247Sports' Bud Elliott believes the "Freeze Four" quartet of Cam Coleman, Perry Thompson, Bryce Cain, and Malcolm Simmons will help Hugh Freeze's Auburn football program find an elite transfer portal option under center in 2025.
"Auburn is going to be a crazy nice option for a transfer QB next year," Elliott wrote in a quote tweet of the Auburn football X account claiming they hit on all four receivers; with accompanying pictures and "freezing" face emojis.
Coleman drew believers to the cause during a massive A-Day performance, but he further turned heads this offseason when Payton Thorne said he can jump higher than 2024 second-round NFL draft pick Keon Coleman, Thornes teammate at Michigan State.
“I’ve never seen somebody who can jump as high as (Cam) can. It’s honestly majestic,” Thorne said (h/t Opelika-Auburn News' Adam Cole).
Simmons and Thompson have been making highlight reel catches themselves, while Cain is becoming an option for kickoff and punt returns.
This group is going to impress, perhaps sooner than even Freeze is claiming. The Tigers head coach believes it can take a year or two for them to get their chances, but talent can only be denied for so long. KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Rivaldo Fairweather, Robert Lewis, and Thorne's high school teammate Sam Jackson V all stand in the way of an immediate ascension, but in football, having a fully healthy depth chart is nearly impossible.
Auburn football QB situation unclear after Payton Thorne leaves
It's hard to envision what the future of Auburn's QB position is as things currently stand. Walker White is highly touted, but recent history suggests the freshman could wear a redshirt by season's end. Hank Brown and Holden Geriner are in the mix as well, but Freeze hasn't given much of an inkling as to who is QB2 in the 2024 room.
In 2025? After Thorne leaves? Who knows. Deuce Knight remains an option, but there was reportedly a "massive break" in his recruitment.
We'll know soon enough, probably against Alabama A&M when every QB figures to get action against an overmatched FCS foe.