Why 2020 could be a special season for Auburn, with or without ‘Boobee’ Whitlow

I love JaTarvious Whitlow. Love his heart, love his passion, love his effort. Even love the nickname Boobee. Who can forget Whitlow crashing over Washington’s JoJo McIntosh for a go-ahead touchdown in the 2018 season opener?

He’s the kind of player that every coach should want on his team.

That is, playing the right role. That role should not be as the feature back in a run-based offense on a team that aspires to win a national championship. I’d say that if he were my own kid.

So Whitlow’s decision to leave Auburn with two years of eligibility remaining was one of the few disappointments to Tiger fans in this offseason that has been, to date, a rousing success for Gus Malzahn and Company.

It may not, in the big picture, be terribly significant.

Had Whitlow stayed, there’s a realistic chance that at least two other backs would have passed him on the depth chart. D.J. Williams, a highly recruited freshman last year, is more talented. Then there’s the man they call “Tank.” Cartavious Bigsby is his given name, but watching his highlight videos of shredding tacklers leaves no mystery as to why he’s called Tank.

Then there’s Shaun Shivers, who did to Alabama’s Xavier McKinney what Whitlow did to McIntosh, with the extra effect of sending McKinney’s helmet flying through the air. And almost forgotten is Mark-Antony Richards, another top recruit from last year who had to sit out after having leg surgery.

Suddenly, the running back room is a lot more crowded than it has been in several years.

“That’s a position that we’re very deep and we’re very young and talented,” Malzahn said. “And so we feel very good about the guys that we have. And to fit in with what coach (Chad) Morris wants to do, you know, the thing that you’ll see him doing a little bit more than what we’ve done is get our backs out of the backfield, you know, matching them up on linebackers and all that and in the pass-catching and everything that goes with that. So that will be an emphasis of his in the spring, also, but that is a position that we have a lot of depth. We have a lot of very talented young men, too.”

There has been no official reason given for Whitlow’s decision to enter the transfer portal. In deference to the young man I won’t begin to speculate. Malzahn said it was simply this:

“He’s looking for a fresh start somewhere else. We appreciate his time here. We wish him nothing but the best.”

Whitlow’s departure does not take away from what has otherwise been perhaps the most encouraging offseason Malzahn has had at Auburn. Hiring Morris to run the offense was a coup. It may seem to contradict the narrative that Malzahn is at his best calling plays. But Morris isn’t just any offensive coordinator. He and Malzahn can practically finish each other’s sentences.

His one season as head coach at Arkansas was a flop. But it doesn’t erase the outstanding work he did at SMU as head or at Clemson as offensive coordinator before that.

Then Kevin Steele, who has done wonders for Auburn’s defense, signed a three-year extension.

Add to this Auburn’s second consecutive top ten signing class and the expected development of quarterback Bo Nix and it’s easy to see why optimism is high on the Plains.

Of course, it still comes down to delivering on the field. The schedule, while still challenging, isn’t nearly as treacherous as it was last season with North Carolina replacing Oregon as the toughest non-conference opponent, Kentucky at home replacing Florida at the Swamp as the rotating SEC East opponent, and LSU losing a ton of talent. The Tigers will be favored in their first five games before visiting Georgia in mid-October.

This year could be a special season for Auburn, with or without Boobee.