Auburn’s quarterback battle under first-year coach Gus Malzahn just got a little more narrow. And because of a surprising, apparently voluntary move, no less.
Malzahn said Monday that former starting quarterback Kiehl Frazier made a permanent move to safety today after it became clear a majority of the quarterback reps going forward would go to Nick Marshall (a former Georgia cornerback) and Jeremy Johnson (there’s a Mack Brown joke in here somewhere). While the decision to narrow the QB race was the coaching staff’s choice, the decision to move to the defensive side of the ball was, according to Malzahn, all Frazier’s idea.
“He wants to do whatever is best for our team,” Malzahn said, adding that Frazier may still “do some things on offense” even though the focus will be on defense. Frazier has some experience at safety from his high school days, but suffice to say this is a “wow” move. It may be a necessary move, though, as the Tigers are in need of bodies at the position.
Sophomore Jonathan Wallace, who also saw some starting time last year, will remain at QB despite falling back in the depth chart.
Frazier, a highly touted four-star member of the Tigers’ 2011 recruiting class, started the first five games of last season before eventually being pulled in favor of Clint Moseley. Frazier was largely ineffective during his time as a starter, throwing for just a pair of touchdowns versus eight interceptions.
