Auburn expected to hire Ole Miss' Jake Thornton as offensive line coach

Auburn is expected to hire Ole Miss’ Jake Thornton as offensive line coach, sources tell On3.

Thornton, a former Alabama graduate assistant, has been the Rebels’ offensive line coach the last two seasons.

Aided by Thornton, Ole Miss is ranked third-best nationally in rushing offense and is tied for 19th-best nationally in sacks allowed. The Rebels were a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, presented annually to the nation’s top offensive line.

Before taking the job with the Rebels, Thornton was offensive line coach and run game coordinator at FCS Gardner-Webb, which came after two seasons as offensive line coach at FCS Tennessee Tech and one as the offensive line graduate assistant at Alabama.

Thornton, who was a starting offensive lineman as a player at Western Carolina, began his coaching career at Western Carolina in 2016.

Thornton’s grandfather, Billy Shaw, is a NFL Hall of Fame offensive lineman who played for the Buffalo Bills. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999.