How Will Auburn QB Room Shake Out This Year?
With the arrival of LSU transfer TJ Finley, the Auburn quarterbacking situation just got a little bit more interesting.
Bo Nix is the returning starter. He's held down the job for two years. But the Tigers have a new coach, Bryan Harsin, they have Finley, and they will also have freshman Dematrius Davis, a major recruit with true NFL potential.
"No one expected Davis to take the starting job from Nix right away, but he was clearly second in line for the QB1 position should something happen," wrote Mary Kate Hughes of Fansided. "With Finley on the roster, it’s possible that Davis won’t see any playing time at all this year, and things heat up even more in 2022 when 4-star QB recruit Holden Geriner arrives on the Plains."
So yeah, things could even get more crowded next season.
But it's a good problem to have. Three gifted quarterbacks, a new coach, and a new opportunity for Auburn to return to national prominence. All of it should lead to a healthy QB competition. The Tigers just need to determine a winner prior to the Sept. 4 opener vs. Akron.
Finley, for one, is up for the challenge, it seems.
"Not saying they’re promising me anything, but it’s promising as far as the future," he told reporters. "It’s basically that I can come in and compete for the starting job, and if I were good enough to be the No. 1 guy, I would be the No. 1 guy.”
Harsin summarized the QB situation as nothing new.
“The quarterback room is about toughness,” he told reporters. “It’s about preparation. It’s about decision-making. It’s about accuracy. But these guys, you want to have the ultimate competitors in that room. And really, it starts with themselves. That’s the one thing about that position is that one guy that’s on the field — usually, right? — that’s playing that position. So, you got to start with yourself.
“You got to compete with yourself every day. You got to push yourself every day. You got to develop yourself every day. And I think, just within our team, competition helps that.”