Analyst offers explanation why Ryan Williams didn't join Auburn football's Freeze Four to form Freeze Five

Ryan Williams may not have joined Cam Coleman, Malcolm Simmons, Perry Thompson, and Bryce Cain to form a "Freeze Five" for Auburn football because the Tigers had Payton Thorne as their starting QB.

This is a theory Crain & Company's Jake Crain shared to social media as Thorne threw four interceptions in a shocking loss to Cal at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Week 2.

"A part of me still thinks Auburn not having a legit QB cost them Ryan Williams," Crain wrote on Twitter.

Hard to argue with that.

Alabama had the same QB Williams committed to the Crimson Tide for under Nick Saban, Jalen Milroe, and saw a proof of concept in 2023 with both Milroe's play under center and new head coach Kalen DeBoer's Pac-12 champion Washington Huskies.

Freeze offered up the same QB who struggled to reach 100 yards passing during five different games last season and may still stick with him as fans call for him to be replaced by Hank Brown.

Perhaps it's Coleman, Simmons, Thompson, and Cain having second thoughts. Williams certainly isn't. Milroe has five touchdowns and no interceptions this season. Williams caught three of those TDs.

Auburn football can lose recruits, current players to the transfer portal if Tigers don't turn things around

So quickly, the momentum has shifted on the Plains. Losing to Cal has led to no major flips choosing Auburn. It seemed like a certainty that Deuce Knight would, but now Ole Miss is creeping back into the mix with Notre Dame losing to Northern Illinois.

If things don't get better this season -- if Freeze continues to make unpopular decisions at key positions and the team suffers defeats fans couldn't fathom before Week 2 -- the Tigers will be risking losing members of the Freeze Four, their top-five 2025 class, and their No. 1 2026 class.