Auburn’s “next big thing” is set to finally arrive in full this fall in the form of quarterback Jeremy Johnson. The rising junior spent the last two years serving as Nick Marshall’s backup, starting two games in 2013-14 and appearing in 11 others in that time.

He’s 2-0 as a starter, and he possesses a combination of skill and athleticism that has many considering Auburn a contender to win the SEC this fall. At 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds he presents a large frame and a strong arm, but he moves exceptionally well compared to most others at his size. If Johnson can play for an entire season the way he played in the first half of his lone start last year against Arkansas (12 of 16 passing for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns), those lofty expectations on the plains may come to fruition.

But if Johnson is the “next big thing” at Auburn, who’s the next Johnson? The answer is redshirt freshman Sean White, the man Johnson beat out for Auburn’s starting job this spring.

The two have a lot in common, and there’s plenty of reason to believe White will emerge as the team’s starter when Johnson moves on to the NFL in two years.

For starters, both were four-star recruits ranked among the top 12 pro-style quarterbacks in their respective recruiting classes. Needless to say, White may have just as much talent as Johnson, if not more. He was named the MVP of the Under Armour All-America game as well as the Nike Elite 11 camp, and he’s the reason Johnson had to wait until the conclusion of spring practice to learn he’d won the starting job.

White will also fill the same role Johnson just filled for two years behind Marshall, serving as the team’s No. 2 quarterback. However, head coach Gus Malzahn isn’t referring to White as the No. 2 quarterback, but instead as his 1A option under center. Malzahn always preaches the importance of having a backup quarterback who prepares like a starter, ensuring as little a drop-off as possible if the starter ever needs to be removed from a game.

White’s ability to push Johnson throughout the spring and his approach to his new gig as the backup indicate he’ll serve as a prototypical Malzahn backup, again just like Johnson did the last two years.

“He brought out the best in Jeremy,” Malzahn told AL.com. “Jeremy Johnson is our starter but we want Sean to come along like Jeremy did to like a 1, 1A, where the stress level, if something happens to Jeremy, we feel comfortable putting him in the game. After spring I felt a real good comfort with that.”

White may actually thrive in his new role more than Johnson ever did due to the similarities between his style of play and Johnson’s. When Johnson was serving as Marshall’s backup, he was a big pocket passer backing up a dynamic athlete at the quarterback position. Thus, when Johnson was called upon, Malzahn had to adjust his offensive approach to better cater to his new quarterback’s skill set.

White presents a similar skill set to Johnson, meaning should he ever have to step in there’s no reason to believe the offensive approach would have to change much. That’s huge for the success of a backup quarterback.

And after a year or two of getting his feet wet in the SEC and backing up Johnson, White should be prepared when his time comes to lead the Tigers’ offense, just as Johnson was prepared entering spring ball this year. There are striking parallels between Auburn’s former backup and its new one, and considering how highly Johnson is considered before even beginning his first full season as a starter, bringing along another quarterback in the same way should only benefit Auburn’s quarterbacks long-term.

No quarterback likes to be sat, but at the end of the day only one can play at a time. Auburn developed Johnson into one of the SEC’s premier quarterbacks, and it’s beginning to do the same with White. If he remains patient, he, too, can become Auburn’s “next big thing” in the coming years.