Fall camp is here and the Auburn football team is back in action. The Tigers will have 15 practices ahead of the 2023 to answer some hard questions about the roster and prepare Hugh Freeze’s first Auburn team to take on the grueling SEC.
Freeze answered questions from the media in his first fall presser this morning, and was asked about many aspects of the team, including the quarterbacks, offensive line, and running backs. The focus during fall camp will be putting together all the pieces that the coaching staff gathered during the offseason, from the returners to the freshmen to the incoming transfers.
Beginning with the quarterbacks, Freeze noted that Holden Geriner, Robby Ashford, and Payton Thorne will rotate evenly with the 1s, 2s, and 3s for the first five practices. The head coach said that it may take more than fall camp to have a permanent QB1, but he has faith in all three guys:
Auburn HC Hugh Freeze on the QBs: "I am cautiously optimistic that we can win some football games with several of those guys... It may be three games into the season before we know this is absolutely the guy. I hope that's not the case, but it could be."
— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) August 3, 2023
Unsurprisingly, Freeze was asked about the status of Jarquez Hunter, and, unsurprisingly, Freeze said he could not comment on an internal university investigation. Instead, he said that he was highly impressed with all the running backs so far, especially Damari Alston:
"I think Damari (Alston) has been one of the best leaders on this team during the summer." - Hugh Freeze on the running back room
— Brian Stultz (@brianjstultz) August 3, 2023
Overall, Freeze stated that there has been significant improvement to the team during the offseason in terms of strength and conditioning:
Hugh Freeze on Auburn summer workouts: "We're bigger and stronger. We look better."
— Nathan King (@NathanKing247) August 3, 2023
Though Freeze has worked hard during his short time on the Plains to temper expectations of fans despite his recruiting wins, it’s clear that there is a lot of excitement surrounding the team and that there will be improvements to see when the Tigers hit the field in a month.
Speaking of recruiting wins, here’s a bonus quote of note from Hugh Freeze, which may or may not be shading former Auburn football head coach Bryan Harsin:
Hugh Freeze: "I think it's pretty easy to recruit to Auburn. This is one of the elite programs in the country."
— Nathan King (@NathanKing247) August 3, 2023
With just one month until the 2023 season, there’s a lot to be excited about, and Auburn football is beginning a new era the right way.