Robby Ashford – Syndication Server

Robby Ashford unable to claim starting job for South Carolina

Shane Beamer announced on Tuesday that freshman LaNorris Sellers, not Ashford, would be the starting quarterback for his team in 2024.

Former Auburn quarterback [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] transferred away from the Plains following an up-and-down 2023 season in which he saw his role decrease under new head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag].

After committing to South Carolina, the 21-year-old senior seemed to have the inside track at starting games for his new team in 2024 following the graduation of Spencer Rattler. That inside track unfortunately didn’t hold up for Ashford, as head coach Shane Beamer announced on Tuesday that freshman LaNorris Sellers, not Ashford, would be the starting quarterback for his team in 2024.

After attempting just 27 passes last season, the Hoover, Ala. native is likely to receive a similar workload behind the 19-year-old Sellers. With expectations for South Carolina fairly low heading into the season it’s also possible Beamer allows his freshman starter to play with a long leash in hopes of developing his game on the fly.

Whether or not Ashford gets a chance to lead his team this season likely depends on the health and early success, or lack thereof, of Sellers. If he doesn’t manage to start more than a handful of games, it will be an unfortunate and disappointing end to the former four-star recruit.

Ashford, Sellers, and the Gamecocks open the season on August 31 against Old Dominion in Columbia.

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South Carolina head coach praises former Tiger Robby Ashford

Ashford has the opportunity to compete for a starting job to replace Spencer Rattler in Columbia.

Former Auburn quarterback [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] transferred to fellow SEC program South Carolina in January of this year and has reportedly impressed in the months since.

Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer recently spoke about his new quarterback, calling Ashford a “great addition to the program” that has helped his team get better on and off the field.

After a turbulent season on the Plains last year in which the Hoover, Alabama native was mostly limited to red zone work, Ashford now has the opportunity to compete for a starting job to replace Spencer Rattler in Columbia. His main competition for that job, 19-year-old LaNorris Sellers, has thrown the ball just 4 times in his career thus far.

Ashford on the other hand brings plenty of experience to South Carolina. Over two seasons on the Plains, the 21-year-old threw for 1,758 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. He also added 917 rushing yards, scoring 12 times on the ground in two years.

His head coach has seen that experience pay dividends in practices thus far. Beamer explained, “He’s started games in the SEC, he’s come in and helped make LaNorris Sellers better and LaNorris has helped make Robby better.”

While the quarterback competition in Columbia is likely to drag late into camp, the former Tiger seemingly has a leg up in the race thanks to his time on the Plains. We’ll see if the “extremely athletic” Ashford can become a full-time starter for the first time since the second half of the 2022 season.

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ESPN breaks down Auburn’s quarterback situation heading into the 2024 season

ESPN has placed each FBS quarterback situation into tiers. Where does Auburn fall?

Auburn’s offense is all but entirely revamped heading into the 2024 season. However, its biggest concern remains at the quarterback position.

ESPN released its FBS quarterback tiers list this week where Auburn falls in Tier 13, subtitled “Year II, Part II.” ESPN describes the tier as a list of transfer quarterbacks who need to take a step forward as they enter their second season at their respective programs. Iowa, Illinois, Purdue, and Houston join Auburn in this tier.

Michigan State transfer [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] will get another shot to lead the Tigers’ offense this season after experiencing a challenging debut season on the Plains by passing for 1,755 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also threw 11 interceptions and completed just 61% of his passes. Three other quarterbacks saw action last season in addition to Thorne. The trio of [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag], [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag], and [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag] combined to pass for 354 yards and two touchdowns.

ESPN shares a disheartening stat regarding Auburn’s 2023 passing numbers, which sparks the need for improvement.

In Hugh Freeze’s 11-year career as a head coach, last year marked the lowest total of passing yards, passing touchdowns, yards per dropback and completions of 20 yards or more by his QBs.

Geriner returns as a backup to Thorne, while Brown and true freshman [autotag]Walker White[/autotag] look to compete for snaps as well. The pressure will be tight for Thorne, as he looks to progress with a new group of receivers to pass to.

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Auburn dubbed a ‘transfer portal winner’ by The Athletic

Auburn has reeled in several notable additions from the transfer portal to fill key areas ahead of the 2024 season.

Auburn’s coaching staff is working hard to fill key areas with transfer portal additions, and are currently succeeding.

The Tigers will have added a talented wide receiver, a sturdy offensive lineman, and several solid defensive additions which should help boost its stock in the upcoming 2024 season. The haul has been impressive so far, and outlets such as The Athletic are taking notice.

Manny Navarro of The Athletic recently revealed his winners and losers from the SEC when it comes to their activity in the transfer portal. At the front of the “winners” list is Auburn. Navarro says the Tigers’ transfer additions have outweighed their departures.

