Auburn Quarterback Race Down To Two

Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 08:54:32 PM EDT

By Jay Coulter
jccoulter@gmail.com

Auburn’s quarterback race has narrowed to two. In the race to succeed Brandon Cox, offensive coordinator Tony Franklin made on Tuesday what is really his first public comments about the new pecking order at quarterback.

"These last few practices, we are giving Chris (Todd) and Kodi (Burns) most of the reps," said Franklin.

"If somebody emerges clear-cut a lot better than the other one, you may have one guy. But I don't think that's going to happen. I've told them I don't think it is. I think they will go into the summer and will be competing against each other."

This move comes as really no surprise to anyone.

The big loser is Neil Caudle who got a fresh start to prove himself with a new coordinator. He’s looked good at times this spring, but continues to make too many mistakes and force too many balls that have resulted in interceptions.

Franklin is already talking about Caudle in a backup role.

"Neil will be a great backup for them," Franklin said. "He's a great team guy, a great Auburn guy that wants to be here. He'll do a great job as a backup. If one of them falters, he'll be ready to step in and take his place."

It will be interesting to see whether Caudle decides to continue at Auburn or look for a transfer elsewhere.

Freshman DeRon Furr continues to run fourth-string and will likely receive a redshirt this year unless coaches convince him to change positions. Furr is a gifted athlete who needs to be on the field somewhere.

He has his heart set on quarterback and its unlikely coaches will convince to jump positions this year.

With the battle now down to Burns and Todd, this Saturday’s A-Day game may be the deciding factor in who’s named quarterback. You can bet it will feel more like October than March for both players on Saturday.

A-Day is set to kickoff at 1:00 pm CT from Jordan-Hare Stadium. Admission is $5 for the general public and free for students.

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Tags: Auburn narrows quarterback race, Auburn Spring practice, Auburn football, Auburn blogs, Track'em Tigers, com, Jay Coulter (all tags)

Comments Disabled | 5 comments


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  • I'll bet my first-born... (none / 0)

    ..that we get a platoon for most of the season.  With Franklin's affinity for Todd and Burns' yet refined talent, I think that's what we'll see.

    I actually like the idea.  I think it'll keep defenses back-peddling, trying to figure out how to stop both systems--assuming Todd will pass more and Burns will run mainly...

  • I think if we do that... (none / 0)

    .....Defenses see Burns, they go 8 in the box and crash the run. If they see Todd, they go with a 3-man line, spread out, maybe with a little zone-blitz, and try to get into the screen lanes. From what I've heard, Todd looks a lot like Brandon Cox, on the field. Even wears the same number...

  • After listening to the A day game... (none / 0)

    It sounds like Burns manages the offense and has a pretty good arm. He seems to have come a long way. Chris Todd isnt back to full strength according to Coach Franklin. War Eagle Atlanta, I think you have hit the nail on the head.

  • Thanks (none / 0)

    I haven't been on Trackem Tigers for long, but long enough to know you'll be hard to replace. I just wanted to say thanks. I enjoy hearing what everyone has to say, but I always looked forward to your main posts. You kept me up to date during a lot of Auburn crisis' and unlike a lot of the other blogs the things you wrote were always as accurate as possible. If you weren't positive about some things you reported you made it known that we should take it with a grain of salt. You also kept the tone of the site positive and never got down to name calling (which makes you a better man than me). Thanks again Jay and good luck with the family.

    WAR DAMN EAGLE

    "November 25th 2007, A day which will live in infamy."

    by mcteaph on Tue Apr 01, 2008 at 05:42:06 PM EDT

Comments Disabled | 5 comments