No. 18 Kodi Burns: competes for the starting quarterback position at the first spring scrimmage last Saturday. Pete Riley / PHOTO EDITOR
It’s the warmest day of the year so far in Auburn, and hundreds of fans pour into Jordan-Hare Stadium to catch the football team’s first spring scrimmage.
The fans’ interest is understandable. Not only does Auburn have two new coordinators, but the stage is set for the stiffest quarterback race to hit the Plains in years.
Four quarterbacks, out from under the shadow of graduated three year starter Brandon Cox, are ready to prove themselves.
“They all stand exactly the same,” said offensive coordinator Tony Franklin. “As far as I’m concerned, there’s four guys competing, and we’ll give each one of them a good look.”
Franklin, who joined Auburn’s staff in late December, has an open mind. He’s giving them all a fair shot to lead his pass-happy offense, but the candidates all bring something different to the table.
Sophomore Kodi Burns, the fan favorite.
Sophomore Neil Caudle, the dark horse.
Junior Chris Todd, the transfer.
Freshman DeRon Furr, the diamond in the rough.
Burns, a prized recruit from Fort Smith, Ark., is the first quarterback to take the field.
The crowd is silent, but coaches are barking orders as the entire offense looks to the sideline for Franklin’s play call. Burns studies the defense.
He takes the snap in a five wide receiver set and throws a short pass to tight end Tommy Trott, who drops the ball as he is hit by a stingy linebacker.
The race is on.
Burns has the most experience of Auburn’s quarterbacks. He was used last season mainly for his running abilities rushing for 448 yards and three touchdowns, and showed flashes of promise in the team’s 23-20 overtime win over Clemson in the Chik-fil-A Bowl.
Burns throws consistent, accurate passes, including a touchdown strike to running back Brad Lester. It’s clear Burns will have a lot to say in who gets the starting nod in the team’s season opener against Louisiana Monroe Aug. 30.
“I threw the ball pretty good here and there,” Burns says after the scrimmage. “We had a few dropped passes. but that’s a timing thing. A lot of the guys are still used to Brandon (Cox). It’s just different.”
Niel Caudle is the next quarterback to showcase himself. In high school, the Hoover native was plagued with knee injuries and only played in two games of his senior season.
Early last Fall, Caudle was sidelined again due to a shoulder injury, but saw brief action in the Homecoming game against Tennessee Tech. The jury is out on whether he can stay healthy and return to high school form, when he was ranked as the No. 8 player in Alabama.
Caudle lofts a beautiful pass down the right sideline to freshman Quindarius Carr, and the crowd cheers. The next play, however, is intercepted and returned for a touchdown.
Caudle finishes the scrimmage with a team-high 243 yards passing with three touchdowns and two picks.
“Neil is throwing it to them way too much,” Franklin says of Caudle’s multiple interceptions. “He’s got to eliminate that.”
Caudle is glad to be playing football
“I had a lot of fun out here today,” Caudle says. “But I’ve got to get more accurate. Everybody was open today.”
He points to receiver Robert Dunn and acknowledges that he missed him several times. “If I get more consistent and start making those throws like I can, I think that will help me a lot.”
Chris Todd steps onto the field fully dressed. A shoulder injury is keeping him from playing, but he lines up behind Furr to read the defense and keep up with Franklin’s system.
Todd arrived at Auburn in January from Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, hoping to earn a starting role after he lost the quarterback battle at Texas Tech in 2006.
Todd is a student of Franklin’s, as the two have worked together since Todd’s freshman year of high school. Todd would have followed Franklin anywhere, and Auburn just happened to be the place.
“He’s got a really good arm,” Franklin said of Todd. “He’s not as dynamic as Kodi running the ball but I think he will be a good runner. He’s a tough kid and a hard-nosed kid. He’s a coach’s son so he’s been around football his whole life.”
Todd’s injury hinders his quest to be the starter, but will likely be in the thick of the race come August. His dedication and knowledge of Franklin’s offense set him apart from the other quarterbacks..
DeRon Furr: Pete Riley / PHOTO EDITOR
DeRon Furr isn’t wearing an orange quarterback jersey. The early enrollee is ‘live’, meaning he can be hit by the defense, something that quarterbacks rarely do in practice.
“We wanted to see if he could be special with the ball in his hands,” Franklin said. “I think he proved he can. He’s just raw. He’s a tough kid, he’s strong, he’s hard-nosed, he’s a competitor and he’s a winner.”
Midway through the scrimmage Furr is tackled out of bounds by senior linebacker Merrill Johnson. Furr jumps up, gets in Johnson’s face and slams him to the grass. As coaches and players scramble to break up the fight, it’s clear that Furr is unlike the other quarterbacks.
“I guess he didn’t think I was going to hit him back because I’m a quarterback and quarterbacks are supposed to be soft,” Furr said after scrimmage. “I play very aggressive and I wasn’t going to just take it.”
While Furr will undoubtedly earn respect for standing up to a senior, Franklin isn’t too pleased with the episode.
“I don’t like that in the stadium,” Franklin says. “When you come in here you have to have different discipline. It’s a good camaraderie thing and fights are a part of football, but not when you’re in the stadium.”
The Jordan-Hare is empty now, with its bleachers glistening under the cloudless sky.
In a few months, the stands will again be filled with fans, anxiously waiting to see which quarterback takes the first snap of the season.
Until then, the race continues.
