• LT Lee Ziemba, Jr., 6-8, 304
• LG Mike Berry, Jr., 6-3, 313
• C Ryan Pugh, Jr., 6-4, 287
• RG Byron Isom, Jr., 6-3, 293
• RT Andrew McCain, Sr., 6-6, 295

• OL Bart Eddins, Jr., 6-4, 290
• OL Jared Cooper, So., 6-4, 300
• LG Darrell Roseman, Jr., 6-4, 294
• OT Vance Smith, So., 6-2, 255
• OL A.J. Greene, So., 6-5, 279

• OL Rudy Odom, Sr., 6-5, 293
• OL Charles Bates, rFr., 6-4, 291
• OL Andrew Parmer, rFr., 5-10, 266
• OL Stephen Gibbons, rFr., 6-0, 235

• OL Kyle Coulahan, So., 6-4, 314

A year after struggling to adapt to the pace and technique required in Tony Franklin's spread offense, the offensive line has had a makeover. The svelte, nimble group packed on the pounds this offseason. Ziemba, Pugh and Isom added about 30 pounds each. McCain put on some weight too. Berry simply maintained (for obvious reasons). All of it was in order to better play in Gus Malzahn's fast-paced yet run-based offense, which will not shy away from running into the teeth of opposing defenses. So far, so good. Four starters are back and say the extra weight should give them a better shot against the physical defensive lines of the SEC. And the group has not surprisingly been all in favor of the smashmouth philosophy Malzahn and line coach Jeff Grimes hope to install. Now it's a matter of seeing it on the field.

Auburn has plenty of experience in its starting lineup. Ziemba and Pugh are two-year starters. Isom started last year before a concussion sidelined him late in the year, at which point Berry stepped in. And McCain, the tight end-turned-defensive linemen-turned right tackle, seems ready to embrace a prominent role at right tackle in his final season with the team. It also helps that a couple linemen will be more comfortable this year. Ziemba had a bothersome left knee operated on in the offseason and says he feels great, a plus for a player who labored through the second half of last year. And Pugh, who bounced back and forth between center and tackle last year, is back home at center, where he's comfortable.

The Tigers simply lack bodies. From a scholarship perspective, they basically have enough for a first team, a second team and one extra person to do drills. That's simply not enough, especially not for a position where injuries are going to happen. Auburn's backups have plenty of issues. Smith is a converted tight end. Greene is a converted defensive tackle. Roseman is coming off a season of endless surgeries. Eddins is dealing with a knee injury. Furthermore, the backups have little to no experience. That's a lot of question marks for a second unit that would be pressed into action if any of the starters have to leave a variety of reasons. Already, Pugh had a scare with one of his knees at the tail end of spring (relax, he's fine according to reports), but that's how precarious the situation is at line.

There isn't much help coming in. After failing to sign a single offensive lineman in 2008, the Tigers added only two last year — Andre Harris and John Sullen. Sullen seems like a project. I can't imagine him contributing in any way next year. The 6-foot-4, 327-pound Harris has a better chance but would need to pick things up quickly to get on the field in any capacity. I could see him perhaps adding emergency depth late in the season. But with a noticeable bubble in its junior class of linemen, it would seem foolish to waste a year of eligibility for a player to be simply a backup, especially with so few freshman and sophomore in the program.

This isn't so much of a breakout as a return to previous form. I think after being hobbled all of last season with a knee injury that Ziemba is determined to return to the form that made him part of the freshman All-SEC team two years ago. He's 30 pounds heavier and has two solid wheels. Physically, he seems like he should finally be able to bang with the SEC's big boys at tackle. It also helps that he's going against Antonio Coleman every day in practice. I think that should benefit him once the games start.

The starting five is pretty well set, with McCain holding down the right tackle spot from the start of spring. What will be interesting is if any of them go down, who comes in next? There obviously could be a lot of shuffling up front (Berry, for instance, has worked some at center and could slide over if Pugh is out), especially since the order of the second team is so muddled. I think if someone in the backup crew proves he is able to handle getting on the field, he'll immediately move to the top of the backup chart and Grimes will adjust positions to make it work. As of now, I don't think anyone has done that.

"The chaos is much more controlled."

— McCain, describing this year's offense vs. last year's

8 — number of true offensive linemen on scholarship on the roster. Smith and Greene switched positions in the last year.

This could be a major area of concern for Auburn. A lot is riding on the offensive line A) being healthy all season, and B) seamlessly returning to the smashmouth mentality that Gene Chizik thinks is the trademark of Auburn football. It appears the group is off to a good start in heading that direction. The offseason weight gain was a necessary step at getting back to being a run-first team that can move the ball against the physical defenses of the SEC. But when you play physical, there are going to be bumps and bruises. It's inevitable. And right now, that's a problem for a team searching for depth on the line. Maybe the summer and two-a-days will be enough time for the backups to get up to speed, but if not, the Tigers could be in a world of trouble if any of those starting five goes down.