Auburn QB Tyler Queen to have shoulder surgery

AUBURN – Auburn quarterback Tyler Queen will undergo shoulder surgery after suffering an injury this spring during a scrimmage.

An Auburn source confirmed the news to The Montgomery Advertiser Monday evening after an earlier report from AuburnUndercover.com surfaced earlier that afternoon saying Queen would be having the procedure done after it was determined the damage to Queen’s AC joint was more severe than previously thought.

Queen, who was returning from elbow surgery that ended his 2015 season in early September, continues to have an unlucky injury-plagued Auburn career without ever yet having played in a single game. The Auburn source was unsure on the exact date of the surgery.

Queen will have surgery conducted by Auburn team surgeon Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham and will likely spend his redshirt freshman season on the disabled list. Queen was anticipated to be behind the two returning quarterbacks (Sean White and Jeremy Johnson) and incoming transfer John Franklin III on the Auburn spring depth chart.

Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn confirmed last September that Queen, who was expected to redshirt in his first season with the Tigers, had a procedure done by Andrews on the quarterback’s right elbow which the Tigers head coach said was similar to Tommy John surgery.

“It was something that's kind of been bothering him during fall camp with his elbow and we just felt strongly that we needed to go ahead and get that procedure done (to) get him back for spring,” Malzahn said in September.

Queen, the 241-pound quarterback, was ranked as one of the Top 12 quarterbacks in high school according to 247Sports.com and the top rated quarterback in Georgia two years ago by Scout.com.

The redshirt freshman quarterback’s spring season ended after less than two weeks of practice after suffering a shoulder injury in the final week of spring practices. After suffering the injury to his the AC joint, which is the joint between the collarbone and the outside of the shoulder blade, caused his right arm to be placed in a sling. Queen’s recent shoulder injury was considered to be minor and the quarterback was expected to be active this fall. However, surgery will likely end Queen’s chances to be healthy for most of the upcoming 2016 season.

“I think Tyler is going to be OK long term,” Auburn offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said on April 7. “He got dinged up (in a scrimmage on April 2). He just fell on his AC (joint). I don’t anticipate anything that will require surgery.”

Due to the recent shoulder injury, Queen was unable to take any snaps during the A-Day spring game on April 9 and his playing time was replaced by walk-on junior college transfer Devin Adams. Adams was a three-star prospect two seasons ago from Vigor High School in Mobile and received scholarship offers from UAB and Southern Mississippi before choosing to enroll at Mississippi Delta Community College.