Auburn Mum on Naming QB1
Spring practice is over, but Auburn coach Gus Malzahn is unprepared to name his starting QB. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Auburn fans might remember that back in 2009 – Gus Malzahn’s first as the Tigers offensive coordinator – the Tigers went through spring practice without naming a starting quarterback.
That’s right: For some reason, Malzahn was willing to name neither Kodi Burns nor Neil Caudle his starting quarterback.
Instead, the competition lingered into the fall when Chris Todd, who missed the spring because of a shoulder injury, returned and ran away with the competition.
Fast forward to 2013 – Malzahn’s first as Auburn head coach. Spring practice has come and gone. Kiehl Frazier and Jonathan Wallace are in “a dead heat.” (Yikes.)
Newcomers will get their chances. That might not mean much for freshmen Jeremy Johnson and Jason Smith, but it probably means a lot to junior college transfer Nick Marshall.
Remember: Auburn made a play for Clint Trickett before he opted for West Virginia earlier this week. In other words, the Auburn coaches are fall from smitten with any of their options.
Many believe Frazier to be the frontrunner because he ran a version of Malzahn’s offense while attending high school in Arkansas and because Malzahn handpicked him.
Frazier and Wallace both received ample opportunities in 2012. Neither appeared ready to run an SEC offense. Whether that had more to do with their respective talent levels or then-coach Gene Chizik trying to go square-peg-round-hole by installing Scot Loeffler’s pro-style offense remains to be seen.
It does seem telling, though, that Auburn felt it necessary to bring in a junior college transfer to the QB position – and one who couldn’t enroll until the summer. Marshall, who was dismissed from Georgia (where he played DB) after reportedly stealing money from a student, decided to go the JUCO route before returning to the SEC.
“He’s one of those impact players who throws the ball extremely well and has a very strong arm,” Malzahn said to reporters on Signing Day. “We feel like he could come in here and give us a chance right off the bat.”
Don’t be at all surprised if Malzahn’s move isn’t quite a tip of the hand. No, the Frazier-Wallace battle might not have a clear winner – but that doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the 2013 starting quarterback.