Hank Brown – Syndication Server

Iowa officially announces signing of Auburn transfer QB Hank Brown

It’s official. Former Auburn QB Hank Brown has signed with the Iowa Hawkeyes.

The Iowa Hawkeyes officially have their first transfer portal signee.

Iowa’s official account on X revealed that former Auburn quarterback Hank Brown is inked as a Hawkeye.

With the caption “Hank is a Hawk,” Iowa confirmed that Brown is joining the black and gold.

On3’s Hayes Fawcett broke the news last Friday that Brown had committed to Iowa, but the post from the University of Iowa account officializes it.

Hank is a Hawk.

✒️📜 @Hankb_15 #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/JB38APNdCY

— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) December 16, 2024

Brown joins the Hawkeyes after spending two years with Auburn. The 6-foot-4, 210 pound quarterback appeared in three games with the Tigers this season, completing 27-of-43 passes (62.7%) for 403 yards with six touchdowns against three interceptions.

Brown saw action against Alabama A&M, New Mexico and Arkansas during the 2024 season. The Nashville, Tenn., product also played in the Tigers’ bowl game to end the 2023 season versus Maryland.

Brown completed 7-of-9 passes for 132 yards against the Terps.

Out of Lipscomb Academy, Brown was a three-star signee per the 247Sports Composite rankings. Brown was ranked as the No. 60 quarterback and as the No. 34 player from Tennessee according to 247Sports in the class of 2023.

247Sports ranked Brown as a three-star transfer, as its No. 41 quarterback and as the 266th-ranked player nationally.

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Auburn football lands Oklahoma transfer QB Jackson Arnold

Has Auburn found its QB1 for the 2025 season?

Following the graduation of [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag], the Auburn Tigers must look to a new name to lead the offense as the team’s starting quarterback.

Their search may have ended on Saturday morning.

Pete Nakos of On3 reports that former Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold, who visited Auburn on Friday, has committed to the Tigers. He commits to Auburn after passing for 1,984 yards and 16 touchdowns in 16 games throughout two seasons.

Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] says that Arnold is a quarterback who can succeed at Auburn due to his understanding of the current offensive system.

“He’s as natural operating the RPO game as any kid mechanically that I’ve seen,” Freeze said Saturday. “I’ve seen enough on tape that he has a clear understanding of it. The thing that excites me the most is his mechanics are as good as they get. We’re not going to have to change a thing with that.”

Arnold signed with Oklahoma as the No. 4 quarterback of the 2023 recruiting cycle, a class that included Texas quarterback Arch Manning, Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava, and South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers. The Denton, Texas native won Gatorade Player of the Year for his state after a senior season in 2023 that saw him pass for 3,476 yards and 33 touchdowns while rushing for an additional 921 yards and 24 scores.

According to Auburn athletics’ official website, Arnold is the highest-rated quarterback (based on high school ratings) to sign with Auburn. Arnold, along with 2025 signee [autotag]Deuce Knight[/autotag], will be the first five-star duo to grace the Auburn quarterback room at the same time.

Arnold will now join a quarterback competition between redshirt freshman [autotag]Walker White[/autotag] and 2025 signee Deuce Knight. Following the departures of [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag], Auburn is expected to add one more quarterback to its 2025 depth chart. Names to watch for in this regard are former Duke QB Maalik Murphy and former Stanford QB Ashton Daniels.

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Former Tiger Hank Brown commits to Iowa

Brown will try to capture the starting job for the Hawkeyes next season

A former Auburn quarterback has found a new home. Shortly after entering the transfer portal earlier this week, sophomore quarterback Hank Brown committed to the Iowa Hawkeyes on Friday.

Despite playing well in relief duty of Payton Thorne in the Music City Bowl in 2023, the Nashville, TN native failed to earn the starting signal-caller job for the Tigers in 2024. Still, Brown eventually was thrust into the role after the aforementioned Thorne struggled early in the season. After a nice debut, Brown was forced back to the bench after a brutal three-interception first half against Arkansas.

