Auburn's quarterback battle has been given more clarity.

Joey Gatewood and Bo Nix are no longer in a four-man competition. Gus Malzahn told reporters Wednesday in Dothan, Ala., those two quarterbacks have bracketed themselves as the top two options to start at quarterback this fall.

"Those two really separated themselves," Malzahn said. "Both of them have a chance to be very successful quarterbacks at Auburn."

Gatewood, the redshirt freshman, and Nix, the early enrollee, have been moved to the top of Auburn's quarterback board ahead of Malik Willis and Cord Sandberg. Observers believed Gatewood and true freshman Bo Nix were on equal footing prior to the A-Day game — and it stays that way heading into the summer.

Gatewood signed with Auburn in December 2017 and enrolled in January 2018 as something of a developmental player. His varsity debut occurred during the Tigers' lopsided win against Purdue in the Music City Bowl, where Gatewood rushed three times for 28 yards on 13 snaps.

At 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, Gatewood has the kind of size and power that reminds teammates of Cam Newton. Gatewood has been steadfast in his desire to avoid those kinds of comparisons, but Malzahn nonetheless feels that he has another elite play-maker at quarterback heading into the 2019 season.

Nix, an Auburn legacy, arrived on campus in January. His ability to get into the positional battle is impressive considering his relative lack of experience.

"We went into spring with a very open mind and wanted to put (Nix) in a lot of different scenarios and situations," Malzahn said. "He’s earned it — as well has Joey Gatewood. He really improved from the fall, and both those guys were very desperate to win the position. That’s really what stood out to our coaches."