Tag: Keyone Jenkins

Auburn has reportedly reached out to former NC State quarterback Devin Leary

Auburn, along with several Power Five programs, has one of the top transfer quarterback options on its radar.

Auburn is in the market for several additions from the transfer portal. One of those positions that the Tigers are looking to boost is quarterback.

Since the transfer portal officially opened on Dec. 5, Auburn has been connected with several transfer-minded quarterbacks including Spencer Sanders of Oklahoma State.

There is now another name to watch for, former NC State quarterback [autotag]Devin Leary[/autotag].

In a recent episode of the 247Sports’ College Football Recruiting Show, 247sports’ Brian Dohn says that Auburn is one of six programs that have reached out to Leary to gauge interest in boosting their quarterback room.

“Notre Dame is involved, we’ll see what happens with them and (Texas transfer quarterback) Hudson Card, Auburn has reached out. UCLA, who’s looking for a quarterback. South Carolina has reached out because you want to see what happens with (Gamecocks starting quarterback) Spencer Rattler (and the 2023 NFL Draft). Kentucky has reached out, though I keep hearing (Wisconsin transfer quarterback) Graham Mertz with Kentucky. And Oregon has reached out.”

Auburn will look to build depth to its quarterback room following the departure of Zach Calzada to the transfer portal. [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag]’s status is still unclear. If Finley were to leave, only [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] remain as scholarship quarterbacks from last season’s roster. Auburn currently has a quarterback committed for the 2023 cycle in [autotag]Keyone Jenkins[/autotag].

Leary will be a great option for a program that needs one season of experience in order to fully develop its depth at the quarterback position. Leary passed for 6,807 yards and 62 touchdowns during his four years in Raleigh. In 2021, Leary threw 35 touchdowns and 3,433 yards. His special season led him to earn the 2022 ACC Preseason Player of the Year award.

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Freeze making late push for four-star quarterback

Freeze hopes to get this talented Tennessee prospect to campus this weekend.

The early signing period begins on Wednesday, Dec. 21, and [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] is making an 11th-hour push to land one of the nation’s best quarterbacks for the 2023 cycle.

According to a report by Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports, Freeze paid a visit to Music City on Wednesday in an effort to sway [autotag]Marcel Reed[/autotag], the nation’s No. 24 quarterback from the 2023 recruiting class, from his commitment to Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss.

Reed has received 20 offers but does not have one from Auburn as of this post. His only known tie to Auburn was that he attended a school camp in 2021.

Auburn is looking to add depth at the quarterback position this recruiting cycle. [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] are expected to be the only returners for next season’s squad after the departure of Zach Calzada and the uncertainty of T.J. Finley’s future with the program. Auburn has the commitment of one quarterback for the 2023 class in [autotag]Keyone Jenkins[/autotag], a three-star from Miami, Florida.

Reed, who recently won “Mr. Football” for the state of Tennessee, displays good athleticism in the pocket and is decent on his feet says 247Sports’ Cooper Petagna.

Displays good foot quickness and setup in the pocket. Active mover, demonstrates some quick twitch movement ability to extend plays within the pocket. Displays a quick release with the ability to get the ball out from a variety of angles. Shows the ability to change his arm slot with or without his feet set. Live arm, shows the ability to make every throw on the field. Plays with an accelerated play tempo. Balls either out quick or he’s fleeing the pocket to extend the play. Flashes some touch and accuracy on the deep ball. Displays some velocity and shows the ability to drive the ball down the field.

In addition to Auburn, Texas A&M is also active in trying to pull Reed away from Ole Miss. Reed visited the Aggies last weekend, and they are expected to return the favor by visiting Reed at his home in Nashville this week.

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ESPN analyst Tom Luginbill links transfer quarterback to Auburn

Luginbill says there is one transfer portal quarterback that would pair well with Hugh Freeze’s offense.

Newly named head football coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] has hit the recruiting trail hard since being named head coach on Nov. 28.

Freeze said in his introductory press conference that he feels that he can get Auburn to a respectable level of competition fairly quickly thanks to the emergence of NIL and the transfer portal.

“Ten years ago, you didn’t have (NIL and the transfer portal), 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.”

One area that needs a boost is the quarterback position. [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] improved over the final four games of the season, especially in his run game. He is still a prime candidate to remain QB1 heading into 2023, but the position as a whole needs depth.

Zach Calzada has already entered the portal, and the status of [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag] is unknown for next season. If Finley leaves, Auburn will have three scholarship quarterbacks on its roster, including [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] and 2023 commit [autotag]Keyone Jenkins[/autotag] in addition to Ashford.

It would not hurt to have an experienced quarterback on the roster, whether it be to provide a “shot in the arm” or for leadership purposes. Out of all the current quarterbacks occupying the transfer portal, there is one that is viewed as a perfect match for Freeze and Auburn.

ESPN College Football analyst Tom Luginbill joined The Next Round on Wednesday to discuss Auburn’s options in the transfer portal. He says that Auburn should pursue Oklahoma State transfer Spencer Sanders as a transfer for a myriad of reasons, including from a momentum standpoint.

“When you marry Spencer Sanders and that skillset, and what we saw in the past from Hugh Freeze’s iterations with what we saw from Malik Willis, and even though it’s a one-and-done-type scenario, what if it helps you get off the mat, right,” Luginbill said on the show based out of Birmingham. “What if it helps you accelerate the improvement of the program, (and) generate momentum with the program? I like that marriage of the offensive identity and the skillset and a guy that’s played a lot of football, been highly successful.”

Sanders is seen as a prolific passer. In four seasons at Oklahoma State, Sanders threw for 9,953 yards and 67 touchdowns. This season, he passed for 2,642 yards and 17 touchdowns. If Freeze is looking for a one-year option to better develop his quarterback rook, Sanders may be a viable option.

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Auburn lands three-star QB commit out of Florida

Keyone Jenkins commits to the Tigers after de-committing from FIU.

The Tigers have a new commit for the 2023 class.

Quarterback Keyone Jenkins, who plays for Miami Central High School, committed to Auburn on Saturday ahead of the team’s game against Western Kentucky. Jenkins is a three-star quarterback according to 247Sports.

Interestingly enough, the Tigers are one of just three schools to offer Jenkins and the only Power 5 school to do so — FIU and Morehouse College also offered Jenkins. Jenkins was originally committed to FIU, but he flipped schools after unofficially visiting Auburn and receiving an offer from the SEC school on Nov. 12.

Jenkins is considered the 1812th-best player in the nation and the 110th-best quarterback for the 2023 class. Jenkins becomes the 11th hard commit for the Tigers and is so far the only quarterback to join the class. The Tigers 2023 class is currently sitting at 51st in the nation with the new addition and Jenkins is Auburn’s third three-star of the class.

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