Cole Cubelic provides surprising take on leader in Auburn quarterback competition
SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic joined JD PicKell on a recent episode of the Hard Count to discuss the Auburn quarterback battle between Zach Calzada, TJ Finley and Robby Ashford. As someone who’s seen all three up close and personal, Cubelic has come to a conclusion as to who he wants to see under center for his alma mater this season.
“I think it’s TJ Finley’s job to lose right now, mainly because he finished the season as the starter last year, and Calzada had shoulder surgery, so he didn’t get a ton of reps with the ones in spring ball,” Cubelic explained. “As a matter of fact, anything that was live – which with a quarterback still aren’t live, but perceived to be live – and even in a lot of the seven-on-seven stuff, TJ got a lot of the number one reps.
“That can go miles for a young man who’s trying to win a job, or just trying to grow and improve and develop. And I still think there’s development lead to TJ Finley. People forget that when he got to LSU, that was in a COVID year. So everybody’s learning via zoom, you don’t have a lot of face-to-face interaction with your coaches, and he’s buried on the depth chart, and all of a sudden is pressed into being the starter game five, and he’s got to try to figure it out with … a new system, new coaches, new fundamentals, and I just think he hasn’t had a lot of time to just be the guy and develop.”
While Finley is Cubelic’s day one starter – it’s Calzada’s season in Auburn in 2022.
“I still think that Calzada is more capable. He gives Auburn the ability to do more with what he offers in his right arm,” Cubelic said. “I think eventually he wins the job, but as of right now, I still think Zach’s got to go take it from TJ if he’s going to be the starter game one and be the starter for the entire season.”
Cubelic did mention Oregon transfer Robby Ashford as a potential X-factor for the Tigers this season, but isn’t ready to be a starting quarterback in the SEC right now. That isn’t to say he won’t have a package or two designed for him this season, but still offers something Finley and Calzada don’t in terms of size and athleticism – certainly an exciting prospect for the future of the Auburn quarterback room.