Why has Zach Calzada’s stock dropped in recent weeks?

The starting quarterback battle at Auburn has been a whirlwind from the beginning.

Before fall camp, it was believed that Texas A&M transfer Zach Calzada would win the job due to the struggles that T.J. Finley went through to end last season and Oregon transfer Robby Ashford’s lack of starting experience.

However, now that fall camp has concluded, it would appear that Finley will get the nod for Auburn’s season-opener on September 3 against Mercer. Head coach Bryan Harsin says that he likes the way that Finley directs the offense, which gives him comfort for the first game of the season.

With the perception that Finley has won the job, the next question that Auburn fans are asking is, “what changed with Zach Calzada?” One Auburn beat writer has weighed in.

Jason Caldwell of Inside the Auburn Tigers was recently a guest on the local radio program “Sportscall” on Tiger 95.9 in Auburn to talk about the latest happenings surrounding Auburn football. While there, the quarterback battle was discussed. The media has been granted a small window to watch practice on select days during camp, which has provided Auburn’s most trusted sources to make their own evaluations and form their own conclusions.

According to Caldwell, there was not anything in particular that Calzada did to lose the job, but he did not stand out during fall camp, either.

“(Calzada) hasn’t played so bad that he’s lost (the starting quarterback job), but he hasn’t played well enough to go get it,” Caldwell said.

When describing the expected winner, T.J. Finley, he echoed what Harsin has said recently about Finley’s consistency and his experience of working with Harsin for a season really making a difference.

“T.J. Finley has been more consistent, that’s not really a surprise,” Caldwell said. “He’s a guy that’s got experience in this offense, (he’s) been in this offense for a year, and it is essentially the same thing that they did last year in terminology…