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Hugh Freeze announces hiring of Jake Thornton as new Auburn OL coach
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Auburn has made it official. Jake Thornton has joined Hugh Freeze’s staff as offensive line coach.
Thornton arrives on The Plains after 2 seasons at Ole Miss.
“Jake Thornton is a rising star in our profession and has established himself as one of the best young offensive line coaches in the country,” Freeze said in a program release. “He helped lead one of the top offenses in the Southeastern Conference over the last two seasons and is a great addition to the Auburn program. He will be a difference maker for our offense.”
On Dec. 4 it was reported that Thornton informed Rebels players he was leaving to take the same position at Auburn.
“I’m very honored and excited to join Coach Freeze’s staff at Auburn,” Thornton said, via Auburn’s announcement. “Coach Freeze is one of the best offensive minds in college football and I look forward to working with him to help compete for championships at Auburn. Auburn is known for its blue-collar, hard work mentality and our offensive line will possess that mentality. It’s time to go to work!”
Thornton was an All-SoCon college football player at Western Carolina in 2014 and ’15. In 2016, he got his start as a quality control assistant for his alma mater.
In 2017, Thornton joined the Alabama staff as a graduate assistant. From 2018-19, he was the run game coordinator and offensive line coach at Tennessee Tech. He took the same position at Gardner Webb for the 2020 season.
Thornton was hired by Ole Miss in May of 2021. Thornton’s offensive line helped the Rebels rush for 261.42 yards per game, No. 3 in the nation, while allowing only 14 sacks in passing protection in the 2022 season.
My family and I are so excited to be apart of @AuburnFootball and the Auburn community! https://t.co/OcZSIL3b3A
— Jake Thornton (@CoachThornton61) December 22, 2022
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
