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Bryan Harsin closer to naming Auburn's starting quarterback

Justin Hokansonby:Justin Hokanson08/20/22

_JHokanson

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Bryan Harsin (Photo by Justin Hokanson/Auburn Live)

AUBURNBryan Harsin is closing in on naming a starting quarterback.

Following Friday’s scrimmage, film review and Saturday’s practice, Harsin said the coaching staff will continue to watch film and discuss further the quarterback race over the next two days.

With fall camp coming to an end, Harsin stated that the team will be “flipping depth charts a little bit” by Monday, and the Tigers could “potentially” be in a position to name their starting quarterback as early as Tuesday, with a final decision made by the end of next week.

“We’re going to take today and let the coaches handle what they need to and do some of the things personally so that they can be ready to go on Sunday,” Harsin said. “After our team activity on Sunday, we’ll sit down as a staff and we’ll start going through where we’re at. So, potentially by Tuesday, we could be there. I want to see what everybody thinks.

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It’s a three-man battle between T.J. Finley, Robby Ashford and Zach Calzada.

Auburn Live reported last week that the pecking order entering Friday’s scrimmage was Finley, Ashford and Calzada. Nothing seems to have changed since then regarding the potential three-deep.

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Finley is often praised for his command of the offense and ability to manage game-like situations with urgency and efficiency. Ashford is lauded for his elite-level speed and ability to make things happen with his feet. And Calzada, while talented, lacks consistency.

“Overall, what we’re looking for with quarterbacks is operation, that’s the biggest thing,” Harsin said. “I know everybody wants to go out there and just make plays, but you have to get the call from the sidelines, you’ve got to communicate it, you’ve got to operate and that’s the most important thing right now and what we’re looking for.”

Here’s how Harsin saw the scrimmage on Friday.

“I thought TJ did some really good things in the scrimmage as far as managing the clock and the situations and making sure that we didn’t have to call timeouts. He has a really good awareness on the field,” Harsin said.

“I thought Robbie made some plays, just staying in the pocket and throwing and making plays with his feet and getting out and scrambling and making a few throws. 

“Zach did a nice job as well. He moved the chains and scored touchdowns, so all three guys mainly did some positive things that we needed to see from them. I thought it was solid from an offensive standpoint.”

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