Brown did not suit up again as the Auburn quarterback, and was seemingly demoted to the bottom of the depth chart after freshman Walker White saw “mop up duty” snaps late in the season. He finished his Auburn career with 403 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions in parts of four games with the Tigers.

Still with three years of eligibility remaining, Brown now joins an Iowa quarterback room that is almost empty following starter Cade McNamara and two of his backups decision enter the transfer portal themselves. While the Hawkeyes are likely to acquire a more seasoned starter as well, Brown likely has a better opportunity to earn the starting role than he would have had against five-star Deuce Knight, sophomore Walker White, and whichever transfer portal quarterback(s) Hugh Freeze and his staff bring to the Plains next season.

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‘I like what I see so far’: Maalik Murphy enjoys recent visit to Auburn

Auburn made quite the impression on Murphy during his two-day visit.

Duke transfer quarterback [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag]’s recent visit to Auburn is credited as a success.

Auburn was the first stop on Murphy’s quest to find a new home after a successful redshirt freshman season at Duke. Murphy spent two days exploring Auburn’s campus and football facilities and meeting Auburn’s coaching staff. Murphy spoke with the media during his visit, where he broke down his positive experience on the Plains.

“This has been great,” Murphy said Wednesday. “Being here, being able to meet all the coaches, and be around the facilities, see the place for my first time. I’ve never been to Auburn before, and I like what I see so far.”

While on campus, Murphy spent time getting to know Auburn’s coaches and learning how he would be used in the offense should he sign with the Tigers. He listed that aspect of the visit as a positive as well.

“That’s huge for a quarterback, being able to relate to his head coach, and him being the guy that’s calling your play,” Murphy said. “So it’s been good to see it and kind of take mental notes of how I can see myself in the offense and produce.”

Murphy passed for nearly 3,000 yards and 26 touchdowns for Duke in 2024, his lone season following his transfer from Texas. According to Adam Cole of The Montgomery Advertiser, Murphy’s only scheduled visit so far and there is no timetable for a commitment. Auburn is looking to fill the void left behind by two-year starter [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag], as well as departing transfers [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag]. Auburn is also scheduled to host Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold for a visit this week.

Former Auburn QB Hank Brown to visit Big Ten program

The former Auburn QB will look to find another starting opportunity at a fellow Power Four program.

Former Auburn quarterback [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag] is looking for a new home and could find a suitor in the Big Ten.

According to a report by Pete Nakos of On3, Brown will visit Iowa on Thursday, his first known visit of the window.

Brown entered the transfer portal this week after spending two seasons on the Plains. He played in one game as a true freshman, completing seven passes for 132 yards in Auburn’s Music City Bowl loss to Maryland. He saw action in three games as a redshirt freshman in 2024, earning two starts. He excelled in his first start against New Mexico by passing for four touchdowns. However, he was removed from his start against Arkansas one week later after throwing three interceptions in the first half.

Brown signed with Auburn as a three-start quarterback from the 2024 recruiting cycle. Originally committed to play for Hugh Freeze at Liberty, Brown followed Freeze to Auburn by committing to the program one day before signing with the Tigers on Dec. 21, 2022. His Auburn career ends with 403 passing yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions.

Brown joins [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] as an Auburn quarterback currently looking for a new home in the transfer portal. [autotag]Walker White[/autotag] returns to the unit, while [autotag]Deuce Knight[/autotag] is set to join the program as a true freshman ahead of next season. Freeze will look to add two quarterbacks from the transfer portal in this window to fill the void left behind by Brown and Geriner.

Five-star quarterback Deuce Knight signs with Auburn over Ole Miss

Auburn signs the five-star QB from Mississippi despite late flip attempt by Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels.

Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels worked tirelessly to flip Auburn commit [autotag]Deuce Knight[/autotag] in the days leading up to the early signing period. However, [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] will get the last laugh at the end of the day.

