Much like Prince Tega Wanogho Jr. has taken over at left tackle, so too has Marquel Harrell as Auburn's starting left guard.
Harrell started six of the last seven games last season and is in line to hold the job for all of 2018.
Similar to his counterparts, Harrell still has to work on fundamentals and has room to grow, which will come with experience.
Make no mistake though, Harrell, Wanogho and right guard Mike Horton are the core of Auburn's offensive line and the pair of guards are particularly important as the Tigers continue to search for a new center.
Post-Spring depth chart
Marquel Harrell: 6-foot-3, 307 pounds, redshirt-junior
Tashawn Manning: 6-foot-3, 323 pounds, redshirt-freshman OR
Tyler Carr: 6-foot-5, 329 pounds, redshirt-junior
Gus Malzahn's take
"You've got Marquel Harrell and Mike Horton that have starts and experience and all that. That offensive line, especially the first-team offensive line, is really starting to come together. That was encouraging the last week of spring."
Starter
Auburn offensive linemen Mike Horton (64) and Marquel Harrell (77) work out Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017, during a Peach Bowl practice in Atlanta, Ga.
Marquel Harrell challenged for the starting job at left guard before last season and took over as the starter in the second half of the season.
Offensive line coach J.B. Grimes, who recruited Harrell to Auburn, noticed some fundamentals the redshirt-junior needs to work on before this fall.
"The thing that I noticed with Marquel is he couldn't step with his left foot," Grimes said. "I mean, you know, some of it was just the fundamentals of being in a good stance. Being in a stance that you can use efficiently. Just getting him into that stance and getting comfortable with that stance, he made strides during the course of the spring.
"He's a grabber with his left hand. We've got to get that left hand more disciplined."
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Of the three returning contributors on the offensive line, Harrell is probably the best at run blocking, though Auburn has done a lot of running to the right side in the past.
Harrell already has some chemistry built with Wanogho and because of that he may be called upon to assist the new starting center.
Backup
Auburn offensive line coach J.B. Grimes works with offensive lineman Tashawn Manning (56).
Tashawn Manning moved from defensive tackle to offensive guard in the spring and due to a lack of numbers at the position, got to see a good number of reps.
Though he redshirted last season, Manning is still a developmental player after the position change and will likely spend the year learning the finer points, much in the way Wanogho did in 2016 after redshirting as a defensive end in 2015.
"Tashawn Manning belongs in an Auburn uniform," Grimes said. "When he learns how to be an offensive lineman, he's going to be a good football player."
Auburn depth chart analysis
QB | RB | HB | TE | SE | F | Slot | LT | LG | C | RG | RT | Specialists
DE | DT | NT | Buck | SLB | MLB | WLB | Nickel | FCB | BCB | FS | BS
Next wave
Tyler Carr appeared in all 14 games last season on special teams. With Manning moving to offense and Brodarious Hamm, another redshirt-freshman, at right guard, Carr is not far behind the starters on paper and could be the true third or fourth guard in the event of injury.
Carr is also one of Auburn's personal protectors on punt team.
Hamm is another developmental offensive guard, but on the right side.
Summer arrivals
Kameron Stutts is expected to be a guard, though what side of the line is to be determined.
Auburn has five guards on the roster so Stutts should be taking third-team reps from the day he arrives.
In an ideal world Stutts probably redshirts, but the lack of experience at the position means it's not a guarantee.
What we've written about Stutts
- Watch Stutts dominate pie-eating contest at Big Cat Weekend
- Stutts upped his personal timeline when he chose Auburn
- OL coaching change didn't shake Kameron Stutts' loyalty to Auburn
Jalil Irvin is likely going to be a center, but could be a guard as well. He too is a redshirt candidate.
- Jalil Irvin 'comfortable' with new offensive line coach J.B. Grimes
- Jalil Irvin adds depth to interior of Auburn's offensive line
- 16 questions with Jalil Irvin
Quotable
"Chemistry is needed. You got to be able to work with different people, but we all got to be able to jell together at the end of the day." -- Marquel Harrell
Looking back at left guard after spring 2017
From May 9, 2017:
A year after Auburn entered the offseason with its starting left guard set in stone, the position is the one most in doubt entering the summer.
There are at least three candidates to fill the role left open by the departures of Alex Kozan and more could enter the mix in fall camp.
Marquel Harrell spent most of spring practice with the first-team, but the addition of graduate transfer Wilson Bell, whose natural position is right guard, means Mike Horton could be on the move from the right side.
James Crepea is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @JamesCrepea.