Hugh Freeze on the reality of QB competition within Auburn football

Auburn football head coach Hugh Freeze made a big move during the spring transfer portal window when he added former Michigan State QB Payton Thorne to the roster. Though the staff was slow to get their guy, it has been clear since Freeze took the job that he was always open to adding another quarterback to join TJ Finley, Robby Ashford, and Holden Geriner.

Finley previously spoke about his dislike of competition in the QB room, citing the additions of Zach Calzada and Robby Ashford through the transfer portal as “a slap in the face” and indicative that the coaches didn’t believe in him. For months, the former LSU transfer hinted at entering the portal again, and finally did so earlier this month.

On the other hand, Robby Ashford took the addition of Payton Thorne in stride, tweeting that “iron sharpens iron” and that he plans to get to work. As far as Freeze is concerned, his job is to care about the good of the team, not just the feelings of individual players, and he laid out the reality about the competition in the Auburn football quarterback room moving forward, per Saturday Down South:

"“Life is not easy,” he said, per WVTM 13’s Ryan Hennessy. “It’s an unrealistic expectation if you think you’re not going to have 4 quarterbacks. Obviously, with TJ leaving, we had to get another one. I’m not going to go into the season, nor will I next year or the year after (without 4). We’re going to sign 4 quarterbacks, and every single year it’s going to be a competition.”"

As Freeze said, the competition this year will be between Payton Thorne, Robby Ashford, Holden Geriner, and incoming freshman Hank Brown. Though Brown isn’t likely to win the job this fall, it’s likely that he will contribute in a major way during his time on the Plains.