The 2nd Coming vs. The Prodigy: A tale of two talented freshmen vying to be Auburn’s starting QB
August 4, 2019
Skye Underwood
Joey Gatewood and Bo Nix are used to being No. 1, so it was of little surprise when Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn used the platform of the AMBUSH tour back in May to proclaim what many of us already believed – “Joey Gatewood and Bo Nix are really 1 and 1A.”
He reiterated that point at SEC Media Days a couple weeks ago in Hoover, but also noted that “ideally, you’d like to have a starter. I’m open to whatever gives us the best chance at winning,” Malzahn said when asked if both quarterbacks would play, but continued, “we’d like to have a starter you could hang your hat on.”
Before redshirting last season, his first year on the Plains, Gatewood was a prized four-star recruit out of Bartram Trail High School in Jacksonville, Florida where he was ranked the No. 1 athlete in the country for the 2018 class according to the industry generated 247Sports Composite.
Just one recruiting class later, Nix held the prestigious distinction of numero uno by the same ranking which rated him a five-star recruit and the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the country for 2019.
Heck, even Gatewood’s Auburn jersey features the #1, and Nix sports the number on his jersey as well, followed by a zero of course — #10, the same digits worn by his father Patrick Nix when he was quarterback at Auburn, but more on Gatewood’s jersey number and Bo’s dad a little later in this story.
Essentially, no quarterback battle in program history has featured two freshmen as its top candidates who were more highly rated prospects coming out of high school than Nix and Gatewood.
What’s even more fascinating is the unique skillset of each quarterback being unlike the other, though both can tuck it and run, so it would not surprise me in the least to see Joey Gatewood and Bo Nix become an integral part of the 2019 Auburn offense, no matter who might trot out on the field first.
And no matter what type of lip service Malzahn may offer up to the media while he’s certain that his opponents are listening. I’m sure he prefers that Oregon, Auburn’s opening opponent in the Advocare Classic on August 31 (6:30 P.M. CST, ABC), is shouldered with the task of preparing for both quarterbacks.
Earlier this summer when new offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Kenny Dillingham was asked about the prospects of Auburn playing two quarterbacks, the first year Tiger assistant coach said, “I can see a variation of scenarios from that standpoint. Hopefully people separate themselves, but at the same time, we’re going to play the best people who we feel it’s necessary to win football games.”
Coincidentally, during his days at Bartram Trail, Gatewood actually split time at quarterback with another future Division 1 signal caller in Riley Smith, who went on to sign a scholarship to play the position at Boise State, so Gatewood is already accustomed to a two-quarterback system.
And while the likelihood of Auburn using two quarterbacks this year is possible, the most probable scenario in my estimation is that both quarterbacks will play the first three games on the schedule — 8/31 vs. Oregon, 9/7 vs. Tulane, 9/14 Kent State, and by the time the fourth game rolls around against Texas A&M on the road in College Station, Malzahn will know which of the two playmakers give Auburn the best chance to be successful.
Then again, what if they both do?
Auburn fans get a little nervous anytime you mention their offense playing multiple quarterbacks and rightfully so after the cluster we all witnessed in 2016 versus Clemson when five (!) different Tigers took snaps from behind center. Fortunately, Tiger fans, I believe you can rest easy as you’ll likely only see three players (lol) take snaps at quarterback against Oregon. After all, running back Boobee Whitlow did have a touchdown pass out of the wildcat versus Georgia.
The Second Coming
At 6-foot-5, 233-pounds, Gatewood is an absolute unit as the kids say. The most obvious comparison is a clydesdale…or a sasquatch, but if we’re talking humans then it’s an example that the redshirt freshman typically shies away from, though the comparisons started back when he committed to Auburn at just 15-years-old and they continue to this day, because the more you watch Joey Gatewood play, the more you see Cameron Jerrell Newton.
“I mean, there’s only one Cam Newton. I think everybody knows that. But if Joey Gatewood walked in the room, he’d look like Cam Newton.” — Gus Malzahn on December 20, 2017 after Gatewood signed with Auburn
“He’s trying to run everybody over,” receiver Eli Stove said as a matter of fact. “I feel like he’s a running back with the ball making all the cuts…”
Stove’s comments about Gatewood mirror the things said about Newton by his Auburn teammates back in fall camp of 2010, so while Gatewood prefers not being compared to Newton, even his teammates can’t resist making the correlation.
