Auburn football: Odds to land Clemson transfer quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei
One of new Auburn football head coach Hugh Freeze’s most critical decisions will be who to hand the ball to as the lead play-caller of his offense. Does he stick with the incumbent Robby Ashford or look to add a big name via the transfer portal?
Bookies.com offered up some transfer odds for Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, who entered the transfer portal on December 5, and AU was among the top four options for QB1 in Clemson the past two seasons with +700 odds.
UCLA, the team with the top odds to land Uiagalelei, has accepted a 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl invite, declaring his intentions to turn pro in 2023. Oregon, the No. 2 school on the list, will be losing Bo Nix to the NFL as well. Virginia — who had the next best odds above Auburn football — just lost their starter, Brennan Armstrong, to the transfer portal themselves, Florida, who’s right below AU’s odds has another NFL jumper in Anthony Richardson, and Oregon State has a somewhat open competition under center and can use the additional star power. Mount San Antonio, a JUCO in California, has the longest odds next to the field.
Auburn football being linked to multiple transfer portal quarterbacks
It’s customary for a new coach to pick his own guys, so Robby Ashford was always going to be behind the 8-ball nabbing the starting quarterback role on the Plains under Hugh Freeze. Zach Calzada read the writing on the wall and already took to the transfer portal.
With Carnell “Cadillac” Williams still on staff as the associate head coach, Ashford will always have a key endorsement on the support staff, but he could very well have new competition enter the QB room from the transfer portal.
With D.J. Uiagalelei having AU on his short list, Oklahoma State transfer Spencer Sanders being linked by ESPN’s Tom Luginbill, and T.J. Finley possibly joining Calzada in the portal to join his brother in his home-state, it seems evident that Ashford will have to earn the starting job again in 2023.