Knight, a five-star quarterback from Lucedale, Mississippi, flipped his commitment from Notre Dame to Auburn in October. On Wednesday, he honored his commitment to the Tigers by signing during the first day of the early signing period, spurning Kiffin and his home-state Ole Miss Rebels.

Knight visited Ole Miss several times after committing to Auburn, most recently for the Rebels’ win over Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl last Saturday. Talks of a possible flip began with David Johnson of 247Sports submitting a “crystal ball” prediction for Knight to flip to Ole Miss in November. However, Auburn never waivered and ultimately ended up with Knight in their 2025 recruiting haul.

Knight had a spectacular senior season at George County High School, where he passed for 2,082 yards and 24 touchdowns, throwing just five interceptions. On the ground, Knight added 450 yards and nine touchdowns to his overall total. In 26 total games as a high school quarterback, Knight completed 57% (324-of-560) passes for 5,618 yards and 50 touchdowns while adding 1,282 yards and 31 touchdowns on the ground.

Knight is a 6-4, 206-pound quarterback from Lucedale, Mississippi, and is the No. 4 quarterback from the 2025 class according to 247Sports composite rankings. He will compete alongside [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag], [autotag]Walker White[/autotag], and a possible transfer quarterback for the role of QB1 next fall for the Tigers.

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Former Boston College QB Thomas Castellanos receiving interest from Auburn

Is Castellanos a great fit for Auburn?

Auburn football will enter the 2025 season with two fewer quarterbacks following the graduation of [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] and the intent to transfer from Holden Geriner.

[autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Walker White[/autotag] remain on the team, and [autotag]Deuce Knight[/autotag] is expected to sign with the team this week. Could Auburn add experience at the position while White and Knight develop? According to a report from Rivals, it appears that Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze is exploring the possibility.

Adam Gortney of Rivals reported late Monday that Auburn is one of four schools showing interest in former Boston College quarterback [autotag]Thomas Castellanos[/autotag], joining Florida State, Missouri, and Miami.

Castellanos, a 5-9 196-pound quarterback from Waycross, Georgia, has played his two most recent seasons at Boston College after signing with UCF in 2022. While in Boston, Castellanos passed for 3,614 yards, 33 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions. The 2024 season saw Castellanos expand his touchdown-to-interception ratio, where he threw 18 touchdowns to five interceptions.

The biggest storyline surrounding Castellanos took place during the Eagles 37-31 win over Syracuse on Nov. 9. Castellanos left the game due to a leg injury, which forced Boston College head coach Bill O’Brien to play Grayson James in the position. Following the game, O’Brien elected to keep James at the starting quarterback slot.

“I think what’s best for the team right now is for Grayson James to be the starter,” O’Brien said of the change at quarterback. “(Castellanos) has done a great job for us. He’s an awesome competitor. We have a lot of respect for Tommy. Obviously he wasn’t real thrilled with that. He’s taken a couple days.”

A few days later on Nov. 14, Castellanos announced that he was officially leaving the program and would enter the transfer portal once it opens on Dec. 9.

In eight games this season, Castellanos led Boston College to four wins while completing 99-of-161 passes for 1,366 yards and 18 scores. According to Pro Football Focus, Castellanos was pressured 69 times, which resulted in 18 sacks and seven turnover-worthy passes. As a runner, Castellanos rushed for 194 yards on 93 carries with a score.

The transfer portal officially opens on Dec. 9 and will remain open until Dec. 28.

Auburn quarterback Holden Geriner to enter transfer portal

The former top-15 quarterback prospect was buried on the quarterback depth chart for the entirety of his Auburn tenure.

Auburn sophomore signal-caller [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] is reportedly entering the transfer portal following another season in a reserve role on the Plains.

A former top 15 quarterback prospect in his class, Geriner was buried on the quarterback depth chart for the entirety of his Auburn tenure. After spending his first collegiate season as the third-string quarterback behind [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] and [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag] in the quarterback room, Geriner failed to beat out transfer [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] for the starting quarterback role in 2023. With the aforementioned Ashford relegated to backup duty, the former four-star recruit saw his role once again reduced to “mop up” duty at the end of blowout games.

