Auburn football: Does Holden Geriner have a path to starting at QB in 2022?

Dematrius Davis’ Auburn football departure just a few weeks ahead of the 2022 A-Day spring game was shocking for a number of reasons.

The first was that he was taking second-team reps early on this spring. It seemed like waiting through a season of no snaps could seemingly pay off for Davis if he can deliver as the first deployable man off the bench should first-team QB T.J. Finley go down.

Instead, we won’t know what an AU offense with Davis under center will ever look like after his transfer portal entry.

The QB pecking order has shifted in the aftermath, and it may benefit a freshman QB that has generated plenty of hype already, Holden Geriner:

Here’s the path to Holden Geriner winning the Auburn football starting QB job.

It won’t be easy, but the path to Holden Geriner as QB1 has already had a roadblock cleared by way of Dematrius Davis’ exit from the Plains.

Now, the three remaining signal-callers have to be deemed inferior options to Geriner. Here’s how that plays out for each QB.

For T.J. Finley, he’ll need to lose the starting job by way of more inconsistent throws from the pocket and more fumbles before he can even get those chances. Finley has lost a lot of public support since the end of the 2021 season.

Zach Calzada will be behind the 8-ball due to a shoulder injury that happened last November. A slow recovery could delay his debut, giving the chance to those behind him on the depth chart to sneak in and become familiarized with the playbook first.

Finally, Robby Ashford may already have issues overcoming the fact that he doesn’t fit the prototypical mold for a Bryan Harsin quarterback. His athleticism is by far the most impressive in the QB room, but Geriner could prove to be what Harsin and Eric Kiesau want over the Hoover High School product.

Don’t put any futures bets on Geriner being the starting QB September 3rd against Mercer. Just don’t write it off completely.