Auburn football Roster Breakdown
2021 Auburn football Quarterbacks: Bo Nix (Jr.), Grant Loy (Sr.), TJ Finley (So.), & Dematrius Davis (Fr.)
The QB position has been one that many Auburn football fans have expected more from over the past few seasons going all the way back to Nick Marshall’s departure after the 2014 season. The Tigers have 4 QBs going into the season after the transfer of TJ Finley to the Tigers. Bo Nix is the incumbent starter, but a lot of people expect Finley to push Nix for the job in the 2021 season, which brings some excitement to the Auburn QB room in Year 1 for Harsin.
Nix is the guy according to most people you ask, but Finley coming in could give Nix his first push since he claimed the QB1 role back in 2019. Over his first two seasons; Nix has thrown for over 4900 yards, 28 passing TDs, 13 INTs, and completing over 58% of his passes. Many fans have been satisfied with his performances within the confines of Jordan-Hare Stadium, but away from his home stadium, Nix has been a completely different QB.
This may have opened the door for TJ Finley, who announced his transfer to the Tigers on May 24th. Finley started five games for the LSU Tigers last season after the injury to Myles Brennan before he was benched for Max Johnson later in the season. In those five games, Finley threw for over 900 yards, 5 TDs, 5 INTs, & completed over 57% of his passes for the Tigers.
It is tough to judge Finley for last season, because he was thrust into a role that he truthfully was not ready for. No spring practices, limited summer workouts, and a short fall camp all contributed to Finely being a year or so away from actual competing for the LSU QB1 role. I think the potential of Finley in Harsin & Mike Bobo’s system is just as high as Nix and we could be looking at the future of Auburn football.
Grant Loy transferred from Bowling Green as a graduate transfer in 2019 and has served as a depth protector in his time on the Plains. He has only seen playing time in two games during his time in Auburn. He will be leaving the Tigers after this season, which opens up a need for some more depth in the Tigers QB room going into the 2022 season. This becomes an even bigger need due to the transfer of Chayil Garnett after spring practice, which really thinned out the QB room until Finley decided to bring his talents to the Plains.
Another piece of the puzzle happens to be an extremely talented freshman QB in Dematrius Davis. Davis was 4-star; Top-220 player out of the 2021 class out of North Shore High School in Houston, TX. He was named MaxPreps National Sophomore of the Year, MaxPreps Texas Player of the Year, & went 45-2 as the starter over his 3 seasons at North Shore. Davis is going to be a factor after next season and could make next season’s QB battle a 3-man race and the consensus from Auburn football fans seem to be that Davis is the future of the QB position for the Tigers.
Targets
Commits: Holden Geriner
Geriner is one of the three commitments for the 2022 Auburn football class and is the only QB currently committed to the Tigers. Geriner is a 4-star; Top-270 player in the 2022 class out of Benedictine Military School in Savannah, GA. Over his first two seasons as the starter; Geriner has thrown for over 4,000 yards, 39 passing TDs, 15 INTs, & 7 rushing TDs. He is going to bring prototypical size at 6’3; 215 lbs. and his arm strength is his biggest positive, while this past year he showed much improved decision making and a huge increase in playmaking down the field.
Based on his Hudl film, Geriner shows excellent touch on his deep throws and fits what Harsin and Bobo are looking for in their QB of the future. He is not a dual threat guy but can climb the pocket and shows solid pocket presence, which allows him to avoid the rush and push the ball downfield. He is not going to be asked to play immediately but exhibits solid potential for the future of the QB position for Auburn. Geriner has been the main in-class recruiter for the Tigers and will take his official visit to the Plains on June 11th through the 13th.
Potential Targets: Nick Evers & Jacurri Brown
After the commitment of TJ Finley to the Tigers; I do not expect Auburn to heavily pursue another QB in this class but there are a few names out there that the Tigers would take if they wanted to join the class. All these guys hold Auburn offers, but are currently committed to other Power-5 programs but Auburn will not stop pursuing them and would absolutely love to add some more youth to the QB room.
