Steve Ensminger: Close to Dad

[DKW 86 7,428]

http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/huntsvill...6150.xml&coll=1

Auburn freshman still close to Dad

Monday, July 31, 2006

By PHILLIP MARSHALL

Times Sports Staff pmarsh9485@msn.com

Steven Ensminger plays QB while father coaches ends

AUBURN - Steve Ensminger admits he'll do it. He'll glance over at the quarterbacks from time to time during Auburn's preseason practice.

Ensminger, who came to Auburn in 2003 to coach quarterbacks, coaches tight ends now. But there'll be another Ensminger on the field when Auburn begins practice Wednesday. Steven Ensminger is a freshman quarterback. 

"I'm sure I'll do that, look over there and see what's happening," Steve Ensminger said. "I'm a dad, too."

But, he and offensive coordinator Al Borges agree, that's as far as it will go.

"We have a deal," Borges said with a laugh. "He's his dad and I'm his coach."

Even though he won't play for his father, Steven says he feels a different kind of pressure than other incoming freshmen.

"You hear a lot of stuff," said Steven, 6-foot-2 and 207 pounds. "People are going to say 'He's there because of his dad.' I could have chosen a lot of other schools, but I chose Auburn because it is the school that fits me. I want to prove that my playing time is not because of my dad."

Steven came to town with his family when Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville hired his father, who had been offensive coordinator at West Monroe (La.) High School, in the wake of offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino's departure in January 2003.

He was a high school freshman with a strong arm and football savvy that had already attracted the attention of college recruiters.

Steven enrolled at nearby Opelika High School and his dad went to work as quarterback coach and play-caller for the Tigers. Neither could have known it, but both would faces tests they could not have imagined.

Auburn, picked by some to win the national championship in 2003, struggled to an 8-5 record. Steve Ensminger and offensive coordinator Hugh Nall were under fire almost from the start. At season's end, Nall lost his title, Steve Ensminger moved over to coach tight ends and Al Borges was hired as offensive coordinator.

"It was a difficult time for our family," Steven said. "It was a big deal. It was hard, but he's been through a lot of stuff and I knew he'd get through it. I respect him more as a dad and as a coach for going through that. It made him a better person and me a better person."

At Opelika, Steven never quite fit into coach Spence McCracken's offense. Finally, before his senior year, he and his mother moved back to Monroe, where he had played as a freshman. There, Steven was a first-team All-State selection and led West Monroe to the 5A state championship.

"Things happen like that," Steven said. "Things didn't go too well at Opelika. I'm from Louisiana, and we ended up winning the state. Everything went perfectly. I wouldn't change anything about it."

Ironically, had it not been for the difficulties his father faced at Auburn, Steven might not have played his college football elsewhere.

"I don't think he would have come here if I'd still been coaching quarterbacks," Steve Ensminger said. "That would have been hard for us both. I wasn't sure what he was going to do, but he was really, really impressed with Coach Borges."

For a long time, Steven thought he would end up at Miami, one of the first schools to offer him a scholarship.

"I like the school and the way they run their offense," Steven said. "It was probably after the 2004 season, watching the team connect the way they did that I started thinking I might come here," Steven said.

"After talking to Coach Borges once or twice, he really made a big impact on my decision."

Steve Ensminger left college coaching to concentrate on preparing his son to be a big-time quarterback. Though he never coached him on a team, he coached him hard one-on-one.

"I really appreciate all the sacrifice and effort he put into helping me," Steven said.

"I appreciate that. I really do."

Steven has been on campus working out for most of the summer, but he opens a new chapter in his life Wednesday. He or fellow freshman Neil Caudle will travel with team in the coming season, though both could be redshirted.

But Ensminger says his sights are higher than being the No. 3 quarterback. He wants to challenge sophomore Blake Field for No. 2 job behind starter Brandon Cox.

"My dad tells me to set my sights high and compete," Steven said.

"That's what I'm going to do."

[Bottomfeeder 244]

Wow. This is going to be interesting to watch. Freshman?

6-foot-2 and 207 pounds