Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
According to a tweet from Bruce Feldman, former Florida State Seminole quarterback Clint Trickett visited the Auburn Tigers on Thursday morning. While it’s still unclear where Trickett will ultimately wind up, his mere presence on the Plains would benefit Gus Malzahn’s squad this season.
Make no mistake about it: Trickett could contend for playing time right away. After all, spring practice didn’t produce a clear-cut starter with Jonathan Wallace and Kiehl Frazier failing to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. With the battle likely to continue well into fall camp, there’s no reason why Trickett couldn’t win the job with a strong showing.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that Trickett isn’t capable of running Malzahn’s offense. Sure, it’d certainly help if Trickett were more mobile. However, pro-style QB’s can also thrive under Malzahn’s scheme, as evidenced by Chris Todd’s record-setting season in 2009.
In other words, Auburn’s system is flexible enough to accommodate a wide range of skill sets. As long as the quarterback has talent, he’ll succeed.
Although he failed to win the starting job at Florida State this spring, Trickett is a very capable signal caller. In the only game in which he played the full 60 minutes, Trickett went 24-for-38 for 336 yards and three touchdowns, nearly leading the Seminoles to a road victory against a Clemson Tiger team that captured the ACC championship.
Not a bad outing considering that it was his first career start.
Even if Trickett doesn’t make to it to the top of the depth chart at Auburn, he could still help the program. With three years of college football under his belt, Trickett would be the most experienced signal caller on the Tiger roster, providing the team with some much-needed veteran leadership. In addition, Trickett knows what it takes to come off the bench and lead the team — a luxury that few programs across the country currently enjoy.
It’s tough to argue against adding someone to the team that can contribute whether he’s on or off the field.
is a college football writer for Rant Sports and a member of the Football Writers Association of America. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and/or Google+
