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A spirit that is not afraid

Quarterbacks Gatewood, Willis to compete for backup role at 2018 A-Day

Auburn’s future at quarterback will take the spotlight on Saturday.

With starter Jarrett Stidham out while recovering from a shoulder injury, second-string quarterback Malik Willis has been the immediate first-string replacement this spring.

And then there’s newcomer Joey Gatewood, who head coach Gus Malzahn openly compared to Cam Newton, to slide up to the second string.

“You know, really, it’s the physical tools he has,” Malzahn said. “I mean, there’s only one Cam Newton. I think everybody knows that. But … if he walked in the room, he’d look like Cam Newton.”

Despite enrolling early to take part in spring practices and scrimmages, coaches maintain that Gatewood is not a threat to take Willis’ backup slot.

Malzahn said that offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey has been impressed by Willis’ and Gatewood’s progression so far.

“Of course, you got to keep in mind one of them is a freshman fixing to be a sophomore, the other one should still be in high school,” Malzahn said. “I think [Lindsey] is pleased with where they’re at, with their progression. You got to keep in mind he’s throwing everything at them.”

In preparation to having everything thrown at him, Willis has taken extra time this spring to practice, even using his spring break for more time to workout.

Willis went down to Miami to throw to Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, former Auburn receiver Ricardo Louis and the Atlanta Falcons’ Mohamed Sanu.

Malzahn said he was impressed by Willis’ initiative.

“Very rarely will you see anybody on their spring break putting in that kind of time,” Malzahn said. “It really shows the importance that [Willis] has. To be honest with you, I was pretty encouraged with it.”

Willis ran for 221 yards and a touchdown on 16 attempts while throwing for 45 yards on 6-of-7 passing in his appearances last season.

The counterpart to Willis’ initiative, Gatewood will be tasked with fulfilling the expectations of fitting the mold of Auburn’s next great dual-threat quarterback.

And it’s his size that makes him stand out.

“He’s a very big guy,” Malzahn said. “He can run. He’s very athletic. He has a chance to be real special for us, we feel like.”

Gatewood combined for 28 touchdowns his senior season at Bartram Trail High School, Florida, while completing 68.5 percent of his passes. His 1425 yards through the air complement his 1108 yards on the ground.

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Regardless of Gatewood’s expectations or Willis’ initiative, both quarterbacks will show signs of what’s to come after Stidham leaves the program.


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