Auburn football: 4 Tigers whose stocks could rise in wake of injuries this spring
The 2022 Auburn football season is just over five months away, and spring ball is already starting to see certain stars rise to the occasion.
Perhaps the biggest spring storyline so far surrounds the QB position. Tiger fans that were previously low on T.J. Finley may want to halt their hatred of the idea that he could return as the starter knowing Bo Nix is in Oregon now.
Per AL.com’s Tom Green, it appears as though it’s Finley’s job to lose if he can be consistent this spring:
"T.J. Finley was the only quarterback to get reps with the first-team offense during the open portion of the scrimmage, while Oregon transfer Robby Ashford and true freshman Holden Geriner both rotated in with the second units. Finley completed 7-of-10 passes on the day. Nine different players caught passes during the scrimmage, though there were no real explosive plays in the passing game."
Of course, we still haven’t seen what Zach Calzada could do because of an injury.
Speaking of injuries in the backfield, there’s also the 8-10 week loss of Jarquez Hunter to a knee injury, per Bryan Harsin:
"Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter will miss the remainder of spring practice after undergoing a minor procedure to clean up some damage in his leg…"
Hunter was a surprise freshman contributor who stepped up to be the primary back behind Tank Bigsby. His loss is equally as troubling as Calzada’s.
Of course, that’s if and only if stars don’t rise in their stead.
Here are 4 Auburn football players whose stocks could rise in 2022: