Auburn football players share thoughts on the quarterback battle

It is nearing crunch time for the Auburn football program as fall camp is right around the corner and the season opener is just over a month away. The team has faced a lot of challenges during this offseason, from new coaches to new teammates to new schemes.

Over 40 new players will have joined the Tigers during the offseason, including former Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne. The incoming transfer joined returners Robby Ashford and Holden Geriner in the quarterback room, along with true freshman Hank Brown.

Since his arrival on the Plains, it was expected that head coach Hugh Freeze would take a quarterback out of the transfer portal, and he emphasized the fact that there should always be four quarterbacks competing for the job.

Realistically, it’s a three-way battle between Geriner, incumbent starter Ashford, and newbie Thorne. While Ashford has the advantage of familiarity on the Plains, many expect Thorne to win the job due to his proven experience in winning games at Michigan State. In fact, many believe that it’s a given Thorne will be QB1 on September 2.

However, according to Auburn football players that joined Freeze at SEC Media Days, the quarterback battle is still wide open heading into fall camp, per The Opelika-Auburn News:

"“All three of them are (really good),” [Luke] Deal said. “And that’s the thing, I mean, each guy brings a little bit different skill set to the fall, but we’re going to check and see, and it’s going to be fun."

The veteran tight end explained that he’s been around several quarterback battles, going back to Bo Nix, Joey Gatewood, and Malik Willis, and that he’s excited to see how things turn out this fall.

The Tigers will begin fall camp in preparation for the 2023 season on August 2, exactly one month before the season opener in Jordan-Hare Stadium.