With the quarterback competition finally in the books as the season opener against Clemson approaches, Auburn's offense must undergo an equally crucial process: establishing chemistry as a solidified unit. According to senior wide receiver Marcus Davis, the receiving corps has rallied around newly anointed quarterback Sean White, who earned the starting job over Jeremy Johnson and John Franklin III last week.
"I think it was like a relief (when White was announced as the starter) because everybody's been waiting on somebody to be named quarterback," Davis said. "Everybody was excited, and now that we've got that out of the way, we can just rally behind him and just focus on what we've got going on as far as the game plan."
White started five games last season as a redshirt freshman, but was held back by inexperience and a knee injury. A year later, White is healthy and ready to go.
"You've got a guy that you're really confident in," Davis said. "He's really intelligent. He knows the offense. We're excited about what we've got going on and we're ready to move on."
Now that White is the starter, the receiving corps aims to establish a rhythm with its quarterback that simply wasn't there last season.
"We take pride in that we're really confident in what we've got going on," Davis said. "Now that we've got that one guy, we can continue to build chemistry with him. I think that's the biggest thing."
While White is now the undisputed leader at the quarterback position, the others that competed for the job will still contribute. Davis described Johnson as "a team guy and a family guy" who's happy for White. "He told me he's going to do whatever it takes to help the team," Davis said. "That's the type of thing we need: - positive vibes."
Davis, who has 66 career catches for 490 yards and 3 touchdowns, looks to lead the Tigers receivers to a bounce back season after a rough 2015. Davis is joined by fellow starters Tony Stevens and Ryan Davis, as well as talented freshmen such as Nate Craig-Myers, Eli Stove and Kyle Davis, who he described as "a guy that attacks the ball."
Davis believes that having an established leader at quarterback will help the receivers turn things around in 2016. "We've gotten a lot of reps with Sean White," Davis said. "I think everybody's ready to play."
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