Auburn legend sends strong message on incumbent QB1

Legendary Auburn football linebacker Takeo Spikes sent a strong message in support of incumbent starting quarterback Robby Ashford while speaking with Locked On Auburn’s Zac Blackerby — suggesting that the 2022 season’s starter from Week 4 to Week 12 could develop under Hugh Freeze into a QB1-capable option.

“I was surprised and excited to hear Hugh come out and say out of all of the athletes that he’s ever coached, that Robby Ashford was the best athlete that he’s ever seen,” Spikes said (h/t Auburn Daily). “And so with that being said, I had to uncover a little bit on that. And so for me, it just tells me that he’s more than capable of getting the job done, even though he only completed 50% of his passes last year. And I throw out last year because Robby is raw. And so now we all know Hugh as not only as the quarterback whisperer, but as a player developer. And that’s something that we have not had at Auburn at least going back five to seven years.”

Ashford has major competition with former Michigan State signal-caller Payton Thorne now on the Plains, but Freeze has not yet eliminated either of them — or even Holden Geriner for that matter — from the QB battle.

Robby Ashford will have an Auburn football role regardless of whether or not he starts

Even if Ashford does lose the starting quarterback job to Thorne, which is what most are expecting at this point, the Hoover native will have a starting job with the Tigers in 2023 per AL.com’s Ainslee Lee.

“Ashford’s multi-dimensional skillset that’s bound to have him seeing the field again this season, regardless of who wins the starting gig,” Lee wrote.

Ashford, at worst, could be an RPO-heavy change-of-pace option under center, and at best, could progress from a promising final four games in 2022 after Bryan Harsin was fired and Cadillac Williams subsequently took over.