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ADOB: White's energy and management won the day

AUBURN | Gus Malzahn isn't the most serene guy you've ever met, certainly not nine days before his team's season-opening game against No. 2 Clemson, but the relief on his face was unmistakable Thursday night.

He has a starter at quarterback. A starter he likes very much.

"I wouldn't say I'm necessarily calm," Malzahn said as two reporters chuckled. "I'm just like these players -- I'm ready to play."

That was the feeling throughout Auburn's athletic complex Thursday as Sean White was named the Tigers' starting quarterback. Fall camp ended a week ago. The game-week cycle started Tuesday. Anticipation is building and now the team knows exactly who will be running the show on offense.

That formal designation matters.

White is, at his core, a master of consensus building. He's a remarkably positive person who takes great care to put those around him at ease. He talks up his teammates effortlessly because he pays close attention to everything they do. A personal best in the weight room? White knows. A young wideout who finally perfects a double move? White knows.

A young tailback who demonstrates valor and flawless technique while diffusing a blitzing linebacker with 50 extra pounds in tow? White knows.

And he lets them know he knows. White celebrates like mad and that raw enthusiasm lifts the spirits of every player around him. He creates energy. Positive energy.

Does that matter at a combine? Not at all. Though Malzahn said Thursday that White is a "4.6 guy," a 40-yard dash figure that surely will be debated over time, he's not the fastest quarterback on the roster. Standing perhaps a centimeter or two below six feet, he's not the tallest quarterback. His arm isn't the strongest.

Yet White is the Tigers' best quarterback because he's the most reliable performer and he has a track record, when healthy, that inspires confidence. Keep in mind that White completed 63 percent of his passes last season (as a redshirt freshman) before suffering a serious knee injury at Arkansas in October. He may be a bit bashful when it comes to taking risks downfield, but White cannot be accused of putting his team into untenable circumstances very often.

He manages risks like someone much older. Malzahn likes that about White and believes that skill sets the table for a winning formula on offense.

The energy plays, too. White is an inspiring player whose positive reinforcements tends to bring out better play in his teammates. Picking a quarterback isn't solely about that quarterback's statistics; how a team plays with that quarterback behind center matters almost as much.

Auburn was better this fall with White behind center. That simple fact ended the debate.

Will White be a standout this season? Intelligent observers can disagree.

Still, picking White at this juncture is the right play. Time will tell if it's ultimately the correct decision.

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