For Auburn and the case of Ashton Daniels, it was too little, too late, as the quarterback seemed to find his groove after the dismissal of head coach Hugh Freeze and all play-calling duties handed over to Derrick Nix.
It was the tale of two quarterbacks between the Kentucky game, Freeze’s last game in charge, and his performance against Vanderbilt, in which he put up 353 passing yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 89 yards and two more scores. In the season-ending loss to Alabama, Daniels helped Auburn charge back from a 17-0 deficit to tie the game at 21 before ultimately losing 28-21.
Now, the former Stanford transfer gets another fresh start, this time in Tallahassee, where he will compete as the next starter under a familiar name in Gus Malzahn. Back in his old element as an offensive coordinator with no head-coaching duties occupying his time, the former Auburn head coach helped turn the Seminoles’ offense around this past season, finishing sixth in total offense after averaging 472.1 yards per game.
Ashton Daniels fits Gus Malzahn's system perfectly
Now, he has another quarterback whose potential is seemingly just waiting to burst out, much like it did against Vanderbilt. Like every quarterback Malzahn has liked coaching, Daniels is a threat both throwing and running the ball, and should be efficient in his offense. He was barely given an opportunity on the Plains, sitting behind Jackson Arnold for the majority of the season, but now he will be given a shot to prove he can be the full-time guy in an offense that may be suited better toward him.
Much like Tommy Castellanos this past season at Florida State, Daniels’s play will likely take a leap under Malzahn’s tutelage. He’s athletic enough and wise to make smart decisions in the Seminoles’ offense, and if it had not been for Alex Golesh’s plan to bring in Byrum Brown to Auburn, he could have very well been a starter for the Tigers next season.
We shall see how it plays out, but Daniels’ future is brighter than ever. It just took another change for that to happen.