AUBURN — To DJ Durkin , a head coach's job requires doing what's best for the program, as well as doing what's best for an individual player.

"Anytime you can thread that needle where those two things align, that's the best," he said Monday, Nov. 17.

Auburn football 's facing just that this weekend, as Durkin announced the Tigers won't play senior quarterback Ashton Daniels against FCS Mercer on Saturday, Nov. 22, in an effort to preserve his redshirt.

"I think the best thing for Ashton is to be able to preserve his redshirt year and be able to come back and play another year," Durkin said. "It's tremendous for this program and also for him. He has great football ahead of him."

Here's a rundown of Durkin's comments about the decision and how the Tigers will handle the quarterback

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