re: Fall Camp Has Ended - The season is upon us

Bloggers are forming opinions.

Ryan Wood @AUBlog

This just in: Jeremy Johnson starting... RT @Aaron_Brenner: @AUBlog @JamesCrepea For the record, I'll join the Marshall camp over Johnson.

I realize that Frazier is going to safety and it is a little apples to oranges but the question needs to be asked


Which 2012 frickup has a bigger turnaround this year? Jake Holland or Kiehl Frazier

While it would seemingly be Holland since he is line to start, I think Frazier is a great athlete who can punish people with his big body. Hitting people on defense is different than being hit on offense, I think the being scared has more to do with being blindsided



ETA: What is the possibility of Frazier taking a redshirt year to learn the position giving him two years of eligiblity?


ETA2: Melvin Smith has had success moving QBs to defense. Jonathan Banks did it

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ETA: What is the possibility of Frazier taking a redshirt year to learn the position giving him two years of eligiblity?

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I would say very likely. He's 3rd or 4th on the Depth Chart and hasn't played the position in 3 years.

Video of Kiehl speaking about the move LINK

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ETA: What is the possibility of Frazier taking a redshirt year to learn the position giving him two years of eligiblity?

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Not a bad notion. We have a couple seniors already back there now and with some hard work he could at least contribute next year.

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What is the possibility of Frazier taking a redshirt year to learn the position giving him two years of eligiblity?

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To early to have a realistic idea ATM.

I missed alot today

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Kiehl Frazier wanted to and moved to safety today. "I'm very proud of Kiehl Frazier. He's a winner, a class act," Malzahn says.

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This to me says our WR's are looking good. You would think the more logical move for Frazier would be WR after studying the playbook 2 different seasons and already knowing the WR routes for each play... Aka K. Burns... On second thought, this may be why he is moving and explains his poor performance in the QB role! Hell I don't know!

Looks like Ford is out for a while.

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AU QBS: MARSHALL, JOHNSON LEAD; KIEHL FRAZIER TO SAFETY



AUBURN, Ala. — Junior college transfer Nick Marshall and freshman Jeremy Johnson have emerged as the frontrunners for the starting quarterback job at Auburn in a shakeup at the position that saw Kiehl Frazier move to safety.

Coach Gus Malzahn made that call Monday night, opting for two quarterbacks who have never taken a snap at Auburn over two that shared the starting job last year.

"We feel like they have earned the right to compete for the job and they’re going to get the majority of reps with our ones this week," Malzahn said. "That’s not to say that Jonathan Wallace will not be our starter come Day 1, but we are going to give those two new guys a real chance to compete for the job and really show what they can do."

Malzahn stopped short of naming a starter, but Marshall and Johnson moved ahead of Frazier and Wallace. Frazier, who was on defense Monday, said he welcomed switching to safety after discussing the move with the coaching staff.

"I’m very happy for him," Malzahn said. "He’s going to make our team better."

Auburn went 3-9 last season with Frazier, Wallace and Clint Moseley starting at various times. Moseley decided not to return, and Malzahn decided to give Marshall and Johnson an opportunity for a totally new look after 11 fall practices.

"Both of them have extremely live arms," he said. "They both can run and both of them are athletic. It’s just a matter of how quick they can get acclimated."

Malzahn said after last Saturday's scrimmage that it was time to cut the four-man QB race to something more manageable. Now, "We’re trying to put those two guys with our main group as much as we can this week to see how they respond and, really, to see how their teammates respond to them."

Marshall, who accounted for 37 touchdowns last season at Garden City Community College in Kansas, is considered a dual-threat quarterback. Johnson was the State of Alabama's Mr. Football last season at Carver High in Montgomery. He has a exceptionally strong arm, and passed for 31 TDs last year.

Johnson passed for 3,193 yards last season, but he didn't stop there. He also rushed for 705 yards and seven TDs. He passed for more than 8,200 yards in his career at Carver.

Marshall could become one of the more compelling stories of the football season, considering he played a full season at Georgia as a defensive back before leaving for Garden City where he became junior college quarterback stat machine.

