Auburn Retains Key Piece of Offensive Line for 2026

With the offensive line in need of a rebuild, the Auburn Tigers have one fewer piece to worry about for next season

Auburn keeps a piece of the offensive line around for next season | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Auburn Tigers center Kail Ellis announced today via his X account that he will be returning to The Plains in 2026 to anchor the offensive line for new head coach Alex Golesh.

Foot on the Pedal. All in God’s timing! #WDE pic.twitter.com/xIBC3634TO

— Kail Ellis (@KailEllis78) January 4, 2026

Entering 2025, Ellis was not expected to see much time thanks to Auburn’s All-SEC center Connor Lew. However, Lew struggled with persistent injury issues for much of the season, eventually being shut down completely by a torn ACL in late October.

The injury forced Ellis to play a majority of snaps for the Tigers through the middle of the season, with the true freshman starting against Arkansas and Kentucky. He also saw double-digit snaps against Ball State and Missouri.

Though Ellis wasn’t expected to play much entering the season, he did arrive on The Plains with some quality prospect pedigree. Ellis was a three-star recruit via both Rivals and 247Sports, and was rated as a top-10 center by both Rivals and ESPN. 

In addition to his skill on the field, Ellis was also a leader for his high school team. Playing for Cartersville, Georgia’s Cass High School, he was a team captain, three time All-Region selection, and a letterman in basketball and wrestling.

The rising sophomore has good size for a center at 6-foot-4, 315 pounds, and plays with a solid base and decent play strength considering his level of inexperience against SEC-level competition. In one of his two starts, Ellis led the Auburn offensive line to a 230-yard rushing day against the Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville. 

Though in his limited action, Ellis actually graded out better as a pass blocker than a run blocker, via Pro Football Focus. He earned a pass blocking grade of 63.3 and a run blocking grade of 52.4, both solid enough numbers for a true freshman, teenage center being thrown into SEC play with little to no experience. 

As Golesh and his staff aim to address the offensive line in the portal window, especially at the tackle position, Ellis offers Auburn a consistent presence in the middle of the line that the Tigers will hope to be able to rely on and build around over the next two or three seasons. 

Additionally, Golesh's wide choice scheme should place less pressure on the entire Auburn offensive line to hold up for as long in pass protection as it had to in 2025 in Hugh Freeze’s system. Though it remains to be seen who will flank Ellis on either side for 2026, the Tigers at least know they will have a consistent centerpiece for the group.