubiefifty said:

Malzahn’s insistence on controlling who played, what drills were run and who was recruited proved frustrating.

Backs up claims made here previously. Interesting to see it this way though.

 

 

1 hour ago, aubiefifty said:

“One of the biggest things we were lacking, maybe, is football IQ,” center Nick Brahms said.

 

1 hour ago, aubiefifty said:

‘We do a lot more drill work, just working on the little things we have to perfect,” Hamm said. “There’s no standing. You’re doing something every period, every minute and just learning."

Pretty damning coming from current players.

[USATiger 741]

Kind of what I was alluding to last night.  This O-line will get better each week, as they are just now learning how to play at this level.  Individually, and as a unit.      If they can stay healthy, I think this unit will become a very solid o-line as the season progresses.

[bigbird 60,608]

10 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

Malzahn’s insistence on controlling who played, what drills were run and who was recruited proved frustrating.

Well, that can't be right. We were told that was just incomprehensible, illogical. It didn't make sense so it couldn't be true...

[W.E.D 11,070]

I can only imagine how shocked our players are by how real teams practice.

Also they are going to be blown away when they game plan they practiced all week is actually used vs Gus tearing it up on Friday

[Howard Roark 195]

This certainly matches what we saw in the video posted this summer of the oline not knowing who to block.  Just not blowing assignments and letting free runners through will be a big improvement.  Of course some of the videos I have seen from practice are not that encouraging, especially the tackles.  Looking forward to actual game play to see if anything has changed.

[cole256 17,084]

29 minutes ago, bigbird said:

Well, that can't be right. We were told that was just incomprehensible, illogical. It's didn't make sense so it couldn't be true...

Man.....I remember explaining this when people were complaining about the wr's. I was laughed at when I said the head coach is who's in control with drills and such.

 

I'm not surprised to hear this at all. I'm telling you when we were able to hear what the former players said, that was all I needed to hear. If you want the truth, always talk to a player that's done. When they're done trying to get to the league or be a future coach or anything like that. You will get the truth if you listen. 

Also the o linemen that played for Harsin.....has it not been like every single thing he said it was going to be? I'm telling you guys instead of immediately going to the he's just saying things because he's mad.....You should see that's the best source there is.

Edited August 17, 2021 by cole256

[Randman5000 4,235]

2 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

One of the biggest things we were lacking, maybe, is football IQ,” center Nick Brahms said. “I think Coach Friend has done a great job in teaching us the game of football. That can help us make the game slow down for us a little bit and really help the guys know what's coming.”

Wow. This right here.

[WalkingCarpet 1,379]

This is how you get better when you don't have 5* players crowding your bench. 

[USATiger 741]

“He brings the old-school style,” Council said. “He wants us to be physical in everything we do. Run off the ball, don't shuffle off the ball. He wants us running off the ball, contact, back shoulder pad, under the chin. He wants smashmouth football. Smashmouth football is how we're going. He's probably one of the best o-line coaches I've had."

 

Damn this is wonderful to hear.  We have some motor graders on the roster, glad to know they are being taught how to move earth, and men, properly.

[e808 3,028]

Idk how to look at the football IQ statement. Then he said we which means he is speaking to everyone. At the college level there should be a pretty good understanding of playing the position. Most have probably been playing as a child. This is just my opinion but believe this is what separates the high 4s and 5 star players.

[USATiger 741]

5 minutes ago, e808 said:

Idk how to look at the football IQ statement. Then he said we which means he is speaking to everyone. At the college level there should be a pretty good understanding of playing the position. Most have probably been playing as a child. This is just my opinion but believe this is what separates the high 4s and 5 star players.

Size, athleticism and a desire to separate defenders heads from their bodies are the traits that separate high level recruits.  Sure they usually perform well in 1v1's at camps but football IQ isn't necessary coming out of high school. 

[e808 3,028]

9 minutes ago, USATiger said:

Size, athleticism and a desire to separate defenders heads from their bodies are the traits that separate high level recruits.  Sure they usually perform well in 1v1's at camps but football IQ isn't necessary coming out of high school. 