“I’m telling you, he’s another Cam Newton back there,” sophomore star receiver Seth Williams proclaimed.
Redshirt freshman receiver Matthew Hill even acknowledged, “Joey doesn’t like being compared to Cam, but that’s just the only person you can compare him to.”
No lies detected, Matthew.
And you can’t blame Gatewood for his desire to try and temper comparisons of himself to a player who had one of the most successful single seasons in college football history after winning the Heisman and leading Auburn to a national championship in 2010.
Despite the comparisons and publicity that followed Gatewood to the Plains, he had a lot of work to do before he could become what he aspired to be – Auburn’s starting quarterback.
Besides, the road hasn’t always been easy for Gatewood.
He grew up in a single parent household and revealed, “I never knew my dad.” Of course no child deserves to grow up without a father, but that wasn’t the only hardship Gatewood had to overcome as a kid. In middle school, he says he used to be short and overweight when he was younger so he would often get bullied and picked on.
However, the afflictions that he suffered in his youth are what sparked the fire that burns inside of Gatewood to this very day and motivates him to continue working hard to fulfill all of his dreams and aspirations. It’s an inspiring story of what you can achieve when you use the negatives of life to help fuel the pursuit of life-changing positives and for Joey Gatewood, that journey continues in his quest to become Auburn’s next starting quarterback and ultimately the face of the program.
But like the majority of freshmen who first arrive to college, Gatewood lacked the maturity that it takes to be a leader of a team. Prior to the start of the 2018 season, he lost the privilege of wearing the #1 Auburn jersey that he was originally assigned upon arriving to the Plains and instead wore #13 during his redshirt year. Although nothing specific was made public as the reason for the jersey demotion, a source inside the program indicated that it was an issue regarding maturity, or lack there of.
However, the same source also acknowledged just how much Gatewood has grown and matured since he first joined Auburn and how he has earned back the privilege to don the #1 jersey. In fact, the transfiguration of Joey Gatewood since he first stepped foot onto the Plains over a year and half ago has been nothing short of amazing. His coaches now have full confidence that Gatewood has the leadership qualities that you want in your starting quarterback.
One of the many benefits of signing a scholarship with a college football blue blood like Auburn are the world class amenities that are made available to you, specifically for self-improvement. You’re coached hard. You’re strained. Your impurities are exposed and filtered out of you. You push your body to new heights in the weight room. You become the best version of yourself. And that’s exactly what Joey Gatewood has done since he came to Auburn – became the best version of Joey Gatewood and he’s continually focused on getting better each and every day.
It goes without saying that with Gatewood’s size, speed and athleticism, he can be a punishing force in the once dynamic Auburn zone-read run game.
Looking back, history suggests that Malzahn’s most lethal offenses at Auburn were the ones led by a quarterback who was a dangerous runner and that’s exactly what the physique and athleticism of Gatewood brings to the Tiger offense.
Let’s face it, Auburn hasn’t had a starting quarterback that was a threat in the run game since 2014 when Nick Marshall was behind center and the Tigers finished No. 2 in the SEC in total offense.
Of course, the year prior in 2013, Marshall helped lead one of the most prolific Auburn offenses in college football history as the Tigers became the only SEC team to ever lead the nation in rushing.
In fact, in the three years Auburn featured a true dual-threat quarterback leading the Malzahn offense – 2010, 2013, 2014 – the Tigers won two SEC championships, one national championship, played for another national title, and of course one of those quarterbacks won the Heisman.
Not to mention, Malzahn’s Auburn offenses during that span broke all kinds of records, so it would make sense that the Tiger head coach entering his seventh season at Auburn, would want to go back to a style that’s given him the most success during his tenure on the Plains.
And, look, no one thought Cam Newton was going to be Cam Newton before Malzahn brought out his best. Same goes for Nick Marshall. While Malzahn brought out their best, a true dual-threat quarterback seems to bring out the best in Malzahn and his offense. Gatewood’s skills are exactly what the doctor ordered for an Auburn rushing attack that struggled mightily last season.
According to Vegas, Gatewood entered the start of fall camp as the betting favorite at (-150) odds while Nix (+100) is the underdog.
The Prodigy
Someone I’d never want to bet against, quarterback Bo Nix is the highest rated legacy signee in Auburn history playing the most important position and isn’t your typical Auburn true freshman. Perhaps no human being in the history of ever has been more prepared to be Auburn’s starting quarterback than the son of Auburn legend, former quarterback (1992-95) Patrick Nix from the famed “Nix to Sanders” lore.
