Auburn football has had quite a journey through the offseason after Bryan Harsin’s first year on the Plains. What began as a hot start to the season quickly fell into a downward spiral, and the team was plagued by coaching staff issues followed by a full investigation into whether Harsin would stay on for another year.
In the words of our coach, “It didn’t work.”
Now, with the end of the summer right around the corner, the Tigers are completely focused on bouncing back and proving the nation wrong in 2022, and that starts with the quarterback. Auburn football kicked off a five-way QB competition in early spring that has been mostly narrowed down to Zach Calzada and T.J. Finley.
The Tigers have not yet named a starting quarterback for the 2022 season, but there will be a lot riding on the shoulders of whoever is named QB1. In order for Harsin to remain on the Plains and for the overall greater good of Auburn football, the Tigers need to have a successful season, and they need a true leader on the offense.
According to Saturday Down South, it is most likely that T.J. Finley will serve as Zach Calzada’s backup, and Oregon transfer Robby Ashford will have a few packages, as well:
"Based on that lede, you can tell that I think Calzada gets the Week 1 nod for Bryan Harsin’s squad. I came away from SEC Media Days more convinced that Calzada will be QB1, while TJ Finley will be the backup and Oregon transfer Robby Ashford will have some sort of package within the offense. It won’t be a 2-quarterback system, but my belief is that Auburn will attempt to tap into the unknown but enticing element that Ashford will bring as someone who has yet to play a down of FBS football."
Though Bryan Harsin likely won’t name the starting quarterback until much closer to the Tigers’ first game on September 3, it’s looking more and more like Zach Calzada will lead the offense this fall.