He passed for 3,142 yards and 18 touchdowns. He rushed for 1,095 yards and 19 touchdowns.

He's from Pineview, Ga., where he threw for 103 touchdown passes, a Georgia High School Association record.

Malzahn recruited Frazier out of their home state of Arkansas in 2011 when he was the Tigers' offensive coordinator. Frazier came with plenty of promise as USA Today's Offensive Player of the Year. He threw 12 passes as a freshman, but mostly ran, finishing as Auburn's third-leading rusher with 327 yards as Malzahn's Wildcat quarterback. He started five games early last year, hitting 62-of-116 passes for 753 yards and eight interceptions and two TDs.

Malzahn said it was Frazier's idea to move to safety after a discussion with the coaches Sunday. Frazier said he did not consider transferring.

"I love Auburn. I love the coaching staff. I love the fans. I love my teammates," he said. "When I committed to Auburn, I committed to four years, maybe five."

Frazier said he didn't play well last season, though was in the quarterback battle through the first 11 practices of the fall. The move to safety, he said, "was something I've been thinking about for awhile."

"This will be best for me and the team for me to move to safety."

Frazier said his focus going forward "is going to be 100 percent" playing safety.

He said his first day at his new job "went really well."

Wallace didn't play until the fourth game last year as a rookie and didn't throw a pass until Game 7. But he started the final four games, compiling a 2-2 record. He set an Auburn freshman record for passing efficiency. He hit 46-of-80 passes for 720 yards and four touchdowns. He also threw four interceptions.

He's from Central High in Phenix City.

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RODNEY GARNER LIKES AUBURN'S 'PLAYER-FRIENDLY' DEFENSE

AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn football players are dealing with their third defensive coordinator in three years, but that's OK with>Rodney Garner because he says the man in charge now offers a "player-friendly system" that the Tigers should embrace.

Ellis Johnson is changing things up with his 4-2-5 defense.

"I think these kids will benefit from Coach Johnson's system," said Garner, the defensive line coach. "It does have enough variations to give offenses a lot of fronts, but the way it's taught, I think it's easy to learn."

It's a change on paper and on the field. Johnson is employing is 4-2-5 defense that relies heavily on defensive backs. Assistants Melvin Smith and Charlie Harbison will coach those guys.

Garner is in charge of the defensive line, a veteran group that he says needs to improve.

"Guys have had flashes, but flashes aren't good enough. We've got to be more consistent," Garner said.

It's the first year at Auburn for Johnson, Smith and Harbison; and the first for Garner, at least in the last 17 years. He was a coach and player at Auburn long ago.

Garner concedes the defense is "learning a new system; they're learning a new terminology; they learn different personalities and how to deal with all of that."

And the defensive linemen are learning the Garner way.

"Training the big guys is different from training little guys, especially the guys who are in the trenches," Garner said. "They're going to battle every time the ball is snapped. Their making contact against 300 pounders most every time, so it's a very demanding, very physical position. I think to play D-line in this league, you've got to have an edge. You've got bring a certain mental and physical toughness to work every day."

The defensive line is mostly familiar names. There are Dee Ford, Ken Carter, Nosa Eguae and Craig Sanders at defensive end. There are Gabe Wright, Jeff Whitaker, Angelo Blackson and Ben Bradley at defensive tackle. And there are 5-star newcomers in Carl Lawson, Elijah Daniel and Montravius Adams.

"I think the freshmen are very talented. They do bring a really good skill set to my room," Garner said. "I'm excited about them, but, same thing, they've got to learn there's a difference between recruiting, and talking about playing, and getting yourself in a position to play. It's a process."

It's a process for young and old alike.

"For some of the young guys, I think it's been very challenging. And I think for some of the highly-recruited guys that have a very high opinion of themselves, as opposed to what they actually put on tape, it's difficult. When you point it out on tape 'this won't win in the league,' guys have a hard time wanting to accept reality or accept constructive criticism."

Stiil, Garner sees progress across the defensive line.

"I've been very pleased with these kids. They don't bring a 3-9 mentality to my room," he said. "These are kids are hungry, who want to be coached, want to get better. I think they're going to do what it takes."

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