SI gives puzzling take on Hank Brown's future with Auburn football after Deuce Knight's commitment
On SI's Stephen Atkinson sees Hank Brown as Auburn football's future QB1, despite Class of 2025 4-star Deuce Knight's commitment to the program on October 2. He also considers the Lipscomb Academy star the odd man out in Hugh Freeze and Derrick Nix's offensive system relative to the other players in the QB room.
"As is relates to Freeze, Nix, and the offensive system, Brown is the odd man out on his ability to keep and run, or have many designed quarterback read and possibly run plays," Atkinson wrote. "It's part of the system undoubtedly. But being that the system relies heavily on down-field passing, the ability to pass from the pocket is the ultimate talent distinguishment.
"Hank Brown is in all likelihood to have a leg up on getting the first snaps with the first team offense in spring drills, as it remains to be seen if Knight will be a December enrollee or arrive on campus in summer 2025. As athletic and talented as Knight is, quarterbacks coach Kent Austin, Nix, and Freeze are going to give Knight every opportunity in August 2025. But as of now to start the off season, one has to give Brown favorable odds to be the starter."
In truth, Brown isn't the only big-armed passer without much capability to call his own number and take off from the pocket in Freeze's QB stable. Holden Geriner is limited in his pocket mobility as well.
After what he showed against Arkansas in his lone SEC start, Brown as QB1 is far from a guarantee. Massive improvement from now to next year's fall camp is the only way he'll get his foot through the door again.
Knight and Walker White figure to be two of the top options to start in 2025 as things stand, but the truth is that Freeze needs to win games in year three or risk seeing his seat get hot. Starting a redshirt freshman or a true freshman is a risky proposition. Maybe a transfer portal QB is the answer, but we saw how averse Freeze was to adding one this last cycle. Hard lessons may have been learned there, though.
Freeze won't be fired after the 2024 season even if his team goes 4-8. But that might not be the case again in 2025.
Or maybe it will.
Eli Drinkwitz's success at Missouri bodes well for Hugh Freeze's future with Auburn football
Luckily for Freeze, the blueprint for losing for three straight years before turning a corner has been established in the SEC. Eli Drinkwitz had Missouri at 5-5, 6-7, and 6-7 his first three seasons before getting them to a New Year's Six bowl game in 2023 and a No. 9 ranking in the AP Poll heading into Week 6.
If AU's brain trust can keep Freeze around long enough, the Tigers can see sustained winning. But the 2025 season will be a litmus test to see if patience is a virtue on the Plains.