Things didn’t change for the better this season, as Geriner attempted just two passes in two appearances, both coming in the early season. The 6-foot-3 quarterback found himself fourth on the depth chart by the end of the season, behind the aforementioned Thorne, and freshmen [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Walker White[/autotag]. With White and Brown expected to return next season and the likely arrival of five-star quarterback [autotag]Deuce Knight[/autotag] and at least one transfer portal signal-caller, Gernier will seek a better opportunity at a new program next fall.

Over three seasons on the Plains, the former four-star quarterback completed 9 -of-20 pass attempts for 116 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception. Geriner officially recorded five rush attempts in an Auburn uniform, although three were sacks for negative yardage.

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Hugh Freeze shares update on Payton Thorne’s status ahead of ULM game

Will Thorne lead the offense on Saturday when the Tigers battle the ULM Warhawks?

Will Auburn be without its signal-caller for its game with ULM on Saturday?

During this week’s preview press conference on Monday, Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] shared that quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] was limited during bye week practices due to shoulder issues stemming from the Tigers’ loss to Vanderbilt on Nov. 2.

Freeze was hopeful earlier this week that Thorne would be ready to play, but his tune changed Wednesday during the SEC teleconference saying that Thorne was “not as far along as I’d hoped.” However, a report from Auburn Undercover revealed that Thorne will get the nod for Auburn’s game against ULM on Saturday.

Freeze said Auburn’s backup quarterbacks got plenty of reps during bye-week practices in place of Thorne, giving Freeze several options to fill the void should Thorne’s shoulder issues blend into the ULM game.

“The second open week we actually got the other guys quite a bit of reps in the three practices we had. Then we had a little scrimmage to close it out,” Freeze said. “Offense versus defense, other guys that don’t typically get reps, and offense won that scrimmage on a pass play from Walker (White) to one of the young receivers. It was good to see them get reps. We got Holden (Geriner) and Hank (Brown) quite a few also.”

Thorne ranks No. 8 among SEC quarterbacks with 1,825 yards and is tied for 6th with 13 touchdowns. Two other quarterbacks have seen action this season, [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag]. Brown started two games for the Tigers this season while Geriner has seen action in two games.

Auburn faces ULM at 11:45 a.m. CT on Saturday and will be broadcast on SEC Network.

Will Hugh Freeze make a change at quarterback?

Auburn needs to win its final three games in order to qualify for a bowl game. Will a change be made?

Auburn football’s season and year two under head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] is not going as many people thought it would, and if many questions were not already raised about this program, even more are coming up now.

The Tigers are currently 3-6 on the year and 1-5 in SEC play. As if that is not enough, Freeze is sitting at 9-13 in his Auburn tenure, similar to where Bryan Harsin was in his second season on the Plains.

One of the main questions that has surrounded the team, though, is the quarterback play on the field. While [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] has shown flashes of talent at moments this season, his play throughout his career with the Tigers has had many shaking their heads.

In two years, Thorne has recorded a 62% pass completion percentage, throwing 29 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. He was benched in the team’s week two loss to Cal after throwing four interceptions for backup [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag], before returning to the starting job against Oklahoma.

Despite this season being Thorne’s final one of eligibility, Freeze said his staff is considering a change at the position during Wednesday’s SEC coaches teleconference.

“Payton’s played pretty solid, but at the same time you start thinking big picture and well, that’s a tough that’s a tough quandary for you as a coach,” Freeze said. “When you start thinking big picture, as opposed to one of your players that really hasn’t done anything wrong, but we certainly aren’t winning. And so we’re debating all of that this week and we’ll continue into next week, debating that.”

Outside of Brown, [autotag]Walker White[/autotag] has been working with the scout team for most of the year but is also in the running to earn some playing time here at the end of the season.

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