Freshman QB Rollison could start for Auburn

By Robert Rousseau  |   Wednesday, June 24, 2009  |  Comments( 1 )

Auburn Tigers
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In order to get highly touted high school football prospects to commit to your school, it usually takes the possibility of early playing time. Not a promise to start, mind you, but the promise of a chance at starting. That said, we all know few freshmen, no matter how highly touted, are capable of walking right into a conference like the SEC and gaining a starting position. Thus, as much as coaches are willing to give freshmen a shot at significant playing time, they likely know that it's going to take the player in question a year or two to get his feet under him. That's especially true at the quarterback position, a spot that requires a big-time understanding of offenses and the different speed of the college game.

However, when Auburn Tigers head coach Gene Chizik tells highly touted incoming freshman quarterback Tyrik Rollison -- who just arrived on the Plains -- that he will be given a shot to play this season, he isn't kidding. Guys like Kodi Burns, Chris Todd, Neil Caudle and Barrett Trotter simply haven't done enough to earn the job yet.

And Rollison has a ton of potential.

If the Tigers truly plan on getting back to what they've always done well on offense, that will likely translate to a dual-threat quarterback. Enter the four-star Rollison, a 6-foot-2, 186-pound PARADE All-American from Sulphur Springs, Texas. Last season, Rollison led his team to the Texas Class 4A Division II state title, completing passes for a whopping 4,728 yards and 51 touchdowns on the season. He also rushed for 1,094 yards and 12 more scores. And he's not a one-trick pony either, having combined for over 4,000 passing/rushing yards the season before.

The bottom line is that he can throw and runs the 40 in 4.55. What's better than that?

Burns, another dual-threat guy, still has a good shot at the starting job. Caudle and Todd are also in the running. But don't forget about Rollison, who has the potential to be better than all of them.
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About Robert Rousseau

Robert Rousseau is a sports writer that has been published in a variety of print and online venues. He’s been writing for RealFootball365.com for almost three years now. When Rousseau isn’t writing about college football he tends to be penning mixed martial arts pieces for MMAFighting.com or ...
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