As many expected for a long time now, Auburn QB TJ Finley has officially entered the transfer portal and will no longer be in competition to be the starting QB for the Tigers. Finley won the job last season in a competition with Robby Ashford and Zach Calzada (also no longer on the team), but his poor play and overall underwhelming performance from the team allowed Ashford to seize the job throughout the season.
This leaves the cupboard pretty bare at QB on The Plains at this point. Currently the only real options on the roster are Ashford as well as redshirt freshman Holden Geriner, who saw very limited action last season. The obvious answer at this point, barring a major leap from either of these two, is that Auburn’s starting QB is not currently on the roster at this point.
There are two quarterbacks currently in the portal who Auburn has been connected to that could end up playing for Hugh Freeze and the Tigers. Casey Thompson, formerly of Nebraska and Texas, as well as Payton Thorne of Michigan State have both been thought of as potential targets. Coastal Carolina’s Grayson McCall was a possibility, but it didn’t work out academically during the last portal window for him to end up at Auburn. There was the possibility that McCall could graduate, which would clear the path for him, and this is something worth monitoring as well.
No matter who the quarterback is, Hugh Freeze will have his work cut out for him in year one. Portal and recruiting wise, however, he has gotten off to a good start in his tenure and fans are optimistic that the program can take a big leap this season.