Jacurri Brown has been one of the top targets for the Tigers since the beginning of the cycle and was even in Brown’s Top-5 before his commitment to Miami. Brown is a 4-star QB out of Valdosta, GA and ranks as the #175 player and #12 QB in the 2022 class. Andrew Ivins scouted Brown for 247Sports and had this to say about Brown:
"“Impressive looking athlete with the desired height to play the position. Owns a leaner build now but could eventually get up to 220 pounds or more. One of the more unique quarterback prospects in the class of 2022 given ability to run the football. Has already eclipsed the 100-yard mark rushing in 14 different varsity games. Still developing as a passer but started to show some improvement the spring after junior season. Has no issues getting the ball to all different levels of the field. Likes to use trajectory to his advantage, especially on his deep shots. More of a drive-ball thrower, but capable of making off-plane throws on the run. Streaky player that’s not afraid to challenge tight windows but struggles at times with accuracy and tends to make some of the easiest throws the most difficult. Tested exceptionally well before his senior season clocking a 4.6 in the 40-yard dash and a 4.4 in the short shuttle. Long stride allows him to pull away from defenses. Not afraid, however, to lower his shoulder and power through defenders, if needed. Considered a leader by those in his huddle and has won plenty of big games on Friday nights playing in one of the Peach State’s highest classifications. Will need to find some touch and keep improving his mechanics, but raw tools are valuable at the quarterback position, and he has a ton of them. Should be viewed as a high-ceiling, low-floor prospect that can make a difference at the Power 5 level with patience and the right coaching. Likely to thrive in an offensive system that embraces dual-threat quarterbacks and leans on his strengths.”"
Brown is the most athletic of the QBs Auburn is currently recruiting and used his 4.4 speed to rack up over 2500 rushing yards over the past two years. Brown is one of the most coveted QB prospects in this class, especially after his Georgia 7-A All-State selection over the past two seasons. It will be tough to convince Brown to abandon the Hurricanes, because D’Eriq King is gone after this season and there is not a clear #2 option right now down in South Beach. If Harsin can pull off this flip, then it could make the QB room one of the strongest positional units on the Plains going into the 2022 season.
Evers is currently committed to Dan Mullen and the Florida Gators and committed back on March 9th; only six days after he received his Auburn offer. Evers is composite 4-star QB out of Flower Mound, TX and is the #22 QB in the 2022 class. Last season for Flower Mound High School, Evers threw for over 2500 yards, 25 passing TDs, 6 INTs, & 4 rushing TDs.
Watching the film on Evers, his ability to place the ball wherever it needs to be separates him from some of these other prospects. He fits the mold of a throw-first guy with a live arm, but also has the sneaky quick athleticism with his 4.5 speed to be a problem if the pocket collapses. As with most Harsin and Bobo prospects at QB, he has the arm to make throws at all levels of the field and that is important to be able to stretch these defenses at the next level.
Evers has all-SEC potential, but he is going to be tough to pull away from the Gators but keep an eye out for Evers and the Tigers because things can change quickly on the recruiting trail.
Outlook
If we take a step back to last month then many people would view Bo Nix as the guy for the next two seasons, then Dematrius Davis would be the guy to lead the Tigers into the future, but TJ Finley has changed the outlook on this position completely.
There is no more slack to give Nix if he continues his struggles against top SEC teams or if he continues his sub-par play on the road. Bryan Harsin recruited Finley to push Nix and add another experienced option behind him in case of injury or poor play.
We see this consistently in college football; particularly with new head coaches, because they do not have ties with incumbent starters and want to start the guy who gives themselves the best shot to win on Saturdays.
This is the do-or-die year for Nix. As a junior, he is out of excuses, so he needs to elevate his game to the next level or TJ Finley will be the guy this season. I expect a rotation of both guys throughout the Akron and Alabama State games to begin the season. Davis and Holden Geriner will be the guys after Nix and Finley–barring a transfer–while Davis could even push for the job next season and definitely in the 2023 season.
Overall, the QB room is in a good place after adding a talented guy like Finely and I think Harsin and Bobo will find their key guy next recruiting cycle, which should really show everyone what they think about doing in the distant future for Auburn football.