AUBURN AUTHORITY

Jeremy Johnson: 'I know for a fact' Nick Marshall will win the Heisman

James Crepea
Montgomery Advertiser
Auburn quarterbacks Jeremy Johnson and Nick Marshall have both been told to "be ready to play" this week.

AUBURN -- He's all but guaranteed to start in place of Nick Marshall when Auburn hosts Arkansas on Aug. 30, but Tigers quarterback Jeremy Johnson is convinced his counterpart will still have enough success to win the Heisman Trophy this season.

Johnson said he knows "for a fact" Marshall, who won't start Auburn's season opener as part of the punishment for his July 11 citation for possession of marijuana, will win the Heisman.

"There's no doubt in my mind. I know he'll win and it's going to be fun," Johnson said following Saturday's practice. "He led us to the national championship, and we were 13 seconds away. And this year he got better at passing, better at running, better at making reads. He's become a leader on this team and I've never seen him so amped at practice every day the way he is, the way he comes out. So I know for a fact he'll win the Heisman."

Marshall helped lead Auburn to a 12-2 record, the SEC championship and a berth in the national title game last season. He threw for 1.976 yards and 14 touchdowns and had 1,068 rushing yards and 12 rushing scores.

Widely considered a Heisman candidate, Marshall was a preseason first-team All-SEC selection and named to the Maxwell, Davey O'Brien, Walter Camp and Manning award watch lists. His off-field transgression led to the online sports book Bovada to lower his odds of winning college football's top individual award from 9-to-1 to 16-to-1.

Teammates and coaches have been lauding Marshall for the way he's handled himself since the incident, which resulted in an $1,100 fine that his mother later paid. Marshall admitted to a "mistake" during his first public comments regarding the incident on Aug. 10.

Senior tight end C.J, Uzomah said Marshall's leadership has been "tremendous" during preseason camp, which Auburn wrapped up on Monday.

"He's more vocal. He's become more of a leader," Johnson said. "He's the first one on and off the field every day. He's making throws that people don't believe he can make. He's become a great passer."

Marshall and Johnson were part of a four-way battle for the starting job last summer. Ever since, the two signal callers have been close friends on and off the field, with Johnson being among the first players to call Marshall after his run-in with law enforcement.

"From the moment Nick was named the starter and Jeremy the backup and (Jonathan Wallace) the third guy, those three guys have been tight and pulled for each other in a genuine and honest way ever since," Auburn offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said. "It was that way last year. They enjoy hanging out together. I have even teased them before about their Bro-mance on Instagram.

"They are just good friends. They get along. They are good in meetings. They are good on the practice field. I have never one time thought one had ulterior motives over the other. They get along and that has been a huge plus for our team."

Though the Auburn coaching staff has yet to name Johnson the starter, he said he'll be ready "if called upon."

Johnson explained he knows his role as Marshall's backup this season.

"It's nothing fake about what we put on social media; it's really how we (are) on and off the field. We hang out with each other, we don't have nothing against each other, I've got his back, he got mine," Johnson said. "If we both know that I got a package and he's the starting quarterback and that is what it is. I got my package and it's all about being a team player and knowing your role in the game."

Johnson has received praise for his development since last season as well.

The former G.W. Carver star enters his sophomore season in line to make the biggest start of his career. Johnson threw for 422 yards and six touchdowns last season, with a start against Western Carolina and three quarters of play against Florida Atlantic as his most notable action.