Auburn’s recruiting has been on the uptick since Hugh Freeze took over. The 2024 class ranks No. 8 after the early signing period and the Tigers are also bringing in quality talent in the portal. Among the notable additions are former Georgia State standout receiver [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag] (70 catches, 877 yards in 2023), ex-Mississippi State left tackle [autotag]Percy Lewis[/autotag] (seven starts in 2023), former Texas and Minnesota defensive tackle [autotag]Trill Carter[/autotag] (31 career starts), ex-Duke linebacker [autotag]Dorian Mausi[/autotag] (27 starts) and former Texas safety [autotag]Jerrin Thompson[/autotag] (31 starts).

Those pickups outweigh the losses of 2022 starting quarterback [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] (South Carolina) and linebacker [autotag]Cam Riley[/autotag] and safety [autotag]Donovan Kaufman[/autotag], who both ranked in the top 11 on the team in tackles last season and haven’t found new landing spots yet.

[autotag]Antonio Kite[/autotag] (CB-Alabama), Jerrin Thompson (S-Texas), Percy Lewis (OT-Mississippi State), and [autotag]Rico Walker[/autotag] (TE-Maryland) are the most notable transfer additions for Auburn so far, as they all join the roster as four-star transfers according to 247Sports.

Joining Auburn as “winners” include Ole Miss, Kentucky, and Missouri. Arkansas and Florida were teams who “broke even”, while Alabama, Mississippi State, and Vanderbilt joined the “losers” category.

Auburn transfer quarterback commits to fellow SEC school

Robby Ashford is on the move again, this time to another SEC program.

Having spent the last two seasons at Auburn, Robby Ashford has officially committed to play at South Carolina in 2024.

This will be the second time that the sophomore quarterback has transferred during his collegiate career, as Ashford originally began his college playing days at Oregon in 2020-21, but did not see any on-field action.

Across the last two seasons with the Tigers, Ashford held a combined 49.5% completion with 1,758 passing yards and a 9-9 TD-INT ratio while throwing the ball, as well as making a key impact in the running game with 927 yards and 12 touchdowns on 199 attempts.

A majority of Ashford’s production came in 2022 as Auburn’s starter under previous head coach Bryan Harsin, holding a 49.2% completion with 1,613 passing yards and a 7-7 TD-INT ratio, while also rushing for 710 yards and seven touchdowns on 153 attempts.

This past season, Ashford was Auburn’s primary backup to starter Payton Thorne in year one under head coach Hugh Freeze and rushed for five touchdowns in limited action.

Ashford is now transfer addition No. 19 for South Carolina so far this offseason, as well as the second quarterback alongside Oklahoma’s Davis Beville.

BREAKING: Former Oregon, Auburn QB Robby Ashford has officially committed to South Carolina🤙https://t.co/T7tK1uWCkf pic.twitter.com/oPwWEsQO1A

— On3 (@On3sports) January 16, 2024

The Auburn transfer will now compete for South Carolina’s starting job in 2024, which was vacated by Spencer Rattler declaring for the NFL Draft.

Former Duck QB Robby Ashford on the move once again

Former Oregon and Auburn quarterback Robby Ashford is expected to transfer to South Carolina for the 2024 season.

Robby Ashford, former Oregon quarterback and centerfielder for the baseball team, is on the move again.

According to Matt Zenitz of 247Sports, Ashford is going to South Carolina after spending the last two seasons at Auburn.

Ashford became the starter for the Tigers in 2022 and completed 50 percent of his passes, 1,613 yards and seven touchdowns. He did throw for seven interceptions, however.

In 2023, Ashford was relegated to a backup role behind Payton Thorne, which is most likely why he will transfer to the Gamecocks.

While at Oregon, Ashford performed well in the Spring Games, but never saw the field during the regular season in his two years in Eugene.

Ashford will have a legitimate chance at earning the starting job at South Carolina as the former signal caller, Spencer Rattler, has declared for the NFL draft.

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Transfer destination for Robby Ashford is revealed

The former Auburn quarterback is expected to remain in the SEC according to a report by 247Sports.

Ahead of Auburn’s trip to Nashville to compete in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl, quarterback [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] announced his intention to enter the transfer portal. On Tuesday, Brad Crawford and Matt Zenitz of 247Sports reported that Ashford had found a new home.

According to the report, Ashford is expected to remain in the SEC and transfer to South Carolina.

Ashford joined Auburn’s roster in 2022 via transfer from Oregon and served as the starting quarterback for most of the season following an injury to previous starter, [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag]. However, he never returned to the starter role for the 2023 season under new head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]. He split time with Michigan State transfer [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] before Thorne ultimately took over the starter role in November.

Ashford’s Auburn career closes with 1,758 passing yards and nine touchdowns. As a rusher, he gained 927 yards and added 12 additional touchdowns.

Ashford will now compete for the starting quarterback job at South Carolina. Previous starter, Spencer Rattler, is set to take the next step in his career by declaring for the NFL draft. He will challenge favorite Luke Doty for the role.

Gamecock Nation whatever it takes, let’s do it🐔🖤 #spursup pic.twitter.com/LgMGygAG3S

— Robby Ashford (@robby_ashford) January 16, 2024

Where does Payton Thorne rank in College Sports Wire’s SEC QB re-rank?

