Auburn football: Previewing the Tigers quarterback room

Hugh Freeze has his first quarterback. Hank Brown has committed to Auburn football after decommitting from Liberty shortly following Freeze’s departure to the Plains, which he announced on his personal Twitter. The 3-star quarterback was expected to end up with the Tigers once Freeze arrived. It felt more like an when than an if.

Auburn, for the time being, will roster four scholarship quarterbacks, as TJ Finley has yet to enter his name into the transfer portal. Once that happens, Auburn will be down to three scholarship players at the quarterback position, with the expectation being that at least one more scholarship quarterback will be brought in via either the high school ranks or the transfer portal.

What this means for Auburn football

Hugh Freeze has made it obvious that he is not going to sit idly by and let the roster slip from a talent standpoint. The quarterback position is no exception. Freeze has long been noted for his ability to recruit and coach quarterbacks. Brown, who committed to Liberty back in June, was initially drawn to Freeze for this history and his offensive system, which has traditionally put the quarterback in almost complete control of every play.

Combined with the addition of Philip Montgomery as offensive coordinator and the increasing likelihood that Grayson McCall is not heading to Auburn, Brown’s commitment felt more and more likely each day.

With the news today that Devin Leary is transferring to Kentucky to play for Mark Stoops and new-ish offensive coordinator Liam Coen at Kentucky, Auburn football is down to just three scholarship quarterbacks on roster: Holden Geriner, Robby Ashford, and Brown. It is expected that Freeze and Montgomery will look to add at least one more quarterback to the room before spring practice starts.

Current Auburn football options

Holden Geriner

Geriner likely goes into this next spring practice with the most arm talent on roster. While his inexperience is a red flag for his chances of winning the job outright, his ability to throw the football to all parts of the field is well documented.

Robby Ashford

Robby is the incumbent starter. While not the initial starter for the Tigers, Ashford took over for TJ Finley after the Penn State game in which Finley was injured, and he never looked back. His inconsistencies as a passer are on tape, but his speed is a weapon. One has to wonder what Robby could become under the tutelage of Freeze and Montgomery.

Hank Brown

Brown’s commitment shows what we all thought after Freeze was announced: being at least a serviceable passer is the minimum requirement to play for this team. Gone are the days of quarterbacks who cannot consistently make the easy throws. Gone are the days of track star dual threats with below-average accuracy. While it is unlikely that he sees playing time over Ashford, Geriner, and another player from the transfer portal, Brown’s presence signals that throwing the ball will be the more important skill to have.

Conclusion

The Auburn quarterback room is on its way to being replenished and fixed. The years of subpar play at the position is likely to come to an end under Freeze and Montgomery. With another quarterback brought in from the transfer portal, there is cause for excitement leading into spring ball.