That may be true but we talking about linemen. Blocking and technique should be similar. Also some high school offenses are pretty good. IDK maybe I am looking to deep into it. Again blocking, technique, knowing the snap count, and driving ur legs is taught in pee wee.

[fishepa 1,912]

Well, I for one think it's fantastic that Coach Friend is teaching our OL the game of football now.  

[USATiger 741]

27 minutes ago, e808 said:

That may be true but we talking about linemen. Blocking and technique should be similar. Also some high school offenses are pretty good. IDK maybe I am looking to deep into it. Again blocking, technique, knowing the snap count, and driving ur legs is taught in pee wee.

You are right in that regard, the highest ranked OL recruits have a size and athleticism advantage over the others, but generally, they have played the position for a while and have really good fundamentals.  I'm just pointing out that the size and athleticism will win out over a kid that is less talented but fundamentally sound.

[AUGoo 2,666]

Wonder how the OL guys felt when the light came on that they really had not been playing true D1 FB?

[woodford 3,682]

“We do a lot more drill work” lmao 

Was there anything fundamental about Gus’ offense? What a joke. 
 

It is wonderful to hear the players embracing it. I know they wouldn’t go on record complaining but still. If you’re at the college level you have to be obsessed with learning the game IMO 

Edited August 17, 2021 by woodford

[e808 3,028]

14 minutes ago, USATiger said:

You are right in that regard, the highest ranked OL recruits have a size and athleticism advantage over the others, but generally, they have played the position for a while and have really good fundamentals.  I'm just pointing out that the size and athleticism will win out over a kid that is less talented but fundamentally sound.

Great discussion. I am just thinking did the previous coaches that had years of experience forget how to coach. I understand the overall gameplay wasn’t great but the position coaches should have at least been able to get them up to speed on the basics. 

[bigbird 60,608]

17 minutes ago, woodford said:

Was there anything fundamental about Gus’ offense? What a joke. 

It was fundamentally bad

[USATiger 741]

7 minutes ago, e808 said:

Great discussion. I am just thinking did the previous coaches that had years of experience forget how to coach. I understand the overall gameplay wasn’t great but the position coaches should have at least been able to get them up to speed on the basics. 

They were taught basics, but that isn't good enough at the collegiate level.  Each position coach had to coach within the rules of Gustav, which are primitive concepts with very little room for adapting in-game.  That's the essence of o-line play at this level, being able to recognize what the defense is doing and adjusting accordingly, at the line of scrimmage by the QB and lineman, not the coach on the sidelines.  It has been talked about ad nauseam, the fact that DC's baited Gus into calling plays based on the original look the defense was giving.  That's why good teams wore us out regularly.  The big games Auburn won, and those are few, were on the tremendous effort and talent of the guys on the field, in spite of being handcuffed by the scheme/philosophy.  

Good news, Gus is gone, bad news, his imcompetence with o-line recruiting will haunt us for a while, unless the transfer portal is very kind to us. 

[aucanucktiger 1,809]

2 hours ago, bigbird said:

Well, that can't be right. We were told that was just incomprehensible, illogical. It's didn't make sense so it couldn't be true...

No, we were told it was wrong for Malzahn to try to micromanage the offense - although he was hired FOR his O skills (not for his 1 year of HC credentials). Malzahn was maybe too loyal to Grimes after cancer sapped him from what hed been before radiation but you know, that's a long conversation. Bicknell mailed it in. Brahms says he's just now getting REAL oline coaching?🤣 

[DAG 34,060]

I just want to see it translated into the games now. Glad Gus is gone but the accountability is now on the players especially since they now have the knowledge. 

[Hank2020 3,228]

3 minutes ago, DAG said:

I just want to see it translated into the games now. Glad Gus is gone but the accountability is now on the players especially since they now have the knowledge. 

Players and coaches IMO. If past coaches owned theirs, these own theirs (apples vs apples).