Five takeaways from Dematrius Davis' departure

One man down. Three to go before a starter is named.

Auburn quarterback Dematrius Davis announced Wednesday afternoon via social media that he was entering the transfer portal. Davis committed to the Tigers back in 2020 even though the Tigers didn't have a head coach. He signed in May of 2020 after Bryan Harsin was hired.

Davis was a highly-touted prospect from Texas coming out of high school. Many compared him to the likes of former college quarterbacks D'Eriq King and Tommy Armstrong because of his elite running ability and accurate arm despite his shorter stature.

Here are five takeaways from his announcement to leave the team.

Speculation about his Auburn career were true

When Davis signed on with the Tigers back in 2020 there were assumptions made from some of the media w that he wouldn't ever be the starting quarterback, much less take a snap, because of the type of system Bryan Harsin wanted to run. Davis is more fit to run a spread system that can rely on mobility from its quarterback to make the offense go.

After Harsin brought in TJ Finley, Zach Calzada, and Robby Ashford, it was pretty clear that Davis wasn't a scheme fit for the Tigers.

Will Davis land back in the SEC?

Davis held 14 Power Five offers coming out of high school, including several from the SEC. His top three landing spots were LSU, Texas A&M, and Virginia Tech before he flipped from the Hokies to Auburn.

I would not be surprised if Tech is in the running once again. Liberty, Kentucky, and TCU are all viable options as well.

Harsin doesn't play favorites

Bryan Harsin is giving all of his quarterbacks an opportunity to win the starting job. Davis was in the position to do so but couldn't capitalize, likely because he doesn't fit into Harsin's scheme. Dematrius Davis is a talented quarterback, don't get me wrong. He just isn't the right fit for what Harsin wants.

The four quarterbacks left will all get the same shot Davis got. I'm curious to see how the competition shakes out.

Out with the old, in with the new

This is the first time Auburn hasn't had a semi-mobile quarterback on roster in seemingly forever. Gone are the days of read option and scrambling out of the pocket every passing down. Bryan Harsin is focusing solely on pocket passers, whether that be for better or for worse. Personnel is changing across the board for the Tigers.

Is Holden Geriner better than some people think?

If Davis decided he wanted to leave the program that would indicate there are several guys ahead of him on the depth chart that are getting touches and performing better. Is true freshman Holden Geriner someone to watch out for in the coming months? Did Geriner step on campus and immediately poise a threat to Davis' spot on the depth chart?

We can only speculate for fun.

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