Auburn football: 5 questions the Tigers must answer in 2020

3. Auburn football: How will a new-look offensive line hold up?

Perhaps one of the worst things that could happen for a young, developing quarterback and a rushing attack that will be searching for answers is to have a problematic offensive line providing protection. Unfortunately for Nix, Williams and the Auburn football offense, that may well be the case for them in the 2020 season.

The Tigers must replace all five offensive linemen that started the majority of the team’s games last season at each position in the trenches. In fact, the only player who saw any meaningful action is the center, Nick Brahms, who started five games last season. Brahms performed quite well when on the field but the rest of the group around him is littered with uncertainty.

Stepping in at the tackle spots will likely be Austin Troxell, a former 4-star recruit who’s been in waiting, and Brodarious Hamm, a former 3-star recruit who has drawn good reviews from coaches to this point. But pairing those players with inexperienced guards around Brahms creates a ton of trepidation about how this group can perform.

Jack Bicknell Jr. is also taking over as the Auburn offensive line coach in the 2020 season, which adds another layer of questions around this unit. This group is going to have to surprise some people if the Tigers want to reach the heights they’re expected to as a program.