Multiple Auburn football QB transfer portal departures expected

It is the end of the 2023 regular season and the Auburn football program is once again looking for an experienced quarterback in the transfer portal. That has been the case for the Tigers ever since Bo Nix left, there no one has stuck yet.

It was a battle between TJ Finley and Robby Ashford in 2022, one that Finley won but gave up to Ashford several games into the season. Then it was Finley versus Ashford versus Payton Thorne this pre-season, and though Thorne was named QB1 he shared a lot of playing time with Ashford at the beginning of this year.

Even though the coaching staff ultimately realized that continuously swapping quarterbacks in the game was not a strong plan, Payton Thorne never became that guy for Auburn football. Don’t get me wrong, he did his best and played his heart out for the Tigers, but things weren’t clicking. Whether that’s due to Thorne’s late arrival to campus in the summer or the abilities of the receivers or something else, we may never know.

Either way, head coach Hugh Freeze and his assistants will undoubtedly be looking for a quarterback in the transfer portal to bring to the Plains, which makes it likely that more then one Auburn football quarterback could be looking for playtime elsewhere.

According to Zac Blackerby of Auburn Daily, there are two candidates that are most likely to hit the portal once it opens on December 4:

"It would make sense for Holden Geriner to look for starting reps elsewhere even though his presence at Auburn is valuable for depth and effectiveness during practice.Robby Ashford doesn’t seem happy with his role. Ashford can transfer without penalty once he graduates. That will be sometime this offseason. My current guess is that Ashford is not on Auburn’s roster next season."

With 2024 commit Walker White on his way in to join Hank Brown, Geriner, Finley, Ashford, and Thorne, the room is looking pretty crowded ahead of next season.

It’s always fun to dream of which players Auburn will add next season, but you still have one more chance to win this season thanks to FanDuel! Just sign up with the link below, deposit $10 or more and bet $5 or more on Auburn’s moneyline odds in its bowl game. If Auburn wins, you’ll win an additional $150 in bonus bets. Sign up for FanDuel today!