Auburn beat reporter clowns underperforming Tigers OC’s salary

Auburn football beat reporter Justin Lee of The Opelika-Auburn News clowned underperforming offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery’s salary — clowning the first-year OC’s pay for hardly being justified considering he is merely “collaborates” with Hugh Freeze on play-calling.

“Montgomery is getting paid $3.45 million guaranteed to ‘collaborate,'” tweeted Lee; which was in response to Freeze’s November 6 declaration that Montgomery’s role is fluid depending on “how it’s going.”

“It’s a collaboration,” Freeze prefaced to reporters about Montgomery’s role before saying, “I’m very involved, but Monty is calling his share, too. It’s a partnership. It kind of depends on how it’s going.”

Hugh Freeze hands reins of Auburn football offense to Payton Thorne

Perhaps one of the things Freeze and Montgomery collaborated on, but ultimately went Freeze’s way, was the decision to hand the reins of the offense to previously struggling but now surging Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne. As Freeze revealed during the Monday presser of Arkansas game week, it’s going to be Thorne, and not Robby Ashford, running the show moving forward.

“It was more ‘this is what we’re going to offensively,’ and I believe Payton’s skillsets are the most prepared for what we’re doing,” Freeze prefaced before saying, “It’s not a negative toward anybody else, I think when you talk about playing with tempo, setting our protections, throwing accuracy with footballs, and understanding coverages, I think he’s the farthest along in that. I think Holden (Geriner) had one heck of a week last week, and he can really spin it. He’s probably one that… I think he’s got a bright future.”

Freeze has defended Thorne this season, throwing the coaching staff under the bus before thinking of speaking ill of the grad transfer. Montgomery would probably prefer the more RPO-geared Ashford, but the head man is having the final say.

And that may leave Montgomery hung out to dry this offseason if the Tigers’ brain trust decides to switch up the coaching staff.