Will Auburn football sit QB Ashton Daniels vs. Mercer to save redshirt? What DJ Durkin said
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Hugh Freeze‘s hope to have Stanford transfer Ashton Daniels back with Auburn football in 2026 could still be fulfilled, even if Freeze won’t be around to see it.
Interim Auburn coach DJ Durkin indicated Monday, Nov. 10, that the program’s mulling the possibility of sitting Daniels when the Tigers face Mercer on Nov. 22. Should it do so, Auburn could still use Daniels when it faces No. 4 Alabama in its regular season finale and keep the quarterback in line for a redshirt, as he will have played in four games.
“His situation is kind of unique in that regard,” Durkin said at the Monday Morning Quarterback Club in Birmingham. “We always try to do two things: What is best for the young man and his family, and what is best for the program. So, those are ongoing decisions and discussions.”
Daniels made his first appearance for the Tigers in their comeback win against Arkansas, replacing incumbent starter Jackson Arnold at halftime. Daniels started in the loss to Kentucky. While he was briefly benched against the Wildcats, he maintained the starting job for Auburn’s loss to No. 16 Vanderbilt over the weekend, in Durkin’s first game as interim.
In its first game without Freeze, Auburn posted its highest yardage total against an SEC opponent since before the former coach’s hiring. Daniels also set a career high with 353 passing yards.
Freeze indicated in September that five-star true freshman Deuce Knight would likely be Auburn’s backup quarterback behind Arnold. He said that was because Daniels, who’s listed as a senior, would have another year of eligibility if he could redshirt in 2025. That’s only possible if Daniels plays in no more than four games, meaning to play against Mercer and Alabama would end his college eligibility.
That poses another pivotal question that’s yet to be addressed: Should Auburn sit Daniels for its FCS tuneup, would it return to Arnold, or would Knight get his first career start?
Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.To support Adam’s work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Will Auburn football sit Ashton Daniels, save redshirt vs. Mercer?
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