The transfer portal is officially open for business, and Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] looks to take full advantage.
During his introductory press conference on Nov. 29, Freeze says he believes that he can right the ship reasonably quickly thanks to Auburn’s success in raising funds for NIL, and with help from the transfer portal.
“Ten years ago, you didn’t have that, and so the turnaround is a little different. Kids couldn’t just leave a school and come to Auburn. They can now,” Freeze said. “I do think we’ve got to be careful to get the right kids that fit our culture, but at the same time, it’s much easier to add to your roster now than it was when I took over at Ole Miss and they hadn’t won an SEC game in two years. Obviously, we were going to some New Year’s Six Bowls in year three and four, so I see no reason why with the current structure we can’t do this fairly fast.”
Auburn needs help in a few areas, one of which will be the quarterback position.
Auburn’s current depth chart is filled with transfer quarterbacks, including [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] and [autotag]Zach Calzada[/autotag]. Ashford became the full-time starter during Auburn’s overtime win over Missouri in September and found success running the football. However, his passing game needs a little more work. Calzada transferred from Texas A&M last offseason but missed the entire 2022 season due to a shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery.
There is still a chance that both quarterbacks could be in the hunt to earn the starting job in 2023 but with Freeze’s history of developing quarterbacks, Auburn could be a destination for those signal-callers in the market for a new home.
Isaac Trotter of 247Sports has listed Auburn as a top destination for quarterbacks that currently reside in the transfer portal, and says that Freeze will be keeping an eye out for solid options behind center.
Part of that equation has to factor in the quarterback play. Auburn freshman quarterback Robby Ashford flashed some big-time potential with his legs (710 rushing yards, seven touchdowns), but he had some growing pains as a passer (dead-last among qualified SEC quarterbacks with a 49.7 quarterback rating). Ashford and Freeze both have to commit to each other before it’s safe to assume Ashford is the quarterback of the future. Until that happens, Freeze will undoubtedly be monitoring the quarterback market.
Wisconsin, Notre Dame, SMU, and Miami are among other programs that are seen as top transfer destinations for quarterbacks.
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