Gus Malzahn not worried about Malik Willis's A-Day performance, invokes comparison to Cam Newton

The Auburn Tigers held their annual A-Day spring game on Saturday, but they did so with starting QB Jarrett Stidham being severely limited.

Stidham had shoulder surgery this offseason, so he didn’t do much, letting Malik Willis and Joey Gatewood handle the position during the game.

Willis struggled, not turning in an inspiring performance during the game, but coach Gus Malzahn isn’t worried about that. In fact, he went as far as to invoke Heisman Trophy-winner Cam Newton’s spring performance during Auburn’s most-recent title season:

Malzahn: "Our defense has a chance to be really good." On Malik Willis' performance: "Cam Newton went 3 of 8 in a spring game and people were concerned. He went on to win Heisman Trophy." #MGMAuburn

— Matthew Stevens (@matthewcstevens) April 7, 2018

Stidham, of course, will be the starter when the regular season starts, barring any setbacks, but the Tigers would like to have a reliable backup.

Whether that’s Willis or whether Gatewood can take his spot remains to be seen, but now fans will have to wait until the summer to see who wins the backup job.