Auburn football: 3 freshman that will thrive in backup roles in 2021

Auburn football freshman set to thrive #3: Dematrius Davis, QB

The buzz from Dematrius Davis’ arrival to the Tigers QB room was hijacked by the transfer addition of TJ Finley.

No longer was Bo Nix the guaranteed starter that needed to flail (or get injured) in order for Davis to get his time on the field. Instead, Nix was option 1 to Finley’s 1A, and Davis became a distant possibility to be the starter.

Nix will probably start under center when the Zips come to town on September 4th. But you better believe every throw is under the microscope of Auburn football fans when he drops back week in and week out with Finley around.

That wasn’t the case with Davis before, and surely won’t be now with another roadblock to the job in his way.

Davis is now the de facto #3 option, but the closeness of both Nix and Finley to being the starter means the likelihood of having either of them on the field when the game is no longer in contention is low.

Enter the freshman QB dominating underequipped defenses that aren’t ready to match his speed and arm strength during garbage time. After putting up video game numbers in high school, the third-string SEC QB will show why the depth at the position is on another level in the deepest conference in the country.