Aug. 26, 2016
By Charles Goldberg
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. - Running back Kerryon Johnson says Sean White is "a really nice guys and a really great friend."
And a feisty competitor.
Johnson says White "has a little mean streak to him" when the lights come on. Those lights flashed when he was announced as Auburn's starting quarterback Thursday. They'll stay on into the night when the Tigers open the season against Clemson in Jordan-Hare Stadium at 8 p.m. on Sept. 3.
Watch out.
"He's not going to back down from anybody. He's a spicy player and he loves competition," Johnson said. "That's the thing that people get out of playing with him. They really get that attitude that you can really feed off of as a team."
Coach Gus Malzahn ended the three-man quarterback race when he picked White over Jeremy Johnson and John Franklin III. Kerryon Johnson said he's happy to have a starter, one for the offense, two for a little peace and quiet.
He said everywhere he went people would ask who the starter would be, upwards to 20 to 30 times a day.
"At the very least. If you go out anywhere, it's getting asked," he said.
Now, he has an answer. So do the other players.
"Now that we got that out of the way we can just rally around him and really just focused on what we've got going on as far as the game plan," said receiver Marcus Davis.
White started six games last year in a season that was slowed by injuries. Davis said White showed toughness, though.
"You have a guy you're real confident in," Davis said. "He is really intelligent and knows the offense. We're just excited about going on. We're ready to move forward."
Davis said the quarterback competition was good and that the backups would rally around White.
"Jeremy is a real good guy. He's a team guy, a family guy. He's happy for Sean," Davis said. "He told me he's going to do whatever it takes to help the team. That's the type of things we need - positive vibes. Everybody wants to be the starter, but at the end of the day, I know he's going to do whatever it takes to help the team."
Charles Goldberg is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @AUGoldMine