New list ranks potential Auburn quarterback near bottom of SEC
Auburn may be in a quarterback competition at the moment, but that won’t stop the annual college football preseason rankings craze.
A new list by Athlon Sports ranked the top 14 quarterbacks in the SEC — one for each team — and decided to go with Auburn’s Zach Calzada, who did have a starting job in the SEC last year at Texas A&M. The list ranked Calzada at No. 12, only beating out Missouri’s Brady Cook and Vanderbilt’s Mike Wright. Here’s a little bit of what the list said when it came to Calzada in comparison to his competition in camp:
With Calzada, a Texas A&M transfer, sidelined due to injury, the spring didn’t provide much insight into Auburn’s wide-open quarterback battle… Capped by a 285-yard and three-touchdown performance in an upset over Alabama, Calzada threw for 2,185 yards and 17 scores over the full year and connected on 56.1 percent of his passes. Ashford impressed in the spring game, but Calzada is likely the best option for Harsin.
Calzada is the most likely candidate to win out the quarterback competition, but his back stretch at A&M last year is certainly enough to place some doubt in the minds of Auburn fans. Nonetheless, a change is necessary after the departure of Bo Nix to Oregon, and Calzada’s win over Alabama presents a potential that is desirable for any team in need of a signal caller.
Coach Bryan Harsin has yet to pick a winner of the quarterback competition yet, but whoever does get the job will debut against the Mercer Bears for Auburn’s first game on Sept. 3.
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Spring Preview: A look at the Auburn quarterback battle
