Like Bailey Sharp, Robert Leff toiled away in practices, waiting for his moment in the sun, and never complaining.

The former Auburn offensive lineman Leff (2012-16) famously started at right tackle his final season and was named 2016 All-SEC second team after his Tigers career up to that point consisted of mostly special-teams appearances.

Sharp credits a chunk of his patience to Leff's positive example.

"Robert Leff was one of those mentors for me during those five years, you know?" Sharp said. "He really poured into me during those days, when I was getting chewed out by Coach Grimes or whoever was there at the time. He was always like, 'Hey, man, I know you got your butt torn up. But listen, this is what he's wanting you to do. This is the technique, these are the fundamentals.' Especially during my early years of trying to learn the playbook, I give a lot of credit to Robert Leff."

Auburn's 55-16 win over Kent State was a "dream come true" for the senior Sharp, who started at left tackle for the Tigers in place of Prince Tega Wanogho, who got "banged up" in Week 2 against Tulane and was rested as a precaution, according to Gus Malzahn.

Even after three-plus hours with the pads on, helping pave the way for Auburn's 467 rushing yards, Sharp was still in disbelief that he had just started for his lifelong favorite team.

"I remember when I was a little kid, going to an Auburn game, and I told myself that one day, I would play," Sharp said. "It took a while. Five years later. But just to have that confidence between me and the coaches to finally go in there and play — dream come true. That's all I can say. That's a dream come true."

Sharp said though he practiced with the starters throughout the week, it wasn't until the team's Thursday walkthrough that he received the nod.

"I was just like, man, that's so cool," Sharp said. "But for the most part, I stayed locked in, stayed focused and made sure that I played the game. It really didn't hit me until right before the game started. I was like, man, this is going to be amazing."

And Sharp had a strong outing, routinely getting push in the ground game and often extending to the second level to help the Tigers average 7.53 yards per carry — their most since a 56-3 win over Arkansas in 2016.

“Man, Bailey did a great job coming in," left guard Marquel Harrell said. "... I’m proud of Bailey, the way he stepped up and the way he just dominated the game today."

Sharp arrived in Auburn's 2015 class as a 3-star tackle out of Sprayberry High School (Marietta, Ga.). He's been the Tigers' immediate backup at left tackle the past three seasons.

Sharp said that as Wanogho moved from defense to offense and appeared to be the team's left tackle of the future, the though of transferring did cross his mind. But he stuck with his childhood team.

"What it came down to was when I think about it, down the road, what am I going to tell my kids in the future?" Sharp said of the idea of transferring. "Did I quit on a program that put so much time and effort into me? And I said no. I stuck through it.

"It was tough. It was hard. But, eventually, it paid off. That's the best. Regardless of how this season goes, I can always tell my kids that I went through something tough. A lot of people would have given up and put their name in the transfer portal. But I stuck it through and I gave it everything I could for Auburn, and I'm happy with that."

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