Auburn coach Gus Malzahn hoped to have a starting quarterback named by Monday. He didn’t need that long.
The first-year Tigers coach announced on Saturday that Nick Marshall, a junior who originally signed with Georgia in 2011 as a defensive back, would be the team’s starting signal caller for 2013.
Marshall beat out freshman Jeremy Johnson, a four-star member of Auburn’s 2013 recruiting class. Former starter Kiehl Frazier announced this past week that he would be making a permanent move to defensive back when it became clear that the QB battle would come down to Johnson (pictured left) and Marshall (pictured right).
So, circle of life. Or something.
This would be Marshall’s first time playing a game as a Division I college quarterback. Marshall signed with Georgia in 2011 and played defensive back before he was dismissed for allegedly stealing money from teammates. He spent the 2012 season at the JUCO level playing quarterback where he threw for 3,142 yards and rushed for nearly 1,100 more with 37 total touchdowns (but 20 interceptions) before transferring to The Plains.