Alex Golesh Clarifies Auburn's Offensive Line Plan Against Baylor

Auburn's offensive line might not be as unsettled as we initially thought.

Alex Golesh made some headlines earlier this week when he said Auburn could rotate as many as eight offensive linemen against Baylor.

And initially, I didn't love that.

This is an offensive line the Auburn Tigers need to be better this season. So the idea of constantly rotating players during the season opener doesn't exactly sound like a group that has everything figured out.

Especially if Auburn gets something going offensively.

If the Tigers have five offensive linemen playing well, protecting Byrum Brown and allowing Auburn to run the football, why change anything?

Well, apparently Golesh agrees.

He provided more context during Tiger Talk and made it clear Auburn isn't planning to rotate offensive linemen just to get eight players into the game.

If the starting five is rolling, Auburn isn't going to mess with it.

"We've not subbed necessarily because of the tempo. I mean, these guys are in shape," says Golesh. "They're built to do this. But we want to sub a little bit, just guys that have earned the right to play and positions where we're still like, man, like these dudes are truly battling."

That changes the conversation quite a bit.

Of course, there are still some spots Auburn is evaluating.

Jacob Strand and Deryc Plazz have battled throughout the offseason at left guard. Strand appears positioned to get the first opportunity, but it wouldn't be surprising to see Plazz get some snaps as Auburn continues evaluating that position.

Golesh also said eight offensive linemen have "earned the right to play."

That doesn't necessarily mean all eight are going to rotate every few drives.

It means Auburn has eight players Golesh feels comfortable putting into the game if needed.

And really, this starts to sound like pretty normal Week 1 stuff.

Every team in the country is still trying to figure some things out. Auburn just happens to be opening against a Power Four opponent instead of getting an easier opportunity to evaluate its roster.

That makes every decision feel a little more important.

It also doesn't help that offensive line has probably been Auburn's biggest offensive concern throughout the offseason.

So when Golesh says eight guys could play, it's pretty easy to immediately wonder whether Auburn still hasn't figured things out up front.

Byrum Brown and Cole Best have years of experience together. Golesh has called their relationship "priceless," and Cole Skinner provides another experienced piece who already knows this offense.

Now Auburn gets to see how everything comes together.

If somebody struggles, Auburn has options.

If the starting five plays well?

There's no reason to change anything.

That's probably all this really is.

An interesting Week 1 conversation that might not be nearly as important as we initially made it out to be.

But of course we will see. The first week of the season could surprise us in many ways.