Auburn football: Why the QB question will not be answered this spring

The Auburn football program is facing a lot of questions heading into the 2023 season. Will Hugh Freeze and his staff truly be able to turn the program around? Will the offensive line improve from last season? Which wide receiver will stand out as the go-to pass catcher? And most intriguing of all, who will be the Tigers’ QB1?

However, the anticipated question will likely not be answered until much later this year in the fall for several reasons. First, Freeze and his staff are not utilizing a depth chart during spring practices, and TJ Finley, Robby Ashford, and Holden Geriner are all taking equal reps to try and prove themselves.

Second of all, because this is just spring, the quarterbacks are not being tackled at all in practices, which makes it hard to truly evaluate them. This is especially true with Robby Ashford, who was known for making moves with his feet last season despite being a less-than-average passer most of the time. Freeze has said that he’s seen the film and watched Ashford play, but there’s really no way to tell how he will perform after being coached by the new staff until he is in live situations.

Auburn Live reports that Auburn football offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery understands the struggles that might be plaguing Ashford with the way the spring practices are set up:

"“It’s frustrating for a guy like Robby who has a lot of athletic ability to him,” Montgomery said. “When he breaks out of that pocket, good things can happen for us. You don’t get to see the aspect and element that will play into games. You have to make sure you’re looking at that in a proper way when you’re moving forward. He can really make some plays with his feet. We’ll continue to keep seeing that part of it.”"

Of course, there is also speculation that none of the three quarterbacks currently on campus will be the Tigers’ QB1, and that the coaching staff will instead take a transfer QB once the next portal window opens after spring. They were not able to find the right fit during the first window, but more players will enter following spring training and there may be more options to consider.

For now, we’ll have to judge by how the QBs are doing in the circumstances they’re under, and we’ll get to see that firsthand when the Tigers host the A-Day spring scrimmage on April 8.