Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

HOOVER, Ala. — Auburn wide receiver Emory Blake and tight end Phillip Lutzenkirchen have already had a good look at incoming Tigers freshman quarterback Kiehl Frazier in summer team work, and both are very impressed. Frazier, like any freshman quarterback in the SEC, has a lot to learn, but the Shiloh Christian product appears to have what it takes to be starter, both say. He's got a rocket for an arm.

"He's a raw talent. He's athletic, he's got a great build," Lutzenkirchen said of the 6-3, 215-pound Frazier.

Lutzenkircher even conceded Thursday what every Auburn football fanatic would want to hear: "He's like a miniature Cam Newton."

Even a "mini Cam" could be a step in the right direction for an Auburn team that has to replace not only the 2010 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, but also the five linemen who blocked for him. And, don't forget, defensive star Nick Fairley also jumped after his junior season, like Newton, to the NFL. Those personnel losses are why most prognosticators are penciling Auburn on the third or fourth rung in the tough SEC West Division.

"They picked us there last year, third or fourth," said Lutzenkirchen, who fully expects the Tigers to be in the division title mix again. "It's just someone's opinion."

Frazier has spent the summer at Auburn prepping for August team drills, when the coaches get to take over, by absorbing everything he can from returning quarterbacks Barrett Trotter and Clint Moseley and working with receivers such as Blake and Lutzenkirchen in 7-on-7 practice. Blake, who will move to Auburn's No. 1 wide receiver role this season, say Frazier has more to learn than the older quarterbacks, such as understanding how to get the offense in the right play and making the correct pass protection calls.

As sophisticated as Gus Malzahn disciple Josh Floyd's offense was at Shiloh Christian for Frazier, taking on all that Malzahn has waiting for him at Auburn is a new process for Frazier.

Blake believes Frazier is "capable" of eventually being the starter as early as this season. "What's going to get me is how fast he picks up on the offense and can he run pace and can he tell a lineman what they need to run, can he get the right protections down, stuff like that."

Lutzenkirchen, while pointing out that it's difficult for a true freshman to start anywhere, much less in the talent-rich SEC, added, "We'll see what he can do in the fall and if he can hone up some of his fundamentals and if he does, the coaches are going to give him a shot for sure. We haven't named a starting quarterback yet so we'll probably see what he can do or if he can lead us into the SEC season."

Blake says he's had to ask Frazier to take a little heat off his very tight spirals in passing work. "Sometimes, it's like, 'Man, take some off of it' on the slant route. He's very raw-talented and he's learning the offense right now. We'll see how he does when he puts pads on and the bullets are flying."

Auburn head coach Gene Chizik, who can't officially watch Frazier and the team in their summer "voluntary" workouts, was a little more reserved about the freshman's chances this fall, but he also has high expectations for the Gatorade Player of the Year, who led Shiloh to three straight Class 4A state championships. He said all the freshman class was recruited and told that opportunities to start existed if they were "the best player that gives Auburn a chance to win on Saturdays."

"So, I've got two really good quarterbacks [Trotter and Moseley] who have battled it out all through spring practice. We've got a third one in Kiehl that will come into the mix," Chizik said. "Again, whatever one of the three gives us the best opportunity to win, that's who's going to be calling the shots on game day."