re: Spring Practice Thread

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Auburn went through spring practice the last two years entirely unsettled at quarterback.

Sean White, Jeremy Johnson and John Franklin III battled for the job in 2016 before White eventually emerged in the starter in the fall. Johnson graduated after that season and Franklin moved to wide receiver before eventually transferring, which led to Jarrett Stidham getting most of the reps in 2017 while White recovered from a broken arm.

Stidham was the favorite all along after joining the program as a highly touted transfer from Baylor, but he wasn’t named the starter until Aug. 14.

That won’t be the case this spring. Stidham has been limited by an offseason surgery on his left (non-throwing) shoulder and may not fully begin throwing until sometime after the team returns from spring break on March 20, but he’s still the starter after completing 66.5 percent of his passes for 3,158 yards and 18 touchdowns in his first season on the Plains.

It doesn’t sound like there’s any question about who his backup will be, either. Asked last week if there was a competition between Malik Willis and early enrollee Joey Gatewood, head coach Gus Malzahn, after a pause, simply said “we've got a lot of confidence in Malik.”

“He really is taking a step forward and he looks like a starter out there. You know, I'd say right now Joey is just learning the foundation,” he continued. “Last year, Malik would have played — especially the second half of the season, we would have felt pretty good that we could have run most of our offense. We've got a lot of confidence in Malik.”

Willis has taken the bulk of the first-team reps through Auburn’s first three practices this spring while Gatewood continues to learn the ropes, and teammates say he’s taking advantage of the opportunity.

Wide receiver Darius Slayton said he feels like the rising sophomore is “getting the hang of” commanding the first-team unit on the field. Eli Stove said the wide receivers’ chemistry is growing with Willis, who he added is a “good thrower.”

The 6-foot-1, 202-pound former three-star athlete out of Roswell High in Atlanta completed 6 of 7 passes for 45 yards and a touchdown over parts of seven games in relief of Stidham last season. He also rushed 16 times for 221 and another score, showing off the Nick Marshall-type skill set Malzahn said he saw in him when he first arrived last spring.

“I think Malik has taken a great step in the right direction. You can tell he’s maturing, taking advantage of the opportunity actually controlling the one unit. He actually looks like an SEC quarterback when he is out there,” senior linebacker Deshaun Davis said. “He has total control of that group. Everyone is listening to him. He’s made some great throws. There’s still room to get better, but that’s for everybody though. You can still see the young flash. He’s have a great spring so far.”

Gatewood has drawn positives early in his first spring, too. Stove said the 6-foot-5, 235-pound true freshman out of St. Augustine, Fla., has showed off a strong arm and looks, physically, like Cam Newton, which is what Malzahn said when he signed.

But it seems clear right now that Willis is first up behind Stidham and may get the first crack at being the future beyond him.

“I think the coaches have all the confidence in him,” junior guard Mike Horton said. “It’s just about what he does from now on. You talk about freshmen taking that next step, like I just said, that’s another guy that has to take that next step. Coach Malzahn talks about that all the time. I think they have confidence in Malik and it’s all about what he does from here on out.”

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