One of the most intriguing offseason storylines for the Auburn football program heading into 2022 is the five-way quarterback battle that is set to begin next week during spring practices.
After three-year starter Bo Nix hit the transfer portal and took off to Oregon, leaving the Tigers with former LSU transfer TJ Finley and unproven redshirt freshman Dematrius Davis on the roster. With Finley’s rocky showing after taking over following Nix’s ankle injury last season, it was clear to all that head coach Bryan Harsin and his staff would be looking to the portal for new talent.
Already on his way in was Holden Geriner, the 4-star signee out of Savannah, Georgia that spent his senior season turning heads and leading his team to the 4A title. But clearly, the Auburn football quarterbacks room still needed work.
Enter former Texas A&M quarterback Zach Calzada. The QB committed to the Tigers on January 6, and shortly after on January 18, former Oregon Duck Robby Ashford joined the ranks.
So, with five guys going head to head to compete for the role of QB1, who will ultimately come out on top? Auburn football fans seem to believe that Zach Calzada is the overwhelming favorite:
Who wins the @AuburnFootball QB job?
— McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning (@macandcube) March 10, 2022
Out of all the quarterbacks in the room, Calzada is the most experienced with three years under his belt at Texas A&M. Although he played a few games for the Aggies as a true freshman, the QB1 job was given to Haynes King in Calzada’s second year and he didn’t see a single snap before being thrust into the starting role as a junior following King’s injury.
In 2021, Calzada passed at 56.3 percent and logged 2,185 yards for 17 touchdowns. Although it seems likely that Finley would have a leg up in the competition due to having experience leading Auburn football’s offense, Calzada was the only quarterback to beat both Auburn and Alabama in 2021 and could possibly fit better into the new offense under Eric Kiesau.
While it’s likely we won’t know the true starting quarterback for the Tigers until closer to the season this fall, at this point, fans are expecting to see Zach Calzada as QB1.