Auburn Counting on Freshmen

[AUChizad]

http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/25492/auburn-counting-on-freshmen-in-2011

Auburn counting on freshmen in 2011
August, 4, 2011

By Chris Low
All 24 of the players in Auburn's freshman class are in school and academically qualified, which is a good thing for the Tigers.

They opened preseason camp on Wednesday, and coach Gene Chizik said a lot of those freshmen would be playing key roles this season.

"We did not recruit our freshmen to watch," said Chizik, who reeled in the nation's No. 3-rated class, according to ESPN Recruiting. "We didn't recruit them to observe everybody else play. We recruit them to come here and play. Not one of them are we saying, ‘Look, you’re redshirted until you prove you can play.’ It’s the opposite. It’s, 'You can play until we feel like there’s no way, and we’ll redshirt you.’ That’s how we see it.”

One of those freshmen, quarterback Kiehl Frazier, will battle for the starting quarterback job with junior Barrett Trotter and sophomore Clint Moseley.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Frazier said his first goal was to learn the playbook and get more comfortable in Gus Malzahn's system. That shouldn't be too difficult. He's known Malzahn since he was in the seventh grade and ran a similar offense in high school in Springdale, Ark.

At this point, there's really not a leader in the Tigers' quarterback race, and Moseley said it's all about gaining the coaches' trust.

"Twenty years of doing what I love to do, and it’s all right now ... now or never," Moseley said. "So that’s all I’m focused on, gaining the trust however I can do that."

With so many players gone from last season's national championship team, Chizik said the Tigers have right around 72 scholarship players out for fall camp. The NCAA limit is 85.

Of the 105 players on the practice roster, more than half are true freshmen or redshirt freshmen.

Chizik's first impression of the new guys was all positive.

"They showed some impressive athleticism across the board," Chizik said. "Of course, without pads on, it's an unrealistic picture. I was really impressed with their effort and their focus."

Here are a few links recapping the Tigers' first practice from the school's official website, as well as The Birmingham News, Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer and Montgomery Advertiser.

So...who's team Frazier? I think I am at this point.

[wesfau2]

So...who's team Frazier? I think I am at this point.

I suspect they'll let the veteran Trotter start the season and slowly work Frazier in.  Which is fine by me.

[Saniflush]

http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/25492/auburn-counting-on-freshmen-in-2011
So...who's team Frazier? I think I am at this point.

I'm not.  QB is a hell of a position for a true freshman.

You had best be prepared to take a lot of lumps if Frazier ends up as the starter IMO.

By the same token if he does end up as the starter that pretty well tells us where our QB depth has been the last two years.

[Snaggletiger]

I'm not.  QB is a hell of a position for a true freshman.

You had best be prepared to take a lot of lumps if Frazier ends up as the starter IMO.

By the same token if he does end up as the starter that pretty well tells us where our QB depth has been the last two years.

Neil Caudle was always a threat to fake the extra point.

[Godfather]

[Snaggletiger]

He'd get a tighter spiral if he'd throw the ball with the seams. 

[Buzz Killington]

I suspect they'll let the veteran Trotter start the season and slowly work Frazier in.  Which is fine by me.

This would be the most ideal situation.  I really like Trotter and think he can be very good.  Frazier can be better though.

[Saniflush]

I didn't realize Thrilla had eligibility?

[AUTiger1]

I suspect they'll let the veteran Trotter start the season and slowly work Frazier in.  Which is fine by me.

^^This^^

[Godfather]

With so many players gone from last season's national championship team, Chizik said the Tigers have right around 72 scholarship players out for fall camp. The NCAA limit is 85.

Correction 71

[Townhallsavoy]

I heard somewhere else that Florida only has around 75 scholarship players on roster.  I haven't heard a lot of doom and gloom about them.

That picture of Kiehl (the hell is up with the spelling of his name?) helps me root for Trotter.  He looks like a baby in those Auburn pads.

[Snaggletiger]

I heard somewhere else that Florida only has around 75 scholarship players on roster.  I haven't heard a lot of doom and gloom about them.

That picture of Kiehl (the hell is up with the spelling of his name?) helps me root for Trotter.  He looks like a baby in those Auburn pads.

Kiehl has been working one on one with Favre

[Godfather]

I heard somewhere else that Florida only has around 75 scholarship players on roster.  I haven't heard a lot of doom and gloom about them.

That picture of Kiehl (the hell is up with the spelling of his name?) helps me root for Trotter.  He looks like a baby in those Auburn pads.

Except those are his High School pads, that is a picture of him from high school.

[Townhallsavoy]

Damn you photoshop!

[Godfather]

Damn you photoshop!

You haven't learned yet?

psssst the LSU picture really isn't out of the playbook, it is fake.

[AUChizad]

I suspect they'll let the veteran Trotter start the season and slowly work Frazier in.  Which is fine by me.

See, that was my original thought too.

But if he's going to see playing time, I'd hope he's at least getting serious reps in game one. I want him cutting his teeth against Utah State, Mississippi State, and Florida Atlantic at home.

Not at South Carolina, at Arkansas, and at LSU.

[Snaggletiger]

See, that was my original thought to.

But if he's going to see playing time, I'd hope he's at least getting serious reps in game one. I want him cutting his teeth against Utah State, Mississippi State, and Florida Atlantic at home.

Not at South Carolina, at Arkansas, and at LSU.

This. 

[Tiger Wench]

I could give two shits about who plays QB this year.  Doesn't matter long term, other than getting a year of training for a future backup.   

2012 and beyond is gonna be the Dynasty of Pike.  Zeke the Freak.

[AUTiger1]

I could give two shits about who plays QB this year.  Doesn't matter long term, other than getting a year of training for a future backup.   

2012 and beyond is gonna be the Dynasty of Pike.  Zeke the Freak.

So is the consensus that Pike is going to come in 2012 as a true freshman, and take the starting job over a guy that has been running Malzhan's system since the 7th grade, led his team to three state titles in that offense and whose coach played under Malzhan, set state records and gave Gus his first state title as a player running the same system?

[Snaggletiger]

So is the consensus that Pike is going to come in 2012 as a true freshman, and take the starting job over a guy that has been running Malzhan's system since the 7th grade, led his team to three state titles in that offense and whose coach played under Malzhan, set state records and gave Gus his first state title as a player running the same system?

YES.

If you ever see Zeke Pike kicking his own ass, he ran out of asses to kick.

Zeke doesn't take steroids.  Steroids take Zeke.

Zeke Pike spelled backwards is the entire U.S. Constitution.

The 2nd Amendment was originally written to give Zeke Pike the right to kick your ass.

Zeke Pike found the G-spot

To Zeke Pike