aubiefifty

al.com Why Bruce Pearl is re-shuffling Auburn’s rotation of guards Published: Feb. 22, 2024, 10:38 a.m. 5–6 minutes Aubie is honored after winning his 11th UCA National Championship. aubie For so many weeks at the beginning of this season, Bruce Pearl repetitively fielded questions about the quality of his point guard play, how it didn’t matter whether it was Aden Holloway or Tre Donaldson on the court, how Auburn was just getting efficient and elite leadership from its primary ball-handler. They were at the forefront of an Auburn attack that has a top 10 assist-to-turnover ratio in the country. And in a Bruce Pearl offense, that’s essential. Yet then Pearl sat down after Auburn’s 70-59 loss to Kentucky last weekend and it was clear exactly where a key problem had been. The guard play just wasn’t good enough. So what happened? Against Kentucky, it starts with foul trouble. Donaldson had four fouls, K.D. Johnson had three. Pearl said that greatly limited his guard rotation and led to other guards like Denver Jones playing 28 minutes, six more than his season average. Donaldson’s 11 minutes were a season-low. Neither he nor Holloway had an assist. That’s not a formula Auburn can win with. Because of foul trouble, Auburn didn’t get the time on the floor or the production from its guards that Pearl wanted against Kentucky, but the rotational changes have stemmed from beyond just the Kentucky loss and beyond foul trouble. That starts with Jones. He has been added in to make a two-man point guard rotation between Holloway and Donaldson into a three-man group. “I know as of late, Coach BP told me that he wanted to get a few reps at point, just because of defense, really,” Jones said after the loss to Kentucky. “Tre in foul trouble did kinda move me into the point guard position a little bit longer than expected.” Jones may be Auburn’s best pure defensive guard. Johnson may be the defender causing the most havoc. Certainly, Jones brings better defense at point guard than Donaldson or Holloway, but he’s entering that rotation for his offense, too. “Denver is a very versatile guard and I think the issue there was simply K.D. Johnson and Denver both playing well and needing more than just the 40 minutes at the two spot,” Pearl said. Holloway has struggled mightily since the start of SEC play. He has continued to be reliable for Auburn at point guard with a good assist rate and low turnover numbers, but his scoring has majorly fallen off the point where Pearl recently flipped his starting lineup to Donaldson over Holloway over the last seven games. It’s been a month since Holloway scored double-digit points in a game. In SEC play, he’s averaging 5.5 points per game and shooting 25% from the field. Over Auburn’s last three games, Holloway is 2-13 from the field and has scored six total points. Pearl has emphasized his confidence in the freshman, but has clearly reached the point where he’s had to make rotational changes at the position. Nor has Donaldson given consistent scoring production since becoming Auburn’s starting point guard. Since Jan. 27, Donaldson has made two 3-pointers. But he’s been far more effective and efficient inside the arc shooting 49% from the field in SEC play. And for the most part, Auburn has not been impacted even without its point guards at their best. That’s because Auburn’s forwards have played so well. Auburn’s three leading scorers this year are all forwards. But with the injury to forward Jaylin Williams (knee), there’s now more onus on the guards to step up. Before Jones made three 3-pointers in Auburn’s loss to Kentucky, Williams was the second-leading 3-point shooter on this team. Holloway is still the leader, though doing so with nearly double the attempts of any other Auburn player. Losing 13 points per game in Williams during whatever undefined period he may be out for is a huge hole in this team. Forward Chaney Johnson will likely step into Williams’ spot, but is unlikely to exactly replace the scoring production of his teammate. That slack must be picked up elsewhere. It will likely have to be a guard, especially with how well and how consistently Williams was willing to shoot. Centers Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell will pick up what’s lost on the interior. Because of Williams’ injury, Auburn will see several rotational changes. Because of how versatile Jones plays, his role will expand to play multiple positions. He’ll be one of several Auburn players expected to be more interchangeable parts because of Williams’ injury. Late February isn’t the time of year to experiment. Auburn may lack a choice. Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

there are folks who say trump is being blackmailed by putin. he did cut sanctions or end them for russia...........

is this not racist? maybe not hate wise but that is profiling right?

