After Auburn’s loss to Maryland in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl last December, head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] said that the quarterback competition for the 2024 season is “wide open.”
Following the departure of Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer to Alabama, one of the best quarterbacks in the nation is back on the market.
[autotag]Will Rogers[/autotag], who passed for 12,315 yards in four seasons at Mississippi State, committed to Washington following the 2023 regular season. He was also spotted at the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on the sidelines wearing a Washington jersey. However, Huskies head coach Kalen Deboer fled to Tuscaloosa to become Nick Saban’s replacement at Alabama. Because of this, Rogers has elected to dip back into the transfer portal.
Following the announcement, Ryan Haley of College Sports Wire revealed the top six transfer destinations for Rogers and included Auburn on the list. Haley cites [autotag]Payton Thorn[/autotag]e’s 2023 struggles as a reason for Auburn to pursue the gunslinger.
If Rogers is going to circle back to the south, he’s going to team up with head coach Hugh Freeze in Auburn. The Tigers finished 6-7 last year and finished one play from beating Alabama, but former Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne was not a high point for the offense. Auburn finished with 162.2 yards per game through the air, almost 20 yards behind any other SEC offense, and PFF credited Thorne with the third-most turnover-worthy plays in the conference despite him ranking 11th in total dropbacks. Only Kentucky’s Devin Leary threw more interceptions than Thorne’s 10. Rogers, despite reaching 600 attempts as a sophomore and a junior, has never thrown more than nine interceptions in a single campaign.
As it stands, Rogers is second all-time in SEC career passing yards behind former Georgia star Aaron Murray. If he were to join Auburn’s roster, or any other roster in the SEC, he would have a chance to break Murray’s record of 13,166 yards.
Auburn’s revamped wide receiver room would also benefit from having a quarterback like Rogers, who is known as a great passer. Haley also suggested a possible reunion with DeBoer in Tuscaloosa, but with Jalen Milroe expected to return, Rogers may have a better shot at earning adequate playing time on the Plains in Freeze’s offense.
Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__