We’re taking a look at each position group as Auburn prepares to open spring practice on March 16. The first of a 10-part series looks at the quarterbacks.

There’s no drama this time around.

A year removed from a wide-open quarterback race that featured then-freshmen Bo Nix and Joey Gatewood, as well as then-junior Malik Willis (a two-year backup to Jarrett Stidham), there’s no doubt about who will be lining up behind center for Auburn in 2020. Willis transferred last summer, and Gatewood followed suit midseason before enrolling at Kentucky, while Nix started all 13 games for the Tigers in 2019 while earning SEC Freshman of the Year honors and setting a slew of program freshman records.

This is Nix’s team now, and with a year of starting experience under his belt, this offseason for the sophomore quarterback will be all about taking that next step in his development, perhaps one closer to fulfilling the assurance coach Gus Malzahn has made several times in the last few months — that Nix will win a championship before his time at Auburn comes to an end.

Projected depth chart:

Bo Nix, sophomore: 217-of-337 passing (57.6 percent) for 2,542 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions; 313 rushing yards, seven touchdowns.

Cord Sandberg, redshirt sophomore: 5-of-7 passing for 84 yards and two touchdowns; 35 yards rushing

Chayil Garnett, freshman: Three-star dual-threat signee who enrolled in January.

Departed: N/A

Due to arrive in the fall: N/A

Outlook:

Nix had a solid freshman season, setting Auburn freshman records for completions, passing yards, touchdowns and consecutive pass attempts without an interception (191 in a row to close the season) while earning the SEC’s top rookie honor, but his first year on the field also left plenty to be desired. Nix’s completion percentage (57.6 percent) was 10th among 12 qualifying SEC passers last season, while his 6.7 yards per pass attempt ranked ninth, as did his 125.03 passer rating. Among freshman quarterbacks nationally who appeared in at least half of their team’s games, Nix tied for eighth in touchdowns, was 13th in completion rate, sixth in passing yards, tied for 13th in yards per attempt 11th in passer rating.

Enter, Chad Morris.

The arrival of the former Arkansas head coach as Auburn’s new offensive coordinator and play-caller this offseason is expected to do wonders for Nix’s development. Morris has a track record of developing quarterbacks—a list that includes former Texas high school standouts Jevan Snead and Garrett Gilbert, who both went on to sign at Texas; former Tulsa standout G.J. Kinne (3,650 yards and 30 touchdowns in one year with Morris); and former Clemson star Tajh Boyd, who won ACC Player of the Year during his second season working under Morris and totaled 11,575 yards, 103 passing touchdowns and 25 rushing scores in three seasons being coached by Morris.

Morris, whose system comes from the same roots as Malzahn’s while putting more emphasis on the passing game, will work hand in hand with Nix this offseason in hopes of making the sophomore his next star pupil. It’s something one of Morris’ former proteges, Boyd, is confident will happen, tweeting back in January that he expects Nix to throw for 3,800 yards and 35 touchdowns in 2020.

Whether that’s feasible—it would break Dameyune Craig’s single-season Auburn passing yards record and Cam Newton’s program record for touchdowns—remains to be seen, but the start of spring practice in two weeks will mark the official start of that journey for Nix under Morris.

Bo Nix throwing for 3800 and 35 this season https://t.co/FnpMvvq0IA — Tajh Boyd (@TajhB10) January 27, 2020

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.