Auburn to sit QB Ashton Daniels vs. Mercer, preserve his redshirt

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The Auburn Tigers will not play starting quarterback Ashton Daniels against Mercer on Saturday, allowing him to preserve his redshirt. Interim head coach DJ Durkin announced the news on Monday, saying he thought it was best for Daniels and the program.

"I feel that you have a great responsibility as a head coach to do what is best for your football team and your program at all times," Durkin said. "That’s what you’re hired to do. That’s what you need to do. I also feel you have a great responsibility to the young men you coach and their families to do what is best for them.

"Anytime you can kind of thread that needle where those two things align together, that’s the best and what makes it work. In this case, we had that. I think the best thing for Ashton (Daniels) is to preserve his redshirt year and be able to come back and play another year. I think it’s tremendous for this program and also for him. He has great football ahead of him, so we are going to do that. He will not play in this game so that he can keep that redshirt year. Again, I just think it’s clearly the right thing to do.”

Daniels has already played in three games this season, meaning he can play in one more and still redshirt. By missing the game against Mercer, he can play in Auburn's season finale against the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Tigers need to win both games to make a bowl game, where Daniels could play, since those do not count towards a player's redshirt.

He entered the season as Auburn's No. 2 quarterback behind Jackson Arnold, seemingly set to redshirt after playing in 10 or more games in each of his three seasons with the Stanford Cardinal. Arnold's struggles allowed Daniels to see the field, and he has played in their last three games, starting against Kentucky and Vanderbilt.

Daniels has completed 62.5% (50-80) of his passes for 538 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. He has also run for 172 yards and two touchdowns. While Auburn is 0-2 in games he has started, their 38-point performance against Vanderbilt was their best offensive performance of the season.

Durkin did not name a starter for Auburn's game against Mercer, but did say that backups Arnold and Deuce Knight will both play on Saturday.

"We’re going to put together a great plan for both these guys to have success, and I told the team it’s their job to rally around them, and I know those guys will," he said. "They feel strongly about that. I am looking forward to how the entire team responds."

Auburn is set to play Mercer at 1 p.m. CT in Jordan-Hare Stadium. The game will air on the SEC Network+.

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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn Football: Ashton Daniels to sit vs. Mercer, preserve redshirt

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