Auburn cannot allow Alabama to benefit from portal reluctancy toward star QB

Hugh Freeze’s Auburn football program cannot allow Nick Saban and Co. to grab the current top transfer portal option at quarterback, SEC veteran and all-time Mississippi QB great Will Rogers; who entered the portal on November 24.

Rogers will be one of the hottest commodities in the portal, with two seasons (2021, 2022) of over 4,000 all-purpose yards, almost all of them coming from his real-life over-the-mountains Uncle Rico-type arm strength. When he gets there, Alabama could be looking for a new QB in the event Jalen Milroe is unfairly scapegoated should the Tide not live up to Tuscaloosa’s “Titletown” expectation. Auburn, at least according to The Opelika-Auburn News’ Justin Lee, will be looking for a new signal-caller as well.

Should the Iron Bowl play out once again on the recruiting trail for a star like Rogers, perhaps the commitments of others could be swayed; looking at Foley’s Perry Thompson and Central’s Cameron Coleman.

Auburn football should give Perry Thompson and Cam Coleman elite QB under center from the jump

An ideal situation for Auburn would be Rogers being the first college quarterback Coleman and Thompson catch passes from, and in the meantime, Walker White simultaneously being brought up as the heir to the throne in 2025.

Alabama cannot have this situation play out with Julian Sayin in White’s place if Tiger fans want to see their rival lose in 2024. The mullet-A’s talented receiving corps may lose only Ja’Corey Brooks and Tyler Harrell to the NFL and will add three blue-chip wideouts. Adding Rogers to that is nightmarish. Imagine the Tide also having Milroe remaining on the roster as the kind of change-of-pace dual-threat Robby Ashford only got limited chances to be in 2023.

If Freeze wants to be picky on his quarterback options to the point of not considering Rogers due to a scheme fit, he better hope Saban doesn’t end up with the SEC’s all-time No. 2 passer in lieu of AU.