Auburn football: On3 tabs Tigers transfer surprise frontrunner for QB1
A surprise frontrunner has been named for the Auburn football starting quarterback position in 2022.
Somehow, it’s none of the three signal-callers that took to the field on April 9th during the Tigers’ A-Day spring game.
Instead, it’s Texas A&M transfer Zach Calzada, who is still nursing a shoulder injury suffered during the Aggies’ matchup against Auburn back in November, who has been tabbed the man to beat in the AU QB room.
That’s according to On3’s Jesse Simonton, with the important caveat attached that nothing is set in stone just yet:
"While TJ Finley and Robby Ashford battled it out this spring, the whispers behind the scenes continue to suggest Zach Calzada, who was limited to 7-on-7 work as he recovers from a shoulder injury, remains the frontrunner to win the job. To be clear though, nothing has been decided yet. Bryan Harsin made it known that he plans to whittle down the competition to two following the first fall scrimmage. Notably, Ashford had a strong A-Day even playing behind a shaky Tigers’ offensive line and could be an X-factor in the race due to his athleticism."
Auburn football fans want Robby Ashford to be considered for the QB1 role
Robby Ashford’s Offensive MVP performance from A-Day has created somewhat of a cult following from those who want to see a high school hero from their home-state lead Auburn football into the future.
Of course, Bryan Harsin has a crucial decision to make regarding Ashford, with the possibility of losing public support if he benches the Hoover hotshot in favor of the incumbent option, T.J. Finley.
As for Finley, Simonton believes that Finley’s issues in the pocket could be his undoing despite his familiarity with the Auburn playbook:
"Meanwhile, Finley is what he is at this point: A strong-armed quarterback who lacks mobility and accuracy. He does have the best command of Harsin’s offense, but time will tell if that’s enough to overcome the rest of his weaknesses."
Stay tuned, Tiger fans. We have a pretty wide open QB battle to monitor throughout the summer and into the fall.