AUBURN, Ala. — The battle is over.

Sophomore Sean White has won the starting quarterback job at Auburn.

"It will be important he'll have a good full week just working with the ones," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said Thursday.

White beat out Jeremy Johnson and John Franklin III for the starting job. The team was alerted Thursday before practice.

"It feels really good," said White, who started six games last season. "I feel blessed to be in this position, and I feel responsible to lead this team against Clemson. I'm happy coach put this responsibility on me and my teammates believe in me. I feel like they have a reason to believe in me. We'll be ready to go come Saturday."

Malzahn did not name a second-team quarterback. Auburn opens the season against No. 2 Clemson on Sept. 3 at 8 p.m. CT.

White threw for 1,167 yards and completed 58 percent of his passes last season. He was ripped off the bench and started six games, including the SEC home opener against Mississippi State — his first start. He was the first Auburn quarterback since 1997 to throw for 250 yards or more in three straight games, but finished the season with only one touchdown pass against four interceptions.

The announcement Thursday is the latest Malzahn has waited to name a starting quarterback before a season opener.

"Each individual situation is always different," he said. "That’s probably more of a testament to how good the competition was more than it was anything else. That’s really ... I didn’t realize that was the longest."

The announcement came as a relief for the Tigers. Running back Kerryon Johnson said he was being asked 20 to 30 times per day about the quarterback situation on campus.

"It's a little bit of a relief," Johnson said. "Now everybody doesn't have to keep asking question. We all know who it is. At the same time, we're going to work the same, no matter who it is, no matter when they announce it. We've all been working through fall camp, through the summer, all the same with the same quarterbacks. At the same time, it's a guy who is going to lead us that we all have trust in."

White powered through a partial tear to the PCL in his left knee and suffered ligament damage in his left foot midway through the 2015 season. He completed less than 40 percent of his passes while injured and better than 64 percent of his passes when healthy.

White said he feels "a lot different" as a healthy quarterback this season. He also feels more comfortable in the offense, which Malzahn promised will go back to its hurry-up, no-huddle roots after slowing the pace last season.

"Night and day difference for me," White said. "Last year, like I said, part of that might be on me, but before the season, I prepared hard, I wasn't slacking, but I wasn't preparing to go out and start and lead the team until my name was called on. This year, I had all spring, all preseason to prepare like I'm the starter. That's been a huge difference as far as timing with the receivers and just being able to go out there and run the plays, not think, and being able to lead everybody. With Ricardo (Louis), Ricardo last year he was out there for three years and it was like my first game. It's hard for me to get on him like, 'Hey man. Do this. Do this.' Now I feel comfortable out there where I feel like I can lead the offense, lead the team."

The redshirt freshman was named the starter over Johnson in the Birmingham Bowl, but Johnson split time and played primarily in red-zone packages. Johnson threw a touchdown and ran for another score in the 31-10 victory against Memphis.