Auburn among college football's most intriguing quarterback battles

Quarterback depth in the SEC is significantly better than it was in 2021. Thanks to the transfer portal a few teams in the conference have been able to go out and pick up QBs with have experience that will fit their offensive mold. It's almost plug and play.

But while there may be depth, the actual depth charts of various schools in the conference have not been decided. There are several programs without a clear pecking order that will continue to hold competition for the starting quarterback role all the way into fall camp.

According to CBS Sports, Auburn is among the seven college football quarterback battles to watch this spring. The list included Clemson, Texas, Texas A&M, Oregon, LSU, and Florida as well. Here is what they had to say about the Tigers' competition:

The turnover at offensive coordinator contributed to the uncertainty around Bryan Harsin's future with Auburn, but the on-field implications of the personnel instability are a total reset for the quarterback room. Eric Kiesau, a former staffer with Harsin at and wide receivers coach for Auburn last season, was promoted to the OC role to replace Austin Davis ... who stepped down because of personal reasons after he was hired to replace Mike Bobo ... who was fired at the end of last season. Throw in Nix's departure to Oregon, and this is square one for Auburn at the most important position on the field.

CBS Sports predicts the battle will focus primarily on Zach Calzada and TJ Finley, but note that Oregon transfer Robby Ashford, sophomore Dematrius Davis, and true freshman Holden Geriner will also be competing for the job through the spring, and potentially into the fall.

Here is what CBS had to say about Finley and Calzada, their presumed frontrunners for the starting position.

TJ Finley brings the experience of being with the program last season, most notably helping lead a comeback win against Georgia State. Zach Calzada started the final 10 games for Texas A&M -- including the win against Alabama -- after Haynes King went down with an injury against Colorado in Week 2. Both Finley, who started his career at LSU, and Calzada have enough SEC West experience to be on equal footing in terms of their preparation, making this a fascinating debate for a reshuffled staff that's undergone plenty of turmoil in the last six months.

Both quarterbacks bring something valuable to the table. Finley has poise, arm strength, and leadership. Calzada has solid deep accuracy, some mobility, and guts (most notably displayed during A&M's victory over Alabama last season). They will likely be the two competing for the job in the fall when the race narrows down, barring injury or transfer.

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