Only nine days before the Auburn Tigers welcome the second ranked Clemson Tigers to Jordan-Hare Stadium, head coach Gus Malzahn has named third year sophomore Sean White starting quarterback. The move comes after a long off-season battle involving White, senior Jeremy Johnson, and East Mississippi Community College transfer John Franklin III. Malzahn has also clarified that White would be the only one to take first-team reps in game-week preparations.
Sean White named Auburn’s starting QB for opener vs. Clemson
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) August 26, 2016
Sean White Named Auburn Starting Quarterback
White, the 6’1″ passer from Boca Raton, FL, connected on 58% of his throws last season for 1,166 yards with only one touchdown and four interceptions. He threw for 250 or more yards in three consecutive games. White is the first Auburn quarterback to do so since former Malzahn assistant and now LSU quarterback coach Dameyune Craig in 1997. White was also the first Auburn freshman to win a road game, his 30-27 victory at Kentucky, since Jason Campbell did so in 2001 against Vanderbilt.
The sophomore took the starting job from Johnson in 2015 after the latter proved ineffective in his first three starts. This included three interceptions in the Tigers week one affair with Louisville. After an efficient first five starts in which he made far fewer costly mistakes than his predecessor, White suffered a knee injury. This led to him practically playing on one leg for the remainder of the season.
The third member of the quarterback race, Franklin, played his 2015 season at East Mississippi Community College and is one of the stars of the Netflix Series Last Chance U. Throughout the show, he displayed a polarizing personality and, on the field, was unable to take the starting job from Wyatt Roberts, who is now on the roster of SEC West foe Mississippi State.
At Auburn, it has been his inability to pick up the offense, as well as his inaccuracy, that lost him the position to White.
Auburn announces Sean White as starter. … So much for Netflix star John Franklin III.
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) August 25, 2016
Security vs Upside
For Malzahn, this move provides the most security. While both Johnson and Franklin undoubtedly provide higher upside, it is White who has been the most efficient and made the fewest big mistakes throughout this off-season. Several Auburn receivers have also said that White has become a more vocal leader and they have developed a strong rapport.
Wide receiver Marcus Davis said that, “Everybody has been waiting for somebody to get named the quarterback so now we got that out of the way, we can rally behind him”.
In a crucial season for Malzahn and the Auburn Tigers, it is Sean White who has been tasked with bringing success back to the Plains. With his head coach sitting on one of the hottest seats in the SEC, White will need to navigate a tough early schedule to ensure that Malzahn remains the Tigers’ head man.
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