Ashton Daniels' Potential Redshirt a 'Needle' to be Threaded by Auburn Interim D.J. Durkin

With three appearances left and still two games left, Ashton Daniels' emergence as Auburn's starting quarterback creates a wrinkle for interim head coach D.J. Durkin.

Auburn quarterback Ashton Daniels nearly led the Tigers to an upset over Vanderbilt. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

AUBURN, Ala.-- Ashton Daniels' emergence as the Auburn Tigers' starting quarterback comes with a wrinkle.

With uncertainty for the future of the program, Auburn has been discussing redshirting the senior transfer to keep him available for next season, bridging the gap for when true freshman Deuce Knight likely takes over the offense should he remain with the Tigers through the upcoming coaching change.

The problem? Daniels has already played in three games, and Auburn has two games left on the schedule: Mercer and Alabama.

The solution? Sitting Daniels against an FCS opponent in Mercer to preserve his redshirt.

Auburn Tigers quarterback Ashton Daniels had four touchdowns against Vanderbilt. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

However, Auburn interim head coach D.J. Durkin admitted that a decision on Daniels' redshirt has not been made as the Tigers are on a bye this week.

"That has been in discussion and still in discussion. No final decision on that yet, but obviously, I know that's been brought up before and something was talked about with him," Durkin said on Wednesday's SEC Coaches Teleconference. "I really feel, as a head coach, you have a responsibility for both the young men in your program individually as well as, collectively, the whole team and the university."

Daniels replaced initial starter Jackson Arnold, who started the first eight games of the season before being replaced midway through the win against Arkansas after throwing a pick-six. While then-head coach Hugh Freeze flip-flopped between Daniels and Arnold against Kentucky, Daniels started the entire game against Vanderbilt, throwing for 353 yards with two touchdowns and two more touchdowns on the ground.

Yet, at 4-6, the Tigers cannot afford any hiccups, needing to win out to reach bowl eligibility, and Daniels provides the best chance for Auburn's offense to succeed.

"You have to do what's best, and you always want to thread that needle where you can do what's best for both," Durkin said. "That's what I'm working through in conversations with him and his family and our coaching staff and our team."

Should Auburn decide to sit Daniels for a game, the Tigers could go back to Arnold against Mercer with hopes for a confidence-boosting performance after a rough season that's seen him throw only six touchdown passes and not score more than 20 points against SEC opponents (Auburn was trailing 21-10 against Arkansas when Arnold was benched).

There's also Knight, touted as the future of the program and who has also clinched a redshirt with only one appearance in 10 games.

"We will obviously make a decision on that here in the near future, but we haven't yet," Durkin said. "There's several things to talk about and consider, but all of that is ongoing right now."