Tate Johnson didn’t see the field at all in 2021. He is Auburn’s starting center in 2022.

Johnson was tasked with filling the shoes of Nick Brahms, who had been Auburn’s starting center since midway through the 2019 season. He was “amazing” according to Brandon Council.

“He played such a great game,” Council said. “I know you can get on social media and see people worried about how he’s going to be replacing Brahms and stuff like that. If you ask me, he stepped up. He played a great game. And I expect him to do it every week.”

The center is the leader of the offensive line. They’re the only position other than quarterbacks to touch the ball every play. They are also responsible for setting up the line and diagnosing the defense. Johnson handled that well and made Bryan Harsin “proud.”

“I thought he did a really good job,” Harsin said. “He handled himself well, I thought, even on the sideline, breaking the huddle, getting on the field, taking ownership, making sure that we are on time and that we have a sense of urgency to get everybody there, and that we are prepared ready to go on the field. I thought he did a good job of all that.”

Johnson is entering his third season on the Plains, but prior to Saturday’s game against Mercer he had only seen action in one game, so being told he was the starter was a great feeling for him.

“It was definitely rewarding,” Johnson said. “Sitting on the sideline for two years isn’t the most fun thing in the world, and so a lot of hard work and time went into getting to where I’m at right now. To be told you’re the starter, it’s pretty rewarding.”

Johnson has very little experience at Auburn, but the opposite is true for the injured Brahms, also known as “coach Brahms” now. Brahms is acting as a mentor for Johnson and the other centers on the roster.

“Nick has been awesome,” Johnson said. “Nick has something that I don’t have right now and not a lot of people have, which is four years of starting experience. Nick has done a great job just giving me and all the other centers every bit of knowledge he has. He’s been a great mentor and friend during this time. He’s been awesome.”