Spring practice has passed, and as fall practice approaches, a glaring question has yet to be answered.
Who will be the starting quarterback?
Many thought this decision would have been made before the end of spring practice, especially with Gus Malzahn's "chosen one," Kiehl Frazier, competing for the job.
But spring is gone, and neither Frazier, nor Jonathan Wallace showed the coaching staff enough for them to pull the trigger and name a starting quarterback.
Frazier has the benefit of being hand-chosen by Malzahn to run this offense and has been playing in this offense his whole life.
"I definitely feel more comfortable in this offense," Frazier said after A-Day. "This is the system that I ran in high school and what I expected to run when I got to Auburn."
But Frazier has continuously shown he is a timid quarterback, and this tendency continued during the A-Day scrimmage.
However, he has also shown some bright spots. He has an extremely strong arm and some athletic ability, which he showed with his touchdown throw to Emory Blake against Clemson, and his Hail Mary against Louisiana Monroe.
But his inability to make quick decisions has handicapped him throughout his career so far.
If he can fix this flaw in his game, then he will finally be able to show off the strengths people saw in him when he was a high school star.
His competitor and teammate, Wallace, also has a lot of upside. He has shown he can lead even in tough situations. With his tireless work ethic, Wallace focuses on every detail to make him and his team better.
"That's the only way I'm going to get better," Wallace said. "I can't focus on one or two things, I need to focus on everything and look at the big picture."
Wallace also has some big issues. He lacks the ideal size for an SEC quarterback, at 209 pounds, while Frazier is 234 pounds and has a better frame to withstand an SEC schedule. Wallace also only has average throwing capabilities, with decent arm strength and accuracy, but neither are exceptional.
If Auburn wants to be a better football team in 2013, Frazier is going to have to step up and improve on his decision-making abilities. He is the only quarterback Auburn has right now with the basic abilities to succeed in this conference.
Newcomers Nick Marshall and Jeremy Johnson have things to bring to the table to compete in fall camp, but right now they are not the answer to Auburn's effort to improve the quarterbacks.
Marshall is unproven. In fact, no one knows what he will be able to do to help the Tigers.
Johnson has a bright future ahead of him, but he will not be ready this season.
If one of the newcomers starts this season, it will only be an average year for the Tigers.
Will Frazier step up, improve on his decision-making and seize the job he was recruited for?
We will see in fall camp.
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