Why you should be thinking about Auburn football in July
By Rob Maxwell
3. The new redshirt rule
It’s Week 2 against Alabama State at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn is coming off a hard-fought victory (right?) in a Top 10 showdown against Washington. The Tigers lead big at the half and sit Jarrett Stidham in the second half. Malik Willis gets all the snaps early into the final quarter.
Malzahn looks at Lindsey. They’re on the same page. They send in No. 1 at quarterback. That’s right, freshman Joey Gatewood gets real, live playing time and it doesn’t count against him when it comes to redshirting him. It’s a win-win for everyone. Gatewood gets valuable experience — after all, he’s No. 3 on the depth chart and one injury away from really needed to be available.
Gatewood could play three more games — the Nov. 17 matchup vs. Liberty looks like a big opportunity for many of the freshmen — without losing redshirt status.
It’s also likely Auburn fans will get to see the three highly-touted running backs in the 2018 class: Harold Joiner, Asa Martin and Shaun Shivers.
Safety Smoke Monday as well as receivers Matthew Hill and Seth Williams also are freshmen to watch.