Robby Ashford implies departed Auburn transfer was toxic to QB room

Following a 59-14 Week 1 win over UMass, Robby Ashford made an interesting comment about Payton Thorne that seemingly implied that TJ Finley, Zach Calzada, or both, were toxic to the Auburn football quarterback room during the 2022 season.

“We’re brothers… There’s not gonna be any hate,” Ashford said of Thorne when asked about the QB competition before saying, “We didn’t have that last year. We had a lot of toxicity in the room. We got that out, and now we’ve just got a band of brothers in that room.”

Finley was known to have been unhappy with his role, with his father even famously chiming in to criticize the use of multiple quarterbacks in then-head coach Bryan Harsin’s system. Calzada, on the other hand, was never medically cleared to play and never took a snap for the Tigers. Who Ashford was talking about was unknown, and it’s unlikely the Hoover native would expand upon this further to create any extraneous drama now that the room is copacetic.

Tale of two outcomes for departed Auburn football transfer quarterbacks in Week 1

Of the two Auburn football quarterbacks who made their debut for a Texas-based program in Week 1, Finley easily had the better showing; producing a gem under center for Texas State, with 298 passing yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions in a monumental 42-31 upset over Baylor. Calzada was not as fortunate manning Incarnate Word’s offense, throwing a pick and completing just 18/31 passes in a 28-14 loss to UTEP. Finley has already made the Bobcats’ season, while Calzada predictably came up short trying to lead an FCS team over an FBS squad.

Week 1 was a tale of two outcomes for two Harsin transfers who never got to find the role they were looking for on the Plains. Here’s wishing each of them luck in their Lone Star State futures and beyond.