Auburn to sit Daniels against Mercer to preserve year of eligibility

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Auburn quarterback Ashton Daniels will sit out against Mercer on Saturday to preserve a year of eligibility.

Interim coach D.J. Durkin said Monday that Jackson Arnold and freshman Deuce Knight will play against the Bears, but he did not name a starter.

Daniels, a senior transfer from Stanford, has suited up three times for the Tigers (4-6, 1-6 Southeastern Conference) this season and can only play in one more game to redshirt and retain another year of eligibility. With Auburn finishing at home against No. 10 Alabama, Durkin opted to keep Daniels off the field until the rivalry known as the Iron Bowl.

“You have a great responsibility as a head coach to do what is best for your football team and your program at all times,” Durkin said. “That’s what you were hired to do. That's what you need to do. I also feel that you have a great responsibility to the young men that you coach and to their families to do what is best for them.

"Anytime you can thread that needle where those two things align, that’s the best and what makes it work. I think in this case we have that. The best thing for Ashton is to be able to preserve his redshirt year and be able to come back and play another year.”

Daniels' first action with the Tigers came against Arkansas, when he took over in the second quarter for Arnold and led the team to a 33-24 victory. He finished with 112 yards total. His second appearance came in a 10-3 loss to Kentucky. In Auburn’s most recent game against Vanderbilt, Daniels accounted for 442 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-38 loss in overtime.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football