Brahms hoping to be 'asset' for young linemen

Nick Brahms blinked, and now he's the leader of Auburn's offensive line.

Brahms is the lone returning starter from an offensive line that graduated left tackle Prince Tega Wanogho, left guard Marquel Harrell, No. 2 center Kaleb Kim, right guard Mike Horton and right guard Jack Driscoll.

Now Brahms is the head man. But remembers a time not long ago when he was the inexperienced youngster, and he thinks that goes a long way for his guidance during a strange period of isolation from his teammates.

"I definitely see myself as a leader," Brahms said Thursday during a video conference call with reporters. "The young guys come to me, they ask me questions about the offense, maybe some situations I've encountered throughout my time playing a little bit. Really being an asset to those guys and making sure they have everything they need to move forward and understand the offense, learn why we do things and set the standard in the O-line room."

That standard has altered a few times for Brahms during his career on the Plains. He was recruited by Herb Hand, who moved on from Auburn to Texas in 2018, before working under J.B. Grimes for two years.

Grimes stepped away from the program in January, and former Ole Miss O-line coach and NFL coaching veteran Jack Bicknell Jr. slid into the vacancy.

Brahms is admittedly bummed about not being able to work with his new position coach during spring practice — and that time may have been even more valuable to the younger players vying for starting spots, he thinks — but Bicknell has been diligent in communicating with the head of his room during quarantine.

"I’ve built a great relationship with him," Brahms said of Bicknell. "He’s called me throughout the week. He’s staying in great touch with me throughout this whole thing. He’s obviously a smart guy. His resume obviously speaks for itself."

Brahms was in contact with a few Ole Miss players before he could even meet Bicknell in person, as they expressed their disappoint about their coach leaving but also their excitement for Brahms to work with him. Now Brahms is grooming that relationship often — in a virtual setting with offensive line video conferences or by phone just to chat — and he can already gather a few takeaways from "Coach Bick."

“He seems pretty composed to me," Brahms said. "He doesn’t seem like a huge screamer on the sidelines, especially probably during games. I don’t see him screaming. I’ve talked to a few guys at Ole Miss that had him at a previous coach, and they all said great things about him. They loved him as their coach and they were sad to see him go. I think that carries over into what I'm seeing, too. He's a great builder of relationships."

Bicknell and Auburn's other offensive staff have four hours a week to work virtually with the Tigers, but the NCAA announced Thursday that number will be doubled to eight hours starting Monday.

"Obviously it's strange for everyone. I mean, we're on a video call right now," he said. "Usually we'd be in the team room. I wish we had gone through spring, but with the circumstances going on it's not possible. So we've got to make the best of the circumstances now that we have."

A former 4-star prospect out of Navarre, Fla., Brahms has 10 combined starts over the past two seasons — including five straight to end last season — during an ongoing battle with Kim.

Obviously competition will still be had at every spot, including center, but Brahms will in all likelihood enter Auburn's first 2020 practices as an important building block for Gus Malzahn to work around, with most of the other linemen otherwise unproven.

"I like to see how all my hard work throughout the years come to this kind of achievement," Brahms said of being the presumed starter. "I've set my goals, and I'm starting to achieve them slowly but surely. It's definitely an honor and a privilege for me and my family and all my friends, too."

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