aubiefifty 18,231 Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 Auburn Football Spring practice, development critical for Bo Nix entering Year 3 Updated Mar 01, 2021; Posted Mar 01, 2021 Auburn quarterback Bo Nix (10) throws against Alabama during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)AP 199 shares By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com We’re taking a look at each position group as Auburn prepares to open spring practice on March 16. The first of a 10-part series looks at the quarterbacks. The first installment of AL.com’s spring position analysis kicks off with the most important position on the field — and with good reason. Following an offseason coaching change, with Bryan Harsin taking over the program and Mike Bobo joining as offensive coordinator, plenty of attention will be on Auburn’s quarterback position this season thanks to those two coaches’ history of work with the position, as well as the fact the Tigers return the SEC’s most experienced quarterback in junior Bo Nix, who has 24 career starts under his belt. While Nix should have a firm grasp on the starting job this spring, his development under Harsin and Bobo will be critical, and how the depth chart behind him shakes out should provide some intrigue. Projected depth chart: Bo Nix, junior, 214-of-357 (59.9 percent) passing for 2,415 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions; 388 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 108 carries. Grant Loy, senior, 0-of-2 passing, 0 yards; two carries for 2 yards. Chayill Garnett, redshirt freshman, did not see the field in 2020. Dematrius Davis, freshman, four-star prospect who enrolled in January. Departed: Cord Sandberg, 1-of-1 passing for 8 yards in 2020. Due to arrive in the fall: N/A. Outlook: For the first time in 14 years, Auburn is set to have a third-year starter returning at quarterback. That hasn’t happened for the Tigers since Brandon Cox was QB1 from 2005-07, and while it provides a level of stability and familiarity for Auburn’s offense, there are still questions Nix must answer entering his third year on the Plains. The junior had an up-and-down first two seasons as Auburn’s quarterback, showing flashes of brilliance — he was the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2019 and has multiple game-winning touchdowns on his resume already — as well as his share of mental errors and recurring mistakes that have hindered his success. Nix didn’t take the step forward in Year 2 that many expected him to last season, and some of that can be attributed to the lack of a formal spring season for him to acclimate to then-offensive coordinator Chad Morris and his tweaks to then-coach Gus Malzahn’s offense, providing an extended learning curve for Nix last fall. That’s why this spring is so important for the Tigers’ entrenched starting quarterback. Nix is now entering his third year of college and is doing so with his third different offensive coordinator. That level of change is hardly conducive to a player’s development, but with Harsin and Bobo running things on offense now, there’s reason for optimism regarding Nix’s outlook this year. Harsin has a strong track record with quarterbacks, as does Bobo, who helped develop the likes of Matthew Stafford, Aaron Murray and David Greene while at Georgia. Auburn also has former Utah State offensive coordinator Bodie Reeder as an analyst working with the quarterback position, as well as former Boise State offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Eric Kiesau as an offensive analyst, giving Nix plenty of experienced voices to lean on as he adjusts to a new offense. Nix’s progress this spring, especially with Auburn returning all of last year’s starters along the offensive line, will be critical for the Tigers’ success in Harsin’s first season. While Auburn has the SEC’s most experienced starting quarterback in Nix, the depth chart behind him should provide some intrigue this spring following the arrival of four-star freshman early enrollee Dematrius Davis and the return of last year’s backup, Grant Loy, who opted to take advantage of the NCAA’s extra year of eligibility. Loy appeared in just a couple of games last season, receiving a handful of snaps and attempting just two passes after joining the program last summer as a graduate transfer. The former Bowling Green quarterback has thrown for 1,478 yards and eight touchdowns in his career, as well as 644 rushing yards and six scores. He chose Auburn last offseason over Boise State, where Harsin was the coach at the time, so there should be some level of familiarity between Loy and his new coach, which likely played into his decision to return for an extra season. Loy brings a level of veteran experience to the position behind Nix, with Auburn’s other two scholarship quarterbacks both being freshmen: the aforementioned Davis and redshirt freshman Chayill Garnett, a former three-star developmental prospect who did not see the field for the Tigers last fall. As the newcomer of the group, plenty of eyes will be on Davis, one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the 2021 class and a proven winner at the highest level of high school football in Texas, where he helped lead his North Shore team to back-to-back state titles as a sophomore and junior and a state semifinal appearance as a senior. Davis has the skillset and the potential to push Loy for the backup job as a freshman, and it shouldn’t be out of the question to see 6-foot, 195-pounder take the field in some capacity this fall. Up next: Running backs. Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aucat 71 Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 WR is the key for Nix this coming season Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CleCoTiger 1,957 Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 I really hope Bo is able to gain some confidence in the offensive line and stay in the pocket more with feet that aren't so happy. If the line does their job and the receivers help out by giving Bo a reliable target that is where it's supposed to be, maybe Bo will become the QB we all wanted him to be when he signed to play for AU. Harsin has a good rep with QBs and does Bobo. The teaching out to be there and these coaches are good enough to put their QB in the best possible position to win. So I'm going to be cautiously optimistic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W.E.D 11,071 Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 43 minutes ago, aucat said: WR is the key for Nix this coming season Would really like to get an experienced WR in the portal. Doesn't have to be a game changer, but someone who's been there and can help the other WRs and Bo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBlueWDE 1,136 Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 Seth moving on is both the worst and best thing that could have happened to Bo. Throwing up a prayer off his back foot was infuriating and worked more often than it should have. I look forward to him (hopefully) taking it to the next level in 2021. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homersapien 12,230 Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 Surprising how little discussion Grant Loy gets on the forum. Seems to me he is a very key player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shabby 2,040 Posted March 6, 2021 Share Posted March 6, 2021 On 3/3/2021 at 10:26 PM, aucat said: WR is the key for Nix this coming season Yikes. We are screwed then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aubiefifty 18,231 Posted March 8, 2021 Author Share Posted March 8, 2021 On 3/3/2021 at 9:26 PM, aucat said: WR is the key for Nix this coming season i hope he lights it up but he has a lot of problems to correct. his passing is right where it was in high school so sometimes i fear he might already be at the top of his game. and now he is going on his third offensive coordinator so that is a huge worry. but make no mistake i will be pulling as hard for him to succeed as anyone. i am hoping bob is as qb friendly as people say he is. it is possible we have a decent year for a first year coach. do you think the d will step up and help him out more this year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aubiefifty 18,231 Posted March 8, 2021 Author Share Posted March 8, 2021 On 3/3/2021 at 10:33 PM, BigBlueWDE said: Seth moving on is both the worst and best thing that could have happened to Bo. Throwing up a prayer off his back foot was infuriating and worked more often than it should have. I look forward to him (hopefully) taking it to the next level in 2021. i think sitting bo would help if he keeps doing the same ol thing. does anyone know if his pops ever sat him any for making mistakes in high school ball? if he is a winner sitting a few reps will not go down well and would help him improve his game. and i do not mean that as a slight. and i wonder if the old coaching staff might have let him down. his first year even with freshman mistake he beat the ducks and bama. some say covid hurt him taking that next step. i am excited to see what happens with the new coaching staff. from the stuff i have heard from different people our coach knows how to get it done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDUBB4AU 5,287 Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 More deprogramming than anything this spring . It’s time to act and think like a real contender each year . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aubiefifty 18,231 Posted March 8, 2021 Author Share Posted March 8, 2021 7 minutes ago, JDUBB4AU said: More deprogramming than anything this spring . It’s time to act and think like a real contender each year . and from what i heard we need less division in the locker room as well. i forget the players that hinted at it but it was mentioned. maybe in a tweet? i cannot remember now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W.E.D 11,071 Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 On 3/4/2021 at 12:49 PM, homersapien said: Surprising how little discussion Grant Loy gets on the forum. Seems to me he is a very key player. Yes, he'll pretend to be the back up QB until the start of the season when DD will take over that spot and ideally player in 4 games and still take a RS year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McLoofus 35,182 Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 On 3/7/2021 at 7:39 PM, JDUBB4AU said: More deprogramming than anything this spring . It’s time to act and think like a real contender each year . My only regret is that I only have one love reaction to give. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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