Gus Malzahn: The quarterback guru without a quarterback

Having a quarterback is necessary to be a quarterback guru, a lesson Auburn coach Gus Malzahn learned the hard way over the past two seasons.

It seems preposterous that the offensive genius who turned Cam Newton into a dominant force and reached the BCS title game with a former Georgia cornerback under center would not be able to find and develop a signal-caller.

But that's exactly what's happened, and should the Tigers fall to LSU on Saturday, a pink slip could ultimately accompany the loss.

That is partly a reflection of Auburn’s status as the thin-skinned, quick-to-overreact little brother in the shadow of Alabama’s dynastic and historic greatness. Tommy Tuberville was run out of town four seasons after posting an undefeated season and two years after an 11-win campaign. An 0-8 conference record in 2012 also got Gene Chizik fired, despite going 14-0 in 2010.

Based on a ’what have you done for me lately’ attitude and boosters with well-documented histories of meddling, the tendency to overreact has been inflamed following the Crimson Tide's national title and presumed road to another College Football Playoff berth.

It's also a reflection of the unstable dynamics in the SEC West. Every coach collects an enormous salary, while every team expects to win - and win big. But only one team in the division has Nick Saban, ruining the grading curve with his unparalleled success.

Malzahn is largely in this tenuous position due to the farcical state of Auburn quarterbacking. Sean White, John Franklin III, and Jeremy Johnson all took snaps in the season opener against Clemson, shuffling in and out of the lineup with no apparent rhyme or reason.

Johnson was no longer in the mix during last week’s loss to Texas A&M, as White got the start and Franklin played while trailing in the fourth. However, Malzahn says White will again take the first snaps against the Tigers.

It's clear that White is not a good fit for this offense, just as Johnson wasn’t last season. Malzahn’s scheme has worked best when Auburn has a dual-threat quarterback that defenses must account for in the run game, making vertical play-action passes more dangerous. Franklin, the junior college transfer featured in the Netflix documentary series “Last Chance U,” clearly looks like the best available option.

Is it stubbornness or pride, Malzahn thinking he can still mold White into a success against all expectations? And with his job on the line, is it fear leading Malzahn to think White is more reliable than the talented but erratic Franklin?

In this situation, there are echoes of California's Jeff Tedford stubbornly tying his fate to Zach Maynard. That is not the only parallel between them. Both found star pupils in junior college that matched their style of offense - Aaron Rodgers in Tedford’s precision pro-style attack and both Newton and Nick Marshall as perfect catalysts for Malzahn’s spread-option wizardry. Neither found a true successor to those standouts, while declines in their rushing offenses couldn't mask the rot at quarterback.

Tedford is now an analyst at Washington. Malzahn could be looking at a similar humbling experience soon, if he cannot turn Auburn around.

That’s the problem with being a quarterback guru. If you don’t have a quarterback, or can’t make him great, what good are you?