The dust has mostly settled in the wake of former Auburn football QB Bo Nix’s decision to leave the program for the Oregon Ducks. Now, it’s about who is next for the position on the Plains.
At current, three options are competing for the spot. LSU transfer TJ Finley, the first signal-caller Bryan Harsin added to the roster personally, 2020 commit Dematrius Davis, and incoming freshman and GHSA Class 4A state champion Holden Geriner appear to be the likeliest options under center in 2022.
Then again, there’s plenty of time for Bryan Harsin and co. to find another option before the A-Day spring game.
In fact, one with SEC experience just hit the transfer portal in former Mizzou QB Connor Bazelak:
— Connor Bazelak (@BazelakConnor) December 23, 2021
Is grabbing Bazelak from the NCAA transfer portal worth potentially alienating Finley and making Davis and Geriner wait for their chance?
Auburn football should not pursue Connor Bazelak in the transfer portal.
Nope. Bazelak showed flashes of brilliance throughout 2021–he eclipsed 300 passing yards three times and put up four touchdowns on Kentucky–but by and large he was inconsistent, and he fell apart down the stretch of the season.
Har har…so did the Tigers, making them a glove fit…right?
No again. The Tigers of the Plains need to stay the course and grant one of their current QBs the chance to lead the team in the post Bo Nix era of the program. Barring any superstar transfer portal entries of course.
Bazelak has three seasons under his belt and has two more years of eligibility, but he may be best off taking the Nix route and leaving the SEC altogether for the best chance of success. In the SEC East, Bazelak put up pedestrian totals (2,540 passing yards, 16 TDs, 11 INTs) and may have had even worse numbers had he been healthy enough to play Georgia.
Harsin and co. oughta take their crootin’ fingers elsewhere on the recruiting trail this offseason.