Auburn's leadership council were asked to try to convince Gatewood to stay

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247sports.com

Malzahn: Gatewood left Auburn because he wants to be starting QB

ByBrandon Marcello

4 minutes

Joey Gatewood is gone.

The Auburn backup quarterback wants to find a school where he can be a starting quarterback, Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said Wednesday on the SEC coaches' teleconference. 

"I really appreciate Joey," Malzahn said. "When he didn't win the job earlier, he chose to stick around when most quarterbacks this day in and time would have quit and he didn't do that. And he's just at a point now where he feels like he wants to be a starting quarterback and feels like he needs to start looking for schools now so he can find the right spot, and I respect that. He's a fine young man and I really appreciate everything Joey's done for our program. Everybody in our program will be rooting for him moving forward."

Gatewood met with Malzahn and staff members in the early afternoon Tuesday to discuss his future. Gatewood's discussion with Malzahn and other staffers at Auburn came on the heels of a sub-par performance by the offense in which Gatewood's role was diminished as a "package" quarterback behind starter Bo Nix.

Nix struggled in losses at LSU and Florida, where he combined to hit 41.9 percent of his passes and threw two touchdown with four interceptions. Malzahn was asked Sunday at a press conference if he has or will consider a change at quarterback.

“Well, I mean, we’re going to do what’s best for our team, but right now a lot of the things — Bo was put in some pretty tough situations on nine third-down-and-10-plus (at LSU), and there was some things that he would like to have back, but there were also some things that he did well,” Malzahn said. “So he’ll continue to improve. That’s how we’re looking at it.”

Nix and Gatewood battled for the starting job during preseason camp, with Nix emerging as the victor in mid-August. Nix became the first true freshman quarterback to start for Auburn in a season opener since 1946.

Members of Auburn's leadership council, which includes defensive tackle Derrick Brown, were asked to try to convince Gatewood to stay on the Plains, sources tell Auburn Undercover. It's not clear if that meeting with the council and Gatewood occurred, however.

Gatewood is 5 of 7 passing for 54 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 29 rushes for 148 yards and three touchdowns this season. He has mostly been utilized in short-yardage situations, special packages in the red zone and late in blowout victories against Arkansas and Mississippi State.

The former 4-star prospect out of Bartram Trail High in Jacksonville, Florida was rated the nation's No. 1 athlete in the class of 2018, according to the 247Sports Composite. He sat out the 2018 season at Auburn, and will have to sit out the 2020 season if he transfers to an FBS program.

Gatewood's departure leaves Auburn without much depth at quarterback. Cord Sandberg is expected to serve as Nix's backup, but the offensive staff will likely utilize running backs JaTarvious Whitlow or D.J. Williams in Wildcat packages more often if Nix were to be injured during the final month of the season.

Both Whitlow and Williams played quarterback in high school. Sandberg is attending Auburn to mostly prepare himself for a career in coaching, and his arm strength is a huge question mark.

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