Think about this. Bo Nix has literally been trained up to be Auburn’s starting quarterback ever since he popped out of the womb. His dad, who not only played D1 football, but also served as a Power Five offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Georgia Tech and Miami, respectively, has been right there by Bo’s side every step of the way in order to mold and sculpt him into the phenomenal quarterback that he is today. I don’t think it’s a stretch to call the younger Nix a prodigy when you consider what he’s accomplished during his journey to Auburn.
After Bo finished his sophomore season at Scottsboro High School, where his dad was head football coach, the elder Nix was offered and accepted the head coaching position at Pinson Valley High School, located just right outside of Birmingham. Despite producing D-1 talent on occasion, the school didn’t have a rich history on the gridiron. In fact, the Indians had never won a state championship.
That all changed with the arrival of father and son.
Not only did the Nix duo help lead Pinson Valley to a state title in just their first year at the school, they followed it up in impressive fashion winning back-to-back Alabama Class 6A state championships in 2017 and 2018. Not to mention, Bo was named MVP of both championship games.
One of the most decorated quarterbacks in AHSAA (Alabama High School Athletic Association) history, Bo Nix was named Alabama Mr. Football in 2018 after going 267 of 447, passing for 3,802 yards, 50 (!) touchdowns and 7 interceptions, while adding another 417 yards on the ground, averaging 7.7 yards per carry on 54 attempts and another 7 touchdowns. In all, Nix had accumulated staggering video game like numbers to the tune of 4,219 total offensive yards and 57 touchdowns his senior year at Pinson Valley.
On top of Mr. Football, the awards started flooding in from Gatorade state player of the year, to USA Today tabbing him a 1st team All-American. He was an Under Armour All-American where he impressed ESPN analysts during the UA All-American Game.
Tom Luganbill, ESPN’s director of recruiting and a former quarterback himself at Georgia Tech loves what he sees in Nix. While commentating the UA game, Luganbill watched Nix take the snap from center but was pursued by the rush, so he rolled out to his right on the run before unloading a seed back across his body to a closely guarded tight end for a spectacular play by a quarterback.
“Boy, this kid just keeps getting better and better. And this is what he does that people don’t appreciate — he can flat out run. DiD yOu SeE tHaT tHrOw AcRoSs HiS bOdY?” Luganbill asked in astonishment. Another analyst chimes in, “on the move,” while the play-by-play announcer exclaims, “ON THE MONEY!”
It’s obvious to anyone who watches him play that Bo Nix is a special talent.
Bo Nix showing the wow factor pic.twitter.com/lUvUBV6iSz
— Skye Underwood (@SkyeUnderwood) January 3, 2019
Over his illustrious high school career, Bo Nix put up over 12,000 total offensive yards from scrimmage, accounting for 161 touchdowns (127 pass, 34 rush), both Alabama state records. You could argue that he was the greatest high school quarterback in Alabama state history.
But high school is one thing and having a 6-foot-5, 325-pound Derrick Brown chasing you while you’re running for your life is a completely different thing.
However, by signing with Auburn in the early signing period in December and enrolling early, it’s allowed Nix to compete in spring practice, and compete he did, showcasing the skills that made it clear to everyone that he, along with Gatewood, are more than capable of being Auburn’s next starting quarterback.
Fall camp kicked off Friday so we’re only two practices in, but you can feel the electricity in the air surrounding this historical quarterback competition —- The Second Coming vs. The Prodigy.
Old community gas stations, delis, dives and coffee shops in the quaintest of little country town corners across The Heart of Dixie are certain to be filled with debate in the coming weeks over who will be Auburn’s next starting quarterback. And Tiger fans have to be thrilled with the potential of the two uber-talented freshmen going head-to-head, who are sure to bring out each other’s best. They say iron sharpens iron and competition breeds excellence, so I say let the two young’uns battle it out and may the best man win.
The 2nd Coming vs. The Prodigy:
— Skye Underwood (@SkyeUnderwood) August 4, 2019
A tale of 2 talented freshmen vying to be Auburn’s starting QBhttps://t.co/rUeTZx8np2
I’ve worked on this story for @PwrofDixieland all summer, so I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. The ‘19 AU QB battle is unlike any b4 it pic.twitter.com/0iWDLEPKbn
