Auburn QB battle: DJ Durkin names Ashton Daniels starter vs. Vanderbilt

The quarterback position had become a major concern during the Hugh Freeze era. Now, with that era at its end, interim head coach DJ Durkin is tasked with figuring out that position. For this upcoming game against Vanderbilt, that means turning to Ashton Daniels as the starter.

During the weekly SEC teleconference, Durkin explained that he’s been addressing the offense since taking over. Now, he believes that it’s Daniels who he thinks gives them the best chance to win.

“Yeah, absolutely,” DJ Durkin said. “It’s been good for me to, obviously, I have not had involvement with it to this point. Then, this week I’ve really been trying to spend time with those guys on that side of the ball, just hear from them, both players and coaches. Get their viewpoint on things. We made a decision as a staff. Ashton Daniels will be our starting quarterback.”

Ashton Daniels is now in his first season with Auburn. However, he did spend the previous three seasons at Stanford, making him an experienced quarterback in college. Daniels did earn his first start of the season a week ago against Kentucky, at the time taking over from Jackson Arnold, who had been the starter to begin the season.

“I think he gives us the best opportunity to win the game,” Durkin said. “Our team, our coaches, are all 100 percent behind him. He’s done a really good job of preparing this week. So, he’ll be the guy we go with and I think we have a good plan for him.”

In his playing time this season, Ashton Daniels is completing 52.8 percent of his passes for 185 yards and an interception. He’s also rushed for 83 yards. Notably, however, that’s come in just two games, neither of which he was the only quarterback Auburn used during.

As a team, it’s been a difficult season for Auburn. The Tigers are just 4-5 overall and are 1-5 in SEC play this season. That has them sitting at 14th in the conference standings. A struggling passing game is a big part of those struggles too. The Tigers are currently just 120th nationally in passing offense, averaging 164.8 yards per game in the air. They’re also just 128th in passing touchdowns, throwing six on the season. So, the hope for Durkin is that Daniels can spark that passing attack.

Even with an interim coach and a frustrating season to this point, a bowl is still on the table for Auburn. They will need to win two out of their final three games to do so, though, which is going to mean beating either Vanderbilt or Alabama, along with FCS Mercer.