Auburn center Cole Best awaits JHS debut: 'I can't wait for that moment'

AUBURN, Ala. – After eight months on the Plains, center Cole Best appreciates the Auburn family’s zeal.

“From the moment I committed here and stepped foot on campus, the amount of people who have reached out and have taken their time to speak with me in public to tell me how much they love this school and this football program, that’s been the coolest thing,” he said.

“Everybody loves football here, but everybody loves Auburn. It’s everything associated with Auburn. I’ve never been to, seen or heard of a fanbase that’s more crazy and more supportive of their community and their school than these Auburn fans.

“I knew coming in they had a great fanbase, but nothing could have prepared me for how supportive and amazing this fanbase really is.”

After five seasons at South Florida, the 6-foot-4, 322-pound offensive lineman wanted a new mountain to climb in the SEC.

“I’ve got a chip on my shoulder, 100 percent.” Best said during spring practice. “I felt like I accomplished everything I set out to do. Coming here in this conference and having the opportunity to showcase my skills and what I’m made of, it means everything and I wake up every day with that chip on my shoulder and that on my mind. 

“To show not only these guys but the whole world who I am and what I’m made of.”

One of 13 South Florida transfers on the Tigers, Best followed Golesh from Tampa to the Plains, accepting the challenge to lead Auburn’s offensive line.  

“’We need you to come do the same thing you did at the last spot, come in, be a leader,’” Best said, recalling Golesh’s message. “That obviously comes with gaining trust and building relationships.”

In his sixth college football season, including a redshirt, a medical redshirt and 40 games played, Best takes a streak of 21 consecutive starts into Kickoff on The Plains Saturday night. 

“That’s everything,” he said. “I’ve learned that one of the biggest things when you’re evaluating an offensive lineman is experience. You’ve got to play games and see different looks and have your good days and bad days to become a dependable offensive lineman.

“I take a lot of pride in being the guy who has to get us right. Maybe you gameplan a whole week and you come out and it’s something completely different, which has happened before. It comes on me because there isn’t a coach standing right behind me telling us what to do. It’s on me to get all of us on the right page and make sure that we protect the guy behind us. A lot of that comes with experience and doing it over and over and over. I take a lot of pride in that.”

This is Best’s fourth season playing for Auburn offensive line coach and run game coordinator Tyler Hudanick.

“From an athleticism standpoint, he can do it all,” Hudanick said. “He’s big enough and rough enough to get downhill in the run game. In protection, he can move his feet. He can be isolated, he can help. He’s pretty talented. 

“You know you’re going to get a guy who’s going to fight, no matter what the score is, no matter where you are, he’s going to go out there and swing. He’s a leader, he’s going to hold people accountable. He’s going to be a big part of us this year.”

While Auburn’s starting offensive line features five SEC newcomers, Best believes they’ve been together long enough to bond into a unit.

“A lot of guys have built true, authentic relationships with each other,” he said. “You see it in the locker room, you see it on the field. We’ve continued to strengthen this brotherhood and camaraderie, and this overall trust and belief in each other and in ourselves.

“The programs I’ve been a part of, that piece is what really carries you late in a season when there’s going to be ups and downs. That connectedness, that brotherhood is going to be what either makes you or breaks you.”

For Cole Best, Saturday night’s 6:45 p.m. CT matchup with Southern Miss marks his first game at Jordan-Hare Stadium. 

“It’s going to be surreal,” Best said. “When we played there for A-Day, or a scrimmage when there’s no one in the stands, you get goosebumps and chills when you walk out, look up and imagine 90,000 losing their minds. It’s going to be a happy moment, maybe a little bit of nervousness at first, like holy cow, that’s a lot of people. I can’t wait for that moment.”

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer