SPORTS

Auburn depth chart analysis: Quarterback

James Crepea
Montgomery Advertiser
Auburn quarterback Jeremy Johnson celebrates with Auburn wide receiver Melvin Ray after Ray scored a touchdown on a pass from Johnson during the first half of the SEC football game between Auburn and Arkansas at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2014.

AUBURN – There is no position more locked in for Auburn than quarterback, where the Tigers are going back to The Future, Jeremy Johnson.

The Montgomery native was named the starter at the end of spring, officially inheriting the job he's been groomed for the last two years while serving as Nick Marshall's backup, which he called "the most humbling experience" after being the star at G.W. Carver.

"It was a humbling experience and it made me better as a person," Johnson said. "It made me become a team player and a role player that I never had the chance or opportunity to be from being a starter."

Much will be expected of Johnson in his debut season as a starter. He's listed at 20-to-1 odds to win the Heisman Trophy by the Bovada online sportsbook, tied for tenth-best entering the summer.

With the anticipation of a more passing-oriented offense, Johnson will likely be put in position to deliver on much of the hype for himself and D'haquille Williams, by far his top target and perhaps the best returning wide receiver in the country.

With a goal of throwing for 3,000 yards and rushing for 1,000 more, Johnson has set the bar incredibly high for himself. If he can even approach those statistical marks, which would be the best in Auburn history, it would almost certainly mean Auburn will be in position to win the SEC and vie for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Gus Malzahn's take

"The great thing is (Johnson)'s been the No. 2 guy the last two years. He's got a lot of reps with the ones. He's earned the right to be our quarterback, and his leadership and the way he stepped up this spring has really been something else."

The Two-Deep

Jeremy Johnson (6-foot-5, 230 pounds, junior)
Sean White (6-foot, 200 pounds, redshirt-freshman)

Auburn quarterback and G.W. Carver graduate Jeremy Johnson throws for 252 yards and two touchdowns during Auburn’s A-Day game.

Starter

Johnson is a far more polished passer and less skilled runner than Marshall, making it far more likely for him to stand tall in the pocket and deliver more big throws while allowing his running backs to handle the ground game.

Those expecting Johnson to throw to his heart's content point to his outlandish 201.4 passer efficiency last season and 243 yards and two touchdowns in the first half of the season opener against Arkansas, but those are two very small sample sizes to use for projecting a record-breaking season.

After being named the starter, the coaching staff expects Johnson to spend the summer working with his wide receivers, as he did in the winter, and develop more succinct timing.

"I think Jeremy just needs to continue to refine his craft," offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said. "As a quarterback you're always just focusing on your footwork and your accuracy, and there's no different with Jeremy. I think the biggest thing is him getting on the same page with those receivers."

Johnson has an NFL arm, that's undeniable, but the more he plays the more tape defenses will have to study on him. Not to say he won't throw top Dameyune Craig's program record of 3,277 yards passing, but let's all allow Johnson to play an entire SEC game before proclaiming anything with any degree of certainty.

AUBURN OFFENSIVE LINE ANALYSIS:LT | LG | C | RG | RT

Auburn quarterback Sean White throws a pass during the Auburn A-Day spring game on Saturday, April 18, 2015, at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala.

Backup

White got the chance to work with the first-team offense in the spring after redshirting and working on scout team last season.

He only saw action with the second-team offense on A-Day though, leading just one scoring drive, which was capped off by a rushing touchdown before halftime.

To say White ever had a chance to win the job this spring is disingenuous. Lashlee all but said as much after the ruse was inevitably over with, saying Johnson was named the starter not because of what White didn't do, but because he was more experienced, something that did not change at all during the spring.

White will need to be prepared at a moment's notice, as any backup QB needs to be, but Johnson can tell him of the importance from first-hand experience after stepping in for an injured Marshall against Florida Atlantic and starting against Western Carolina in 2013.

Ultimately, White is the backup for as long as Johnson is on the Plains.

Next Wave

Tyler Queen (6-foot-2, 241 pounds, freshman) enrolled early and went through spring, going 4 for 6 for 57 yards with a touchdown and interception on A-Day, during which he was live. He is expected to redshirt this fall.

Though he moved to wide receiver, Jonathan Wallace (6-foot-2, 214 pounds, senior) is actually the most experienced quarterback on the roster. It would take a catastrophic scenario for him to throw on anything more than a trick play, but Wallace would likely be ahead of Queen if push came to shove as burning a redshirt would be undesirable.

Jason Smith (6-foot-1, 185 pounds, sophomore) also moved to receiver, as expected, after only two practices at quarterback. He could see time in a Wildcat formation.

Summer Arrivals

All of Auburn's quarterbacks for this year are already with the program.

Quotable

"(Johnson) hasn't quite gotten to where he's at his best, and that's where his goal is and where he wants to be. There's still more in it for him and that's what we're going to keep working for."- Rhett Lashlee