Auburn football: Top offseason QB targets trending to other SEC schools

Auburn football is beginning a new era under Hugh Freeze and co., and one of the first orders of business for the regime will be to add an accomplished arm under center to compete with Robby Ashford.

So far, the transfer portal has seen some big names enter it, and one (Jeff Sims) has already accepted an offer to join Nebraska, another sleeping giant that has added a new head coach (Matt Rhule) this offseason.

The two most prominent names linked to Auburn football, Devin Leary and Grayson McCall, appear to be trending toward other SEC schools per On3, putting Freeze and co. back at the drawing board during the current cycle.

Auburn football may not need a top QB from the transfer portal

We learned throughout the 2022 season that Robby Ashford can be a serious rushing threat, with the Hoover product amassing 313 rushing yards over his final four games under interim head coach Carnell “Cadillac” Williams. While his accuracy in the passing game was shaky, his commitment to the program never wavered even as former Tigers head coach Bryan Harsin allowed the quarterback battle to drag into Week 3 of the season.

Ashford has been around Hugh Freeze since his arrival on the Plains, attending AU’s gymnastics preview meet with the new Auburn football play-caller. Whether or not that means Freeze has decided that he will stick with Ashford is unclear. What’s also unknown is what the program will do with sophomore signal-caller Holden Geriner.

The Tigers may not need a flashy arm with the talent already under center, though. What Freeze does with his quarterback room will be a major storyline moving forward as the calendar turns to 2023.