Added depth at QB Bo Nix a luxury

[aubiefifty 18,231]

Added depth at QB behind Bo Nix a luxury for Auburn

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

6-8 minutes

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The tired cliché is that if a team has two quarterbacks, it really has none.

As is the case with most things in a world turned upside-down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that adage shouldn’t be applied to the 2020 football season, where a wealth of depth and experience at the most important position on the field is less of a conundrum and burden, and more of a luxury that could make or break a team’s season. In an unorthodox season in which a player — or entire position rooms — could be quarantined for multiple weeks due to a positive test or due to being in contact with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus, depth at quarterback could be more important than ever. As Gus Malzahn noted this week as fall camp began, Auburn needs to be prepared to play its third-stringers or beyond at any moment given the circumstances of this season.

It’s why, whether by design or happenstance, the new look of Auburn’s quarterback room this fall is so intriguing — both in sheer numbers and the type of experience available to the Tigers.

“Very, very length quarterback room,” starter Bo Nix said. “… Each guy brings something different to the table. We get along great. We really have a fun, unique quarterback room with coach (Chad) Morris and coach (Will) Bryant. Obviously, we’re learning a lot and just having fun doing it. And we’re looking forward to continue progressing throughout the season. Like you said, it is kind of different, looking at the dynamics of it.”

Auburn benefits from the return of Nix, who started all 13 games as a freshman and, despite some uneven performances as he acclimated himself to the college game, was named the SEC Freshman of the Year last season. It will be the fourth time in Malzahn’s college coaching career that his team will have a returning starter at quarterback, and while Nix is the unquestioned QB1 for Auburn and new offensive coordinator Chad Morris, the pecking order behind him this preseason still needs to be sorted out.

Of course, redshirt sophomore Cord Sandberg — who is entering his third year in Auburn’s system—is back to provide some veteran depth. There’s also Bowling Green grad transfer Grant Loy, who has 29 games of college experience under his belt, including eight career starts at the position. Loy should be the favorite to earn the backup job behind Nix this season, despite Sandberg entering his third season in the offense.

“Grant is a guy that Coach Morris and his staff at Arkansas started recruiting, had a relationship with, and we just felt like we needed some experience at the quarterback position,” Malzahn said. “He’s got the flexibility to do some other things as far as H-back or even help on special teams. He’s off to a really good start and I know his teammates have been very impressed with him since he’s been here.”

The Tigers also have true freshman dual-threat quarterback Chayil Garnett, who enrolled in the spring and has had eight-plus months to familiarize himself with the playbook, and walk-on Sawyer Pate, who threw for 3,100 yards and 41 touchdowns while leading Thompson to a Class 7A title as a high school senior a year ago.

“Chayil’s been in my room, so I’ve really gotten to see him grow and develop and mature as a quarterback,” Nix said. “Obviously there’s a big jump from high school to college in the quarterback room, but I feel like he’s done a great job of kind of taking his opportunity and making the most of it; he’s doing really good.”

Then there’s grad transfer Caylin Newton, the younger brother of Heisman winner Cam Newton, who was a star quarterback for two-plus seasons at FCS Howard, where he started 26 games and passed for 5,876 yards and 41 touchdowns. Newton will primarily play receiver at Auburn, but Malzahn plans to find different ways to use him this season, with the former MEAC Player of the Year a strong Wildcat option while also presenting the Tigers with a player outside of the traditional position room who could play quarterback in the event the quarterback group were to be quarantined at any point this season.

Auburn’s overall options at quarterback this season are arguably the deepest — both in numbers and experience, when you factor in Loy and Newton’s prior stops, as well as Sandberg’s familiarity — since Malzahn has been at Auburn.

In 2013, when Nick Marshall won the starting job, Auburn also had Jonathan Wallace with starting experience on the roster; Kiehl Frazier, who was originally recruited by Malzahn and appeared in 22 games over the prior two seasons, with five starts; and true freshman Jeremy Johnson, who earned the backup job. There was also the 2016 season, when Auburn returned Johnson as a senior with nine starts under his belt; had Sean White, who started five games the year prior; as well as JUCO transfer John Franklin III, who was an All-American at East Mississippi Community College before signing with Auburn.

With what Auburn has at the position this season with Nix and the stable of options behind him, it’s a good position for the program to be in as it prepares for a season in the midst of a pandemic — especially after finishing last season with just Nix, Sandberg and walk-on Wil Appleton on the depth chart following the post-spring transfer of Malik Willis and the midseason departure of Joey Gatewood.

“I think as far as numbers, this probably is the deepest,” Malzahn said of the position. “But as far as experience, I’d say we probably had some other years where we had more experience and quality depth coming back. The good thing is we have five and a half weeks with these guys before we play. Just get those the reps they need, then Chad is just going to have to figure out, past Bo, what other guys can do at this point and what they can’t.

“That’s what he’s good at, especially being a former high school coach. I know he’s looking forward to evaluating those guys and seeing what they can do.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

[DAG 34,754]

5 QBs?! Not counting Newton. He will be a WR.

[aubiefifty 18,231]

22 hours ago, DAG said:

5 QBs?! Not counting Newton. He will be a WR.

when i read they seldom had enough folks for an oline and read what he did i thought wow! he might be a great qb down the road.