Timmerman embraces role of sideline signal caller for Auburn

Jackson Timmerman has flapped his right arm more than Nova, Tiger and Spirit combined this season.

A backup offensive lineman, Timmerman is Auburn’s “first-team signal caller.” It’s the title offensive line coach Hugh Nall came up with early in August, when Timmerman made his Tigers’ debut with Auburn’s team of sideline play-callers, communicating vital information with the drop of a forearm or a mock freestyle-swim motion.

“It took until about the middle of the season to live that one down,” Timmerman said with a laugh.

Timmerman, though, has been lending Auburn a hand — more specifically an arm — all season.

He’s used his head and sacrificed his right shoulder.

That shoulder, by the way, can get pretty sore after three hours of gesturing, shaking and curving awkwardly for the sake of throwing off the opposition, and — sometimes — communicating an actual play.

“It’s something that I can do,” Timmerman said. “And I’m pretty good at it.”

After two years of primarily scout-team duty, Timmerman and Nall met shortly after Auburn’s Chik-fil-A Bowl victory over Clemson to discuss his future with the team. Nall wanted Timmerman to take over the offensive line’s sideline signal-calling duties, a fixture of Tony Franklin’s spread offense to maintain a fast tempo and avoid huddling.

Though Timmerman is considered only a junior on the football field, this will be his last season with the Tigers. He will graduate in the spring with a pre-med/physics degree and plans to attend medical school.

The opportunity to have a more active role on the team, outside of the private tutoring sessions he gives to players whenever they need them, was too good to pass up. Plus, for the first time in his career, he’d get to travel with the team for road games.

“This was my last chance,” Timmerman said. “I’ve worked as hard as I guess I could. I gained the respect of the coaches. Here’s a way that I can contribute the most to the team.”

For the first time all season, Auburn went to the huddle for the majority of its plays Saturday against Georgia, seemingly rendering the sideline arm-flappers not as essential as they were in the past.

Timmerman insists he hasn’t been demoted, far from it. He played a crucial role in signaling plays — or fake ones — during Auburn’s final, no-huddle drive in the waning moments of the Tigers’ loss to the Bulldogs.

“It’s still one of those things that’s great to have,” Timmerman said. “Everyone gets things faster, and you’re not calling things out when the defense can hear. Everybody can focus what they run.”

Since he was 4 years old, Timmerman has been completely focused on academics.

That’s when he told his father, Jay, a former Auburn trainer, that the only way he’d go to college was if he got a scholarship. After a couple years of pee-wee league football, Timmerman was certainly big and good, but it was apparent the only way he’d be getting that scholarship was through his work in the classroom.

“Good grades was my ticket to get in,” Timmerman said.

Timmerman’s ticket consisted of a 4.56 GPA and a 30 on his ACT. Every school he applied to offered him an academic scholarship.

When he settled on Auburn, Timmerman tried out for the team as a walk-on, but didn’t make it. He made it on his second try the following spring, but never envisioned it would translate into a prominent role on the field.

“My strong suit to this team has always been more academics than athletics,” Timmerman said. “That’s always my level of respect on the team.”

That respect has grown a bit since he became almost a coach of sorts for this season.

Timmerman still considers himself a player and goes through all individual drills when Auburn splits into groups at practice. But Timmerman has arrived early on most Sundays to meet with the coaching staff and receive the upcoming game’s signal plan.

Some signals stay, some go and some are altered, but Timmerman said he’s yet to mess just one up the entire season.

“I can’t say enough good things about Jackson,” Nall said. “He’s a great kid, who is very intelligent and has outstanding character.”

Timmerman’s hoping to use that intelligence and character to become a neurosurgeon.

“I’m lucky,” Timmerman said, “because I haven’t broken any of my fingers.”

He just may want to get that right shoulder checked out after the season.

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