Thorne had a challenging first season on the Plains. How does his 2023 campaign rank among the rest of the SEC’s quarterbacks?

It is easy to say that [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] had a challenging first season as Auburn’s starting quarterback.

The Michigan State transfer began the season in a split role with [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] before ultimately taking over the role as the permanent starting quarterback in November. He would go on to throw for just 1,755 yards and 16 touchdowns during the 2023 season and would pass for less than 100 yards in five games.

Where does his performance stack up against the likes of LSU‘s Jayden Daniels, Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart, and Alabama‘s Jalen Milroe? College Sports Wire breaks it down.

College Sports Wire’s Ryan Haley ranked each SEC quarterback by production during the 2023 season. Unfortunately for Thorne, he ranks near the bottom. Haley places Thorne in the No. 13 slot due to inconsistency in the passing game.

Despite the limited work, he was still one of two SEC passers to throw 10 interceptions this season, and he finished with the same number of big-time throws as turnover-worthy plays. The Auburn offense rarely asked Thorne to push the ball downfield, with 166 of his 265 attempts traveling within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. He struggled to navigate the pocket, pressured on only 89 of his dropbacks but taking a staggering 32 sacks.

Haley places Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels of LSU at the top of the list with Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Georgia‘s Carson Beck, Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart, and Missouri’s Brady Cook rounding out the top five. Vanderbilt’s AJ Swann is the lone quarterback ranked lower than Thorne on Haley’s list.

Robby Ashford among top quarterbacks remaining in transfer portal

Brad Crawford of 247Sports considers the former Auburn quarterback one of the best available transfer portal options.

Former Auburn quarterback [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] is still looking for a new home. However, he may cash in his luck sooner rather than later.

Following the announcement of Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa’s decision to enter the transfer portal, Brad Crawford of 247Sports updated his list of the top quarterbacks remaining in the transfer portal. Out of all the available quarterbacks, Ashford checks in at No. 8.

Ashford is above Arizona transfer Jayden de Laura and New Mexico State transfer Diego Pavia on Crawford’s list. Crawford recaps Ashford’s brief but productive two-year stay in Auburn.

After initially transferring to Auburn from Oregon per Auburn Undercover, Ashford was Auburn’s primary starting quarterback during the 2022 season, taking over for nine games after T.J. Finley’s early season injury. Ashford completed 49.2 percent of his passes for 1,613 yards, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] said following his team’s loss to Maryland in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl that the quarterback competition at Auburn is “wide open” for the 2024 season. He did not indicate that he would be looking into the transfer portal for his next starter, however, there are many solid options available such as USC‘s Malachi Nelson, James Madison’s Jordan McCloud, and Matthew Sluka at Holy Cross.

Auburn will head into spring practice with four quarterbacks set to compete for the open position: [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag], [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag], [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag], and true freshman [autotag]Walker White[/autotag].

Auburn’s QB woes will bleed into 2024 season

After a disappointing performance by Auburn quarterbacks in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl, Hugh Freeze will need to find a consistent option for the position in 2024.

One of the main inconsistencies surrounding Auburn’s football program dating back as far as the 2021 season is quarterback play.

This season was no different, as [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] and [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] split snaps in 10 of Auburn’s 13 games this season. Ashford’s role was not surprising to him, as he shared snaps with TJ Finley during the 2022 season as well.

However, after it was made obvious that Thorne would be the main guy rolling into the 2024 season, Ashford elected to enter the transfer portal.

Problem solved, right? The issue is far from being resolved.

Three quarterbacks saw action for the Tigers in their 31-13 loss to Maryland in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl last Saturday, combining to complete 21-of-42 passes for 224 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Auburn starter [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] managed to complete 13-of-27 passes for just 84 yards and a score while [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] could only complete 1-of-6 passes for eight yards. Both players threw one interception in the contest.

True freshman [autotag]Hank Brow[/autotag]n was Auburn’s most efficient passer by passing for 132 yards on seven completions.

Brown’s performance, and the lackluster efforts from Auburn’s two most experienced signal callers, leaves [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] to make serious decisions regarding the position in 2024.

Freeze told reporters that the quarterback job is “wide open” for next season following Auburn’s bowl loss, and that everyone will need to step up in order to earn the right to be called QB1 next season.

All three of Auburn’s quarterback participants are set to return next season, and true freshman [autotag]Walker White[/autotag] is set to join the roster in January, thus throwing his name into consideration for the job during spring practice.

Although Freeze has mentioned that he plans on staying with his current quarterback unit for the 2024 season, there are several viable options remaining in the transfer portal as of the timing of this post. Several uncommitted names that remain in the transfer portal include Missouri’s Jake Garcia, Florida State’s Tate Rodemaker, and USC‘s Malachi Nelson.

No matter who wins the quarterback battle in 2024, I think every Auburn fan would love more consistency out of the winning candidate going forward.