What Does Nick Marshall's Position Change Say About Gus Malzahn's Offense?

Former Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall was on double duty at the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine, working with the quarterbacks and defensive backs as he attempts to make the move back to the defensive side of the ball while serving as an emergency quarterback on an NFL roster.

In 2013, the Pineview, Georgia, native led Auburn to an SEC title and to within 13 seconds of a national title after transferring from junior college. He followed it up by throwing for 2,532 yards, 20 touchdowns and rushing for 798 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior for the Tigers.

Head coach Gus Malzahn said at the Senior Bowl in January that the change came as a surprise, according to Alex Byington of the Opelika-Auburn News.

What does it say, though, that such a highly decorated quarterback in Malzahn's system is forced to make a position change at the NFL and may only see snaps as signal-caller in running packages or in case of emergency?

Nothing. 

This isn't a Malzahn trend; it's something that is pervasive in college football, as Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians noted at the combine (via Chris Wesseling of NFL.com):

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So many times, you're evaluating a quarterback who has never called a play in the huddle, never used a snap count. They hold up a card on the sideline, he kicks his foot and throws the ball. That ain't playing quarterback. There's no leadership involved there. There might be leadership on the bench, but when you get them and they have to use verbiage and they have to spit the verbiage out and change the snap count, they are light years behind.

"

For Malzahn specifically, though, he's been typecast as a coach who thrives with a dual-threat quarterback after his success with Marshall and the national title he won with Cam Newton as Auburn's offensive coordinator in 2010.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

While Newton hasn't exactly set the world on fire, he did win the Heisman Trophy and get drafted No. 1 overall due in part to his big arm and ability to make all the throws in college. His career in the NFL isn't exactly that of Peyton Manning, but he has led the Carolina Panthers to back-to-back playoff appearances.

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Malzahn's system is founded on the running game but still can be very passer-friendly.

During his time as Tulsa's offensive coordinator, he helped the Golden Hurricane become the first team in FBS history to boast a 5,000-yard passer (Paul Smith, 5,065), a 1,000-yard rusher (Tarrion Adams, 1,225) and three 1,000-yard receivers (Brennan Marion, Trae Johnson, Charles Clay) in the same season, according to Paul Myerberg of The New York Times. 

He followed it up with quarterback David Johnson producing another prolific passing season in 2008 with 4,059 yards and 46 touchdown passes.

He used Marshall's best skills—his running ability and big arm—to his advantage over the last two years. While the Auburn offense is a true, two-back, power attack out of the spread that thrives with a punishing running game, the addition of a passing quarterback doesn't change the system, it's a supplement.

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That should become apparent in 2015 on the Plains.

Auburn will still produce a punishing running attack with Jovon Robinson and Roc Thomas, but a more pass-happy approach with quarterback Jeremy Johnson, wide receiver D'haquille "Duke" Williams and a deep wide receiving corps should add some fuel additive to the offensive machine that's already clicking on all cylinders. 

The simplicity of Auburn's offense exists primarily due to the desire to play faster, which has become more popular in college after it became the norm over the last few years in high school. That's not going to change in the future. The bottom-up transformation of football that puts a bigger emphasis on tempo will continue to challenge NFL scouts and force NFL teams to adapt—not the other way around.

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Even this year in college football, some of the "traditional, pro-style offenses" adapted to new-school football.

Alabama ran 72.7 plays per game in 2014 with dual-threat quarterback Blake Sims incorporating spread elements into the offense. That's more plays per game than tempo-based teams Auburn (72.2), Texas A&M (71.9) and Ole Miss (69.5). Michigan State, which isn't exactly known for its innovative offense, averaged 76.5 plays per game.

"Scouting quarterbacks is now, more than ever, about projection," said B/R NFL draft lead analyst Matt Miller. "You have to focus so much on traits over production and try to guess at how they'll translate. It's what makes the Jameis Winston's and Andrew Luck's so valuable, because you've seen them do it."

College football has adapted, and the NFL is struggling with how to evaluate players as a result. Ten years ago, college football went through the same frustration, and it turned out just fine.

Don't view the critics of Malzahn's system, Marshall or spread offenses in general as anything more than people voicing their frustrations with the evolving game. 

Instead of venting, though, maybe they should just adapt.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.