Auburn football: 3 surprise backups that could end up starting in 2021

Surprise Auburn football backup that could start in 2021 #2: Dematrius Davis

Before TJ Finley signed on the dotted line to immediately transfer from the Tigers of Louisiana State to the Tigers of East Central Alabama, Dematrius Davis was the biggest threat to Bo Nix’s stranglehold on the QB position.

Cord Sandberg was no threat the last two years, and Grant Loy isn’t a threat now. Neither have a strong enough arm to unseat Nix, who doesn’t lack the arm strength but instead was plagued by a lack of accuracy last season.

Davis brings a different set of skills altogether to the position. While his arm strength was on full display on A-Day in April, it’s his athleticism that make him a 4-star dual threat. 247Sports likens his build to that of a running back, and he showed that sort of burst in limited–and admittedly half-speed–reps during the Tigers’ spring game.

While coming in as a freshman and unseating Nix was a long shot, him doing so while also leapfrogging Finley is a pipedream. It’s going to take some time before Davis sees time as the starter.

If the Tigers begin to falter this season, maybe Bryan Harsin would consider deploying the QB who has most recently experience sustained success, the Lone Star State gunslinger Davis. He’ll have to show enough in the reps he gets in likely early season home blowouts against Akron and Alabama State.