DECISION 2019: Auburn Quarterback Race

It’s time, Auburn fans, for the race of our lifetimes.

Auburn needs a quarterback.

Jarrett Stidham has declared for the NFL Draft, and he’ll play in the Senior Bowl before waiting to see when his name gets called in the spring. Auburn’s next-best hope for a quarterback went up in smoke after Kelly Bryant chose the black and gold Missouri Tigers instead of the better orange and blue ones.

That means that our roster for potential backfield leadership has taken an unprecedented turn. Candidates have decided to gracefully back out of the race and take their names off the ballot. So who’s left to lead in 2019?

The top four candidates are obvious —

• Malik Willis

• Joey Gatewood

• Cord Sandberg

• Bo Nix

You’ll notice that only one of the quarterbacks above has actual tape of him wearing an Auburn jersey. Malik Willis is the only one that’s taken any appreciable snaps on the Plains, and even that’s been in a very specific backup role. Joey Gatewood has the Cam Newton body size, Cord Sandberg is the older and wiser choice, but Bo Nix is the incoming freshman star that may be the best passer of the bunch. Plus, he’s an Auburn legacy, and the fact that his dad played quarterback roughly two decades ago makes more than a few Auburn fans feel old.

So, let’s take the temperature of the country.

Let’s make it simple. Who?

— College and Magnolia (@CollegeAndMag) December 5, 2018

The first straw poll leans toward turning the offense over to the true freshman next year. There are more than a few that would like to see Gatewood run the 2010 offense a la Cammy Cam, and maybe for Willis to do the same with the 2013 offense a la Nick Marshall.

Over the next week, the College and Mag staff will be turning into campaign managers to stump for the different candidates. It may be depend on which cabinet member Gus Malzahn decides to bring in for offensive coordinator, but the quarterback is the lynch pin of the offense and should be vetted properly. We’ll be doing the hard work for you!

Now, who do you want?

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2018/12/7/18130362/decision-2019-auburn-quarterback-race