Auburn football alum shares regret that Tigers didn't nab Cam Ward from transfer portal

Former Auburn football star receiver Anthony Schwartz shared his biggest regret about the 2024 Tigers roster: that Cam Ward was not signed to it when AU had the chance over the offseason. Ward is now a Heisman candidate at Miami.

"We should’ve gave Cam Ward the whole checkbook man," Schwartz tweeted after Auburn's 21-17 loss to Mizzou on October 19.

Ward changed the entire narrative in Coral Gables/Miami Gardens this season after the Hurricanes couldn't even execute a QB kneel at the end of games last year, costing them an in-hand win against Georgia Tech.

He could've changed the narrative at Auburn, which stubbornly stuck with Payton Thorne and Hank Brown. Beyond Ward, BYU's Jake Reztlaff and Oregon's Dillon Gabriel have proven just how impactful a portal QB can be.

But nope. Hugh Freeze didn't want to take that chance.

Hugh Freeze didn't want to spend a million dollars in the portal for an Auburn football transfer QB

Freeze admitted that he felt his in-house options were good enough not to venture into the portal while speaking on the topic of NIL back in May.

"I believe in our quarterback room," Freeze said, (h/t Auburn Undercover). "I believe in Kent Austin (quarterbacks coach). I believe that if you have the right pieces around Payton, that we can have success. I think you saw some glimpses of that, and I don't think we had a total package around him really.

"The options that you're presented with: Develop Payton, develop Holden, develop Hank and develop Walker or go spend a million dollars on this guy. I couldn't bring myself to doing that because I wanted to put all the pieces together. Now, I'm not saying I won't do that in time, but just currently, I think the guy is proven."

Those words aged like milk. Ward has aged like fine wine in Miami, though.

If only.