Auburn’s quarterback competition is down to five competitors.
John Franklin III is the odd man out with the former quarterback transitioning to a full-time role with the wide receivers.
While Franklin spent Auburn’s first three spring practices “primarily” with the quarterbacks, he didn’t throw a single pass during the Tuesday’s open viewing period. Franklin participated in wide receivers drills and wasn’t wearing the standard orange non-contact jerseys given to quarterbacks.
The early position change for Franklin is consistent with the timeline coach Gus Malzahn laid out at the start of spring practice. Malzahn said offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey would narrow the reps down to a handful of quarterbacks before the team gets a more than a week off for spring break after Thursday’s practice.