Auburn Football: Auburn needs to settle on a quarterback soon
By Chris Roush
Here we discuss the quarterback situation for the 2017-18 season for Auburn football, and why matters should settle sooner rather than later.
When Auburn football fans think back about the last two seasons, the bad taste of a 7-6 season in 2015 and an 8-5 season in 2016 lingers from the indecision around the quarterback position.
And that’s why coach Gus Malzahn and offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey need to settle on a quarterback between now and the end of the A-Day game and let that person lead the team throughout 2017, eliminating any controversy or uncertainty.
The 2015 season started with so much promise behind Jeremy Johnson as the replacement for Nick Marshall. But Johnson couldn’t deliver on his Heisman hype and was replaced by Sean White midway through the season after a poor performance in a blowout loss to LSU.
Then, the 2016 season started with Johnson, Sean White and John Franklin III rotating in the spot in the season opener against Clemson, and the offense sputtered, unable to develop a rhythm with any of them. Auburn lost 19-13 primarily because of the inability to develop any offense.
Eventually White was given the starting role, and the team reeled off six wins before he was injured. But the end of the season, when White couldn’t play against Alabama and had his injury affect his throwing against Georgia, saw the team once again struggle with rotating QBs under center.
Now, spring practice has Baylor transfer Jarrett Stidham, White, Franklin and sophomore Woody Barrett all seemingly in contention for the role of Auburn’s starting quarterback. And Auburn fans are wondering if they’re headed for more of the struggles they saw in the past two years.
At least Franklin is taking plays this spring at wide receiver, where his speed can be used effectively, potentially eliminating him from the competition.
White’s broken arm in the Sugar Bowl has seemingly given the edge to Stidham, but White has had two years of experience with the team and understands better the psyche of the offense. White has been limited during spring practice because of the injury.
Stidham, based on his short stint at Baylor, has the stronger arm, which is sorely needed for the offense. His yards per passing attempt for the Bears was 11.6 yards, more than three yards better than White’s 8.07 yards per passing attempt in 2016.
Then there’s Barrett, who was a four-star recruit. He redshirted in 2016, learning the offense while watching White, Johnson and Franklin. He’s a dual-threat talent — more than 2,000 yards passing and 20 TDs with more than 1,400 yards and another 23 TDs rushing — in the mode of Marshall and Cam Newton.
The quarterback position is one where the more reps a player gets, the more comfortable they become with the play calling and the abilities of their teammates.
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That’s why a decision should be made by the end of April, giving whomever wins the job the ability to start strong and potentially defeat Clemson in the second game of the season. That’s vital for a team looking to make a run at the top of the SEC this year.