Backup quarterback Sean White has been dismissed from the Auburn football program, Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn confirmed Monday morning.
"Sean White is no longer a part of our football program at Auburn," Malzahn said in a statement. "He has made poor decisions that are not in the best interest of our program, and more importantly, himself. We appreciate his time at Auburn and wish him nothing but the best."
White, 21, was arrested by Auburn Police on Ross Street and transferred to the Lee County Jail at 3:28 a.m. on Sunday.
White recently returned from a two-game suspension but the reason for the suspension wasn't made clear to the public.
"To see him leave how he left is kind of disappointing," Auburn linebacker Deshaun Davis said. "It kind of hurt for us from a family standpoint and from a team standpoint. But I'm sure he's going to get his head back on his shoulders. He's going to get on the right track."
The junior quarterback started 16 games for Auburn over the past two seasons, including 10 contests last year as Auburn's No.1 QB. White led the SEC in completion percentage and quarterback rating amid Auburn's six-game winning streak in 2016.
"It's difficult, everyone loves [Sean White] around here," Auburn junior wide receiver Ryan Davis said. "Sean is definitely one of the team favorites, so it's sad to see him go. We wish him nothing but the best going forward."
White is now the third high-profile offensive player to be dismissed by Malzahn in recent years, joining tailback Jovon Robinson in Oct. 2016 and wide receiver D'haquille Williams in Aug. 2016. Robinson was second in rushing on the team in 2015 and Williams was a prominent deep-ball threat for the Tigers offense in 2014.
Willaims, who was affectionately referred to as just "Duke" during his time on The Plains, offered his support for White on Twitter following the quarterback's dismissal.
"When I was [kicked] out of [Auburn University] boy they was bashing me," Williams said in a tweet. "But when I was scoring they was praising me. Hold your head Sean White #GodSpeed."
Newcomer Jarrett Stidham was named the starter over White prior to the start of the season, after Auburn lost quarterbacks John Franklin III, Tyler Queen and Woody Barrett to transfers. Remaining quarterbacks on the Tigers roster are Stidham, redshirt freshman Malik Willis and walk-on freshman Devin Adams.
Offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey and the offensive staff aren't hesitant, however, to burn the redshirt of Willis, who has been praised for his performance in preseason camp.
“We’ve been saying for a while that we feel really good about [Willis],” Malzahn said. “The way he has performed in fall camp, specifically the scrimmages, was very impressive.”
The dual-threat quarterback impressed on A-Day, Auburn's annual spring game, completing 11-of-18 passes for 157 yards. Willis was thrown into the fire as an early-enrollee starting for Auburn's second-team offense, and completed five passes of 15 yards or more in the spring game.
Prior to the matchup in Death Valley against Clemson, Malzahn confirmed that White was Auburn's No. 2 QB, however White was suspended for that contest, therefore the coach would be forced to turn to Willis as the Tigers' backup.
Malzahn reiterated that "in a perfect world," Auburn would be able to redshirt Willis.
"If it's a long-term injury, Malik Willis will be the next guy in," Malzahn said before Clemson, when White was unavailable. "“If it’s just a play or two, obviously, we’ll try to be as smart as we can in that.”
Lindsey affirmed his confidence in Willis' abilities pre-Clemson as well.
"I never would rule out Malik Willis after some deals I’ve gone through with quarterbacks in the past in my career playing a lot of guys,” Lindsey said. “Too early to rule him out for sure.”
The No. 15 Tigers now find themselves in a situation where they will be unable to rule out Willis heading into SEC play against Missouri, as an injury to Stidham would certainly hinder the performance of an already anemic offense. Adams, Auburn's only non-scholarship quarterback, saw playing time late against Georgia Southern, but showed little in terms of ability as a suitable replacement under-center.
Ryan Davis, who currently leads the SEC with 19 receptions, will receive reps at the QB spot, a position in which he excelled at the high school level.
"Coach may have me do some quarterback reps this week," Davis said. "I did it some last year, so it’s just something I’m familiar with and kind of okay with doing.”
Davis' high school accolades are impressive, as the Lakewood, Florida native accounted for 35 touchdowns his senior season. Through guiding Lakewood to back-to-back double-digit win seasons, Davis finished his time at high school quarterback having accounted for 6,760 passing yards.
“I throw the ball all the time," Davis said. "It’s just something I always love doing. Quarterback is something I’ve been doing all my life, so it’s never going to completely go away from me at all. I throw the ball all the time.”
The 5-foot-9 wideout doesn't quite look the part of a prototypical SEC gunslinger, but has no lack of confidence in his abilities, should his number be called. When asked to rate his throwing arm, Davis anointed it a "10."
"I’m able to adjust to anything pretty much," Davis said. "Whatever the coaches put on my table, I’m just able to soak it all in and do what’s asked of me.”
The Auburn coaching staff hopes to put the recent turmoil behind them heading into a road matchup with Missouri, a contest in which the visiting offense will have to execute in order to cool the "Malzahn hot seat" conversations.
“We're starting SEC play, and that's what we've been building up to,” Malzahn said. “We have a new coordinator and new quarterback, and they'll consistently get better."
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