The depth chart is coming, and so should more clarification on Auburn's situation at quarterback.
Sophomore Jeremy Johnson is expected to start the season opener against Arkansas on Saturday (3 p.m., SEC Network), but the plans for Nick Marshall have not yet been announced. Johnson is in line for the biggest start of his career, but just how long he will stay in the game has not yet been made public, either.
"I just told him and Nick to be ready to go and be ready to play, don't worry about how long this or that," Auburn offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said.
Gus Malzahn, the voice of Auburn's football program, will release a depth chart Tuesday. Until then, Lashlee and other coaches are deferring questions about the position to Malzahn, who reiterated to AL.com's Kevin Scarbinsky on Friday that Johnson will start against the Razorbacks.
"I know coach is going to handle on Tuesday all those kinds of questions and things," Lashlee said. "I feel really good about the way both Nick and Jeremy have practiced the last week. Today is no different."
Auburn kicked off game-week preparations with a practice Sunday night on the practice fields adjacent to the Auburn Athletics Complex.
Johnson, who said last week he had not been alerted of his role, has been preparing as if he is the starter. Beyond this week, Malzahn and Lashlee are working to expand Johnson's role as Marshall's backup.
Marshall will not start against Arkansas due to a punishment stemming from a citation for marijuana possession in July.
"My guys knows what to expect, they know what's going to happen," Lashlee said. "Coach will address all kind of depth chart issues on Tuesday and I feel really good about Jeremy and where he's at. I feel really good about Nick and where he's at. I feel really good about where our team is at. They believe in both those guys and there's no uncertainty on our team at all."
It took some time, but Jeremy Johnson is finally ready.
Gus Malzahn ended a month of speculation Tuesday with the answer everyone expected all along: Johnson will start at quarterback for No. 6 Auburn in the season opener Saturday against Arkansas.
Johnson has known "for awhile" about the news, Malzahn said. The sophomore said as late as Aug. 16 coaches had not yet filled him in on the plans. Either way, the news of Johnson's temporary rise to starter was welcomed by teammates. They expected it all along, but now the only question is how long the backup will be in the game.
"I'm really not going to be nervous," Johnson said Aug. 16 of the possibility of starting. "It's just football is football. I'm a football player. That's why I'm here. I'm really not going to be nervous."
Nick Marshall, the Tigers' starter, will stand on the sideline but "will definitely play" in the game set for a 3 p.m. kickoff inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. The same teammates who stand behind Johnson also say they're not sure what the plan is for Marshall, whose punishment stems from a citation for marijuana possession in July.
"I have no idea what the plan is. They know it, I don't know," running back Cameron Artis-Payne said, who then eyed reporters for answers. "I was hoping maybe you all could tell me something, but I don't know honestly."
Johnson has prepared for this moment since the spring, when he shared first-team snaps with Marshall in practices. The repetitions increased in preseason camp and the duo will continue to share time with the starters this week.
"We have a lot of confidence in him," Malzahn said. "He knows the whole playbook. There's not one thing that I would say we're concerned about."
Johnson earned two SEC Freshman of the Week awards in 2013, when he played in six games and started against Western Carolina as Marshall rested an injured knee. He was 17-for-21 passing for 201 yards and four touchdowns in the non-conference start.
The competition will be noticeably stronger when Arkansas comes to town for what is the biggest game of Johnson's career.
"I feel great about it," offensive guard Chad Slade said. "We have confidence in both our quarterbacks, actually. It's just like if Nick was back there. He's a leader on the team, Jeremy's a leader. You can't really tell a difference."
Johnson and Marshall do possess separate strengths, however. Marshall mastered the zone-read concept last season, rushing for 1,068 yards and 12 touchdowns to help power the nation's best rushing offense. More importantly, he was nearly perfect running the ball on third-and-6 or shorter and picked up first downs 15 out of 17 times.
Marshall also finished the season with the best quarterback rating in the final nine games of the season, according to ESPN. His passing accuracy improved as his first season on the Plains neared its end. He also completed 62.1 percent of his passes in the final six games -- 3 percent shy of the completion goal coaches have set for the senior this season.
Johnson has a big arm, but his big frame might be more suited on inside runs.
Auburn figures to run the ball plenty against the Razorbacks -- especially if the forecast for rain pans out. The Tigers could lean more on Corey Grant and Artis-Payne, a pair of seniors who both rushed for 600-plus yards and six touchdowns apiece last season, if Johnson struggles.
Then again, teammates don't expect a decrease in productivity with Johnson holding the reins and Marshall on the sideline.
"We've got two great quarterbacks, so that's always a good problem to have." Artis-Payne said. "We're not concerned about that at all."
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