The Auburn football starting QB competition has been pared down from five realistic options to four in the wake of Dematrius Davis’ recent entry into the transfer portal.
Still, reading between the lines, there may not even be four realistic options to start under center this coming fall.
In particular, one of the incoming Tigers transfer QBs feels likely to see a similar experience on the Plains as Davis.
Robby Ashford could be the odd man out now in the Auburn football QB room
Robby Ashford was once a high school hero in Birmingham, leading Hoover to the 2017 Class 7A State Championship. Do you know who else was also a high school hero that didn’t get a shot under Bryan Harsin’s offense?
Davis. The parallels are troubling for Ashford, who has six inches of height on Davis but is still somewhat reliant on his speed rather than trusting his arm to do most of the work.
What’s making it an even more difficult proposition for Ashford is the fact that both T.J. Finley and Zach Calzada–the two QBs currently ahead of him on the Auburn QB depth chart–may serve as roadblocks to playing time for the next two years.
Ashford does have four years of eligibility left, so he could eventually be groomed for the starting role in his fifth and sixth collegiate seasons. Don’t forget, though, that Holden Geriner could be next in line at the position and has plenty of hype behind him already.
It’s starting to seem as though Ashford’s positioning on the Tigers totem pole is troubling at best and damning at worst. He may never be ticketed to take on full responsibility in the offense, and he will have to wait until he can immediately transfer again.
Perhaps Ashford could one day contribute for Butch Thompson and the Auburn baseball team at Plainsman Park in the shadow of Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Because he may never be the leader of the offense within the JHS confines.