Auburn Football: This is the QB battle we need to be talking about for 2019

Quarterback battles are always intriguing at the start of the season. The biggest battle this year is hosted by Auburn football.

Although the Auburn football team has had confidence in their quarterback over the past few seasons, that appears to no longer be the case. Now that they no longer have Jarrett Stidham at quarterback, Gus Malzahn has had to open up another quarterback competition for the 2019 season.

The two candidates for the job are Joey Gatewood and Bo Nix. Gatewood was one of Auburn’s backup quarterbacks last season, while Nix is an incoming freshman. It appears that Gatewood will win the job at the start of the season, but that does not mean he will keep the job for the whole season. That’s the important piece of this competition.

No matter how fast Bo Nix manages to grasp the playbook and college in general, Gatewood will be more prepared. That comes with a year of being in the program. Although Gatewood’s experience in college games is minimal, it is greater than zero.

Gatewood would give Malzahn the ability to run his old offensive system that relies on a mobile quarterback. When Malzahn was the offensive coordinator, this system worked with Cam Newton, although almost any system would have worked with him. It became prevalent when Nick Marshall was Auburn’s quarterback. Marshall was not an NFL prospect as a quarterback, but he was incredibly successful with the Tigers thanks to the system. Although Gatewood might not have as much upside as Marshall did, he can still surprise a lot of people and be a quality quarterback for Auburn.

However, don’t discount Nix. He might not be as mobile as Gatewood, but his is still elusive as a scrambler. The only difference is that he likes to finish plays with a pass down the field. Once he gets his opportunity, he will make all sorts of highlight plays. When he was recruited, it was the expectation that he would be the future of Auburn football.

With that expectation comes a question: when will he take over. Unless he is redshirted this season, he will run out of eligibility at the same time that Gatewood graduates. You can’t expect him to wait forever.

So, how will Auburn football handle the situation?

They could take Alabama’s route, waiting until the time arose where they simply have to replace their starter in order to succeed. They could also consider the Clemson route, starting the guy with more experience, playing both in the majority of games, and let the younger star force their hand.

With as tough a schedule as they have this year, there won’t be a perfect time to ease him into the starting role. You certainly don’t want to start him if Gatewood is winning you games early in the year. No matter how the situation plays out, it will certainly be interesting to watch.

The good news for Auburn is that they have two quality options with their own upside. It will just take some time for them to make a final decision. With Malzahn under scrutiny, don’t expect him to be patient if one player starts to struggle.