Robby Ashford – Page 8 – Syndication Server

Where Auburn lands in Lindy’s Sports preseason SEC outlook

Lindy’s predicts that Hugh Freeze will bring life to Auburn’s offense in 2023.

There is plenty of optimism surrounding Auburn football ahead of the 2023 season, but there are still plenty of questions.

Auburn brings in [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] to lead the program and has already generated buzz that has Auburn fans filled with hope and excitement. Maybe the fans will return the gift of patience to Freeze as he has been tasked to rebuild the program back to expectations.

As Auburn prepares to enter the season with unique circumstances, how does Lindy’s Sports project the Tigers to finish in the SEC West? The preseason publication has submitted its picks and has projected that Auburn will finish 6th in the division.

Lindy’s Sports says that Freeze will “breathe life into the offense”, and is optimistic about the future of running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag]. However, uncertainty regarding quarterback play is one of Auburn’s biggest questions says Jimmy Hyams.

It was unclear after spring if [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] could run Hugh Freeze’s offense at Auburn, so Freeze added Michigan State transfer [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] in early May. The Tigers do have an elite rusher in Jarquez Hunter.

Here’s a look at what the outlook of the SEC West according to Lindy’s Sports’ projections.

Auburn Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 1 Payton Thorne

He is battling Robby Ashford for the starting quarterback job.

Going into the 2023 football season, Auburn Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] in his first season on the Plains.

Up next is transfer quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag]. Freeze was looking for an experienced quarterback to compete for the starting job and he pounced on Thorne once he entered the portal.

Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Naperville, Illinois

Height: 6-2

Weight: 203

Previous School: Michigan State

Class in 2023: Junior

247Sports Composite Ranking

Three-Star / No. 20 in Illinois / No. 26 QB

Career Stats

Year	G	Completion Percentage	Yards	TDs	INTs	Rushing Yards	TDs
2020 (MSU)	4	56% (48-85)	582	3	3	47	1
2021 (MSU)	13	60% (234-388)	3,233	27	10	181	4
2022 (MSU)	12	63% (242-387)	2,679	19	11	42	1

PFF Grades

Year	Offense	Passing	Running	Run Block
2020	69.4	71.8	57.6	60.0
2021	77.9	74.0	66.7	60.5
2022	71.8	70.7	61.7	60.0

Depth Chart Overview

Thorne is the presumptive start after Freeze prioritized adding a veteran quarterback after going through spring practice with [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag]. Having made 29 appearances and being a two-time captain for Michigan State, he gives Auburn the veteran quarterback that can lead the offense in Year 1 of the Freeze era.

He and returning starter Ashford are in a battle for the starting spot and Ashford isn’t going quietly but Thorne’s past success will carry the day and allow him to take advantage of the revamped offensive line and wide receiver room.

Payton Thorne’s Photo Gallery

Payton Thorne will need time to adjust suggests one analyst

The competition between Robby Ashford and Payton Thorne may be closer than most think.

Auburn fans felt that the program’s need for a quarterback disappeared when Michigan State transfer [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] committed to the program.

Thorne arrived on campus quickly and began learning the system. However, he is inexperienced when it comes to working with [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag], [autotag]Philip Montgomery[/autotag], and even his new offensive line and wide receivers.

Because of this, Thorne will need time to reach his full potential on the Plains suggests one college football analyst.

On a recent episode of The Hard Count, On3’s JD PicKell discussed Thorne’s adjustment to Auburn. PicKell says that Thorne’s late arrival may delay his journey to reach his full potential and that Auburn fans may need to exercise patience.

“Payton Thorne is showing up and this is going to be a brand new offense to him, a brand new staff, brand new teammates,” PicKell said. “It takes some time to mesh at any position if you miss spring practice, let alone as the quarterback. And this offense is going to go through the quarterback.”

Not only does he need to take time to mesh with his new teammates, but he will need to learn to be nearly flawless in an RPO system.

“The RPO scheme you put a lot on the quarterback’s plate,” PicKell said. “Whether or not you’re asking him to do a ton physically, you’re asking him to do a ton mentally from being up to speed with the scheme and knowing where to go with the football.”

PicKell goes on to suggest that if Thorne needs more time to adjust to Auburn, it is a good thing to have a player like [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] in the chamber. Ashford has a year under his belt on the Plains and worked with Freeze in spring practice.

In conclusion, the competition between Ashford and Thorne may be closer than we think. Thorne’s ability to grasp the new system, and how quickly he can do so, will make the difference at quarterback this season.

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Jersey numbers for spring transfers unveiled

Here’s a look at what number each of Auburn’s eight spring transfers will wear this fall.

After finding success in the first window of the transfer portal window, [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and his staff continued to work to fill needs for their team in the spring portion.

As part of their spring transfer haul, Auburn gained support at wide receiver, jack linebacker, offensive line, and quarterback. [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] headlines the spring additions, as Freeze now has a worthy quarterback to compete with [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] for the starting QB1 job.

Whoever wins the quarterback battle will also have more options to throw to thanks to the addition of three wide receivers in [autotag]Shane Hooks[/autotag], [autotag]Jyaire Shorter[/autotag], and [autotag]Caleb Burton[/autotag].

Defensively, the biggest position Auburn needed to fill was JACK linebacker. In the winter window, Auburn added [autotag]Elijah McAllister[/autotag] from Vanderbilt to build depth. However, Dylan Brooks elected to leave the program, which left more room to fill. The Tigers received assistance, however, by landing [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag] from Appalachian State and [autotag]Stephen Sings[/autotag] from Liberty.

At linebacker, Auburn gains [autotag]Larry Nixon III[/autotag]. Nixon was the second-leading tackler at North Texas last season with 105 total stops and was named first-team All-Conference USA.

All eight transfers are now on campus and have received their jersey numbers for the upcoming season. Here’s a look at what number each spring transfer will wear this upcoming season.

No.	Name
1	Payton Thorne, QB
10	Caleb Burton, WR
11	Shane Hooks, WR
14	Jyaire Shorter, WR
16	Stephen Sings V, JACK
30	Larry Nixon III, LB
35	Jalen McLeod, JACK
63	Jaden Muskrat, OL

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Auburn Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 12 Holden Geriner

He is in the mix to be Auburn’s quarterback of the future.

Going into the 2023 football season, Auburn Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

Up next is quarterback [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag]. He appeared in one game last season to maintain his redshirt and looks set to be QB3 behind Auburn’s older and more experienced options.