Auburn football: From QB recruiting to clearing stubborn double-digit win hurdle

5. Future is bright, very bright

When Cam Newton arrived at Auburn, everyone knew the Tigers had a 5-star physical anomaly at the quarterback position. If you watched the spring game prior to the 2010 season, you weren’t so sure he was going to be Heisman Trophy and BCS title good. You weren’t sure he’d be first-team All-SEC good.

But he was. Oh was he good. 

But things have been, to put it mildly, hit and miss at quarterback since. I mean, you saw the list where we ranked the Auburn starting QBs since Newton left. It’s not all that pretty.

Auburn has benefited with transfers Nick Marshall and now Stidham. It has struggled recruiting and cultivating quarterbacks.

But now, at least on paper, things look about as good as they’ve looked in years.

Behind Stidham, Auburn has a dynamic dual-threat QB in sophomore Malik Willis. Freshman Joey Gatewood, a raw, but physically gifted QB arrived on campus before spring practice. Auburn has a commitment for 2019 in Bo Nix, the son of former Auburn QB Patrick Nix.

Then earlier Monday, Cord Sandberg committed to Auburn over N.C. State and LSU. Sandberg was a 4-star dual-threat QB in the 2013 recruiting class but played in the Philadelphia Phillies minor league system for five seasons before deciding to return to football.

Assuming Stidham leaves after this season, it’s going to be an all-out battle for the starting quarterback spot in 2019 with Willis, Gatewood, Nix and Sandberg competing for the job.