A new era begins in the fall as Gene Chizik and his staff are set to guide the football program. Deciding on a starting quarterback will be top priority before the season begins Sept. 5 against LA Tech.
It's deja vu time for the quarterback position at Auburn. This time last year as preseason practice quickly approached, no starting quarterback had been named. Once the season began, the constant unknown of who would start each week was one of the main reasons the offense sputtered.
Now, after a very competitive spring which gave new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Gus Malzahn a good look at the options available, he's still not close to naming a starter and probably won't until days before the season opener. Malzahn has said he doesn't favor using a two-quarterback system that failed last season under the previous regime.
Malzahn will look for a quarterback who is capable of running his up-tempo offense smoothly with precise timing and one who can throw deep passes, along with typical swing passes and screens.
Kodi Burns
(Photo courtesy of autigers.com)Kodi Burns looked to be the right guy to run Malzahn's offense after having some success running a similar offense for the Tigers last season. Playing in 10 games in 2008 while starting seven, Burns completed 94-179 passes (52.5 percent) for two touchdowns and seven interceptions as a sophomore.
Burns did show improvement when he was penciled in as the starter in the final six games of the season after Chris Todd was sidelined with a shoulder injury but still only won one of the six.
Todd is still questionable to make a push for the starting job after undergoing shoulder surgery in December. The surgery kept him from participating in spring drills but the senior says he'll be ready to open fall camp and compete for the job after learning the new offense in team meetings and while watching film.
Neil Caudle has finally been noticed after being overlooked during his first few years on the Plains. Caudle is an athletic quarterback who showed off a strong arm during A-Day. The junior will share the majority of reps in August with Burns.
Barrett Trotter was in the mix for the starting job before he tore his ACL in a non-contact drill late in the spring. It's doubtful he'll be ready in time for fall camp.
Another area of concern for Chizik and his staff is at wide receiver. The Tigers lack leadership and experience at the position with Rod Smith graduating and Chris Slaughter leaving the program. An academic problem kept senior Montez Billings out of spring drills and it's still not clear if he will be on the practice field in August.
Tim Hawthorne
(Photo courtesy of autigers.com)The situation at wide receiver took a hit recently when junior Tim Hawthorne broke a bone in his right foot during summer workouts. Hawthorne was expected to be the main target but the injury may keep him sidelined anywhere from four to eight weeks. Hawthorne played in all 12 games in the 2008 season, catching eight passes for 203 yards.
That leaves sophomore Darvin Adams and junior Terrell Zachery as the only receivers with playing time experience. Both showed promise in the spring but need to have more consistency. They have five career catches between them.
Redshirt freshman Philip Pierre-Louis, who injured his right knee on the first play of last season, didn't have much contact in spring drills since he was still hampered by the injury. Pierre-Louis will need to play catch up in preseason practice if he plans on seeing any playing time during the season.
Quindarius Carr recorded six catches last season and may be forced to play a bigger role with all of the injuries and inexperienced receivers.
Help is on the way when newcomers DeAngelo Benton and Emory Blake arrive on campus in August. Both should be able to make an immediate impact in Auburn's thin receiving corps.
Phil Marion
Next week: Running Backs
