Auburn's quarterback battle wasn't the only competition to come to an end Thursday.

Head coach Gus Malzahn also named the Tigers' starting punter this season. For the second straight year, that job will fall to Kevin Phillips, who edged out Ian Shannon for the starting gig this fall.

"He was in a good battle with Ian Shannon, and Ian really made it very competitive," Malzahn said. "But we decided to make the call with that."

Phillips, who transferred to Auburn from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College prior to last season, averaged 41 yards per punt last season during his first year on the Plains and only had three of his 55 attempts returned by opponents. He placed 17 of his punts inside the 20-yard line and had 10 punts of at least 50 yards, including a long of 56 yards against LSU.

Shannon signed with Auburn out of Marietta (Georgia) High last year and redshirted after Phillips won the starting job. As a senior at Marietta, Shannon averaged 40.7 yards per punt and allowed just 22 total return yards. Shannon also served as Marietta's placekicker, making a school-record 16 field goals in a season while in high school.

Although Phillips is the starter, Malzahn did not rule out the possibility of Shannon having a role on special teams this season.

"You could see Ian from time to time get some punts throughout the year," Malzahn said. "He's an outstanding punter. He's also an outstanding kicker."