Auburn Daily

Auburn Tigers One of Top Schools for 2026 Offensive Lineman Recruit

The Auburn Tigers are the favorite in the eyes of an offensive lineman recruit
Austin Walls|
Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze has impressed an offensive lineman recruit so far
Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze has impressed an offensive lineman recruit so far | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Auburn Tigers

The Auburn Tigers have continued to try and fill the gaps of where they need better players. After last year, where the Tigers allowed 27 sacks, 26 to former starting quarterback Payton Thorne, the offensive line naturally was something head coach Hugh Freeze wanted to address in the offseason. It appears he is doing so with offensive line coach Jake Thornton. The Tigers are one of the top schools bidding for the services of offensive lineman Wilson Zierer.

The 6-foot-6, 280-pound lineman visited the Plains last month, and the Tigers rose to the top of his list. It was his first time to see Thornton in action as a coach. 

"I think he's a great coach," Zierer said. "He’s one of those coaches who looks at the details with how he is...He's like a coach who just looks at details, wants to see you succeed and get better with everything. Not just like ‘Oh, you got to do this in pass [protection], but now you got to do that.’ He looks at every detail."

Zierer hails from Rabun Gap, Ga. and plays his football at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee (Ga.). He is in the recruiting class of 2026. The Tigers are also competing with their SEC-rival Georgia Bulldogs, the in-state team for Zierer. However, the Tigers have something the Bulldogs don’t. Zierer’s older brother, Kilian, played for the team just a few years ago. If Wilson wanted to follow in his brother’s footsteps, the Plains could welcome him with open arms. 

Zierer has 28 offers currently, despite being unranked and having no stars on his profile pages. However, only Auburn and Georgia have been classified as “warm” per 247Sports. Those two also are the only ones with official visits scheduled. The Bulldogs have theirs set for May 16, while the Tigers have theirs set for May 30. 

Auburn currently has one offensive lineman commit, three star Parker Pritchett.

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Austin Walls
AUSTIN WALLS

Austin Walls is a University of Florida Sports Journalism graduate. He has covered different sports, from motorsport, professional and college football, professional and college basketball, women's basketball and hockey among others. He has spent most of his time focusing on the SEC Conference, but has spent time covering the AAC, MWC and ACC.

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