2021 Quarterbacks

[aubiefifty 18,231]

into and out of major college football programs around the country it is not unusual to see movement at the quarterback position. As the Auburn Tigers prepare for the 2021 season they are no exception. Auburn's new coaching staff has two new faces at the position to work with to fill spots left open after two others from last year's squad checked out looking for greener pastures.

The Tigers feature two-year starter Bo Nix at the position, a player who is headed into his junior season. The only other returning scholarship player a QB is Grant Loy, who joined the team in 2020 as a graduate transfer from Bowling Green prior to the 2020 season.

Doubling the number of scholarship quarterbacks are newcomers Dematrius Davis from North Shore High School in Houston, Tex., and T.J. Finley, a more recent arrival who went through spring training at LSU while Davis was participating in spring drills at Auburn as an early graduate.

The newcomers replace Chayil Garnett, who transferred to Tennessee State for his redshirt freshman season, and Cord Sandberg, who made a move to Eastern Kentucky.

Sandberg joined the Auburn roster in 2018 after playing six seasons of minor league pro baseball in the Philadelphia Phillies organization, but after he couldn’t advance past the Class AA level he returned to football, a sport he excelled at while attending Manatee High in Bradenton, Fla. Playing in just four games in three seasons for the Tigers, Sandberg rushed for 70 yards and passed for 114.

Garnett, who is 6-1, 216 pounds from Lake Wales, Fla., did not see action in his one season at Auburn.

Nix has started every game the past two seasons and Loy, who will be a fifth-year senior this fall, played briefly in three contests last year and was also used as a kick holder. In 2020 Nix completed 214-357 passes for 2,415 yards with 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He netted 388 rushing yards on 108 carries as a sophomore and rushed for seven scores.

The SEC Freshman of the Year in 2019, Nix has collegiate totals of 4,957 passing yards while connecting on 431-734 passes for a 58.7 competition percentage. He has thrown 28 touchdown passes with 13 interceptions and has rushed for 14 touchdowns. Last season he was voted a team captain and hooked up with Anthony Schwartz for the third longest pass play in Auburn history, a 91-yard touchdown in a victory over LSU.

Nix, who is 6-3, 214, is working with his third different offensive coordinator and quarterback coach this season with Mike Bobo taking on the role. A key for the Tigers to improve offensively is Bobo helping the quarterback become a more efficient passer. Last year Nix completed just under 60 percent of his passes, a number the Tigers will try to boost this fall. He will join linebacker Owen Pappoe as Auburn's player representatives on Thursday at SEC Football Media Days in Hoover.

January arrival Davis up terrific numbers as a passer and runner in the Texas high school ranks. He threw for 10,536 yards and rushed for 3,047 more yards during three seasons on two state championship teams and another team that reached the playoff semi-finals. Davis, who is 5-10, 202 pounds, was ranked four stars and was the Houston Touchdown Club’s 2020 Offensive Player of the Year.

Dematrius Davis arrived on campus in January as an early graduate. (Photo: Jason Caldwell/Inside The Auburn Tigers, 247Sports)

Signed by LSU as an early graduate who joined that team in January 2020 after being a three-year starter for Ponchatoula, La., High, Finley played in six games last season as a true freshman and started five times. He was LSU’s third-leading passer as he completed 80-140 for 941 yards and threw for five touchdowns with five interceptions.

Finley, Auburn’s largest QB at six-foot-six, 250 pounds, was rated as a three-star prospect in high school. He started in LSU’s 48-10 loss at Jordan-Hare Stadium in 2020. In that game he completed 13-24 passes for 143 yards. After being intercepted twice and sacked twice, he was replaced by Max Johnson. One of those interceptions was returned 48 yards by Nehemiah Pritchett to set up Auburn’s opening touchdown. Auburn’s second touchdown came when Christian Tutt picked up a fumble by Finley and returned it 20 yards for a score. Finley’s final snap in the 2020 game at Jordan-Hare Stadium was on LSU’s first offensive play of the second half. His pass was intercepted by Big Kat Bryant and Auburn had to only move 21 yards to take a 35-3 lead.

Click Here to Order 2021 Inside the Auburn Tigers Football Guide

The Tigers also have a pair of talented walk-on quarterbacks. Sawyer Pate, a 6-1, 205 redshirt freshman, passed for 3,100 yards and 41 touchdowns as a senior at Thompson High in Alabaster. He rushed for five more scores in leading his team to a state championship and was named the Class 7A Back of the Year. In this year’s spring game he completed 1-2 passes for four yards.

Trey Lindsey, a 6-1, 204 sophomore, threw for 2,523 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior at Montgomery Academy where he set a school record for career passing touchdowns with 48. He was 1-2 passing for nine yards in the 2021 A-Day game.

Tight Ends Preview

Inside Linebackers Preview