If new Auburn football head coach Hugh Freeze wants to hand the keys of the offense to incumbent starter Robby Ashford, he could hunt for a backup signal-caller currently in the transfer portal.
At this point in the transfer cycle, the pickings are sparse — but there is still value there whether or not Freeze wants to find a starter or a QB2. In the former case, Oklahoma State transfer Spencer Sanders stands out as the one guy who’d likely step onto the Plains and start.
For the latter, while a name like Purdue’s Brady Allen has been floated by the Montgomery Advertiser’s Richard Silva, Auburn Daily’s Lance Dawe suggests Oregon State transfer Chance Nolan — who was benched in 2022 after a concussion and never made it back under center — as a potential backup to Ashford in Freeze’s first season in charge:
"“At this point, Auburn may not be looking for a starter out of the portal – and they could get a solid No. 2 option in Nolan. Nolan threw for over 4,100 yards and 32 touchdowns over the course of three seasons with the Beavers as well as 508 rushing yards (4.4) YPC. He would have two years of eligibility remaining.”"
Where Auburn football stands with Spencer Sanders
Spencer Sanders has held out for a while in the transfer portal, having designated Ole Miss and Auburn football as his top two landing spots. Perhaps Ohio State enters the mix with C.J. Stroud declaring for the NFL draft, but the SEC seems to be where Sanders will end up.
As the waiting game with Sanders continues, Hugh Freeze needs to make the tough decision on whether he should find a starting quarterback to teach a new system from scratch or if he’ll be handing the starting job to Ashford.
There will be angry fans if the former happens considering the expectations many have of Ashford under a new offensive system. Those Tiger fans must hope the higher powers in the program are on their side, because Freeze will do what decision is passed down to him from the AU power brokers.
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