Chris Stewart 'excited and grateful' to be voice of Alabama football's new era Published: Feb. 22, 2024, 9:13 a.m. 4–5 minutes Alabama Wins 2023 SEC Championship - Final Play called by Chris Stewart on Alabama radio By Nick Alvarez | nalvarez@al.com As fans filtered into the main entrance of Coleman Coliseum, eyes continued to drift left toward Alabama basketball’s Florida pregame show. Some fans walked over, waiting behind stanchions. A couple of kids wanted a photo with a familiar face that, as of Wednesday afternoon, had a brand new title. Chris Stewart, longtime voice of Alabama basketball, was now the lead play-by-play announcer for Crimson Tide football, too. The news hadn’t fully sunk in for Stewart about three hours after officials at Crimson Tide Sports Network relayed the news. The joy was present, though, when Stewart recalled childhood days in Fairfield when he pretended to be legendary ABC Sports broadcaster Howard Cosell. Growing up, Stewart told family and friends that his dream job would be to call football games for UA athletics. “I know what’s expected of the job,” Stewart said. “I know the standard that Eli (Gold) set, Paul Kennedy and John Forney before him, and so I know what it means to people. ... I have a responsibility to them to try and continue to live up to that standard and will do my best to do so.” Stewart wanted to be clear he’s “not replacing” Gold, but instead following Gold’s legendary 36-year run with the university. Gold — who expressed repeatedly that he’s not retiring, and the move was Alabama and CTSN’s decision — had taken a step back in recent years while recovering from various health issues. Stewart had filled in through the Tide’s 2022 football season and handled road games in 2023. After last fall, Stewart was led to believe it would be a similar arrangement moving forward. Instead, Stewart continues his rise in Tuscaloosa. He joined in 1998 and has called sports in a variety of roles, from radio to television to tape delays. Stewart also hosted “The Nick Saban Show.” Chris Stewart has called Alabama men's basketball games since 1998. Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics “I’m excited about it and I’m so grateful I also got a chance to work with the program and see firsthand probably the greatest run in all of college football history,” Stewart said. Head basketball coach Nate Oats has developed a “great relationship” with Stewart, Oats said after UA rallied to beat Florida in overtime. Stewart and Oats have a postgame interview routine and Stewart has called the highlight moments in Oats’ trophy-filled tenure. A sound bite of one Stewart call plays on the Coleman Coliseum video board ahead of team introductions. With no disrespect to the television broadcasters, Oats said, if he had the time, he’d watch every game with the TV muted and Stewart’s voice on Tide 100.9-FM or WTBC 1230-AM. Stewart said it would be one thing if it was a brand-new experience. But in many ways, it isn’t. Stewart took over for Gold as basketball’s play-by-play announcer more than two decades ago. He’s also called a variety of important matchups, including the Rose Bowl, Saban’s final game. Stewart’s full-time appointment will coincide with new head football coach Kalen DeBoer taking the reins from Saban, signifying a new era in Tide athletics. “I’ve been here. It’s a new responsibility, a new title,” Stewart said. “I may be looked at a little bit differently by some people, but for me, while it’s incredibly meaningful and special, it doesn’t feel that different right now. Come see me on opening day, I’ll see what that’s like.” Kentucky basketball ties Alabama football’s field-rush record An emerging Grant Nelson and Sam Walters can spark Alabama basketball in postseason Three takeaways as No. 13 Alabama rallies to beat No. 24 Florida in overtime Latrell Wrightsell Jr. out with ‘head’ injury; Alabama hopes he can return soon Eli Gold not returning for 2024 Alabama football season play-by-play Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at NAlvarez@al.com.

Fox News Host: Black People Will Vote for Trump Because ‘They Love Sneakers’ Justin Baragona Thu, February 22, 2024 at 11:39 AM CST·3 min read 397 Calling Trump’s sneakers a “big deal” in the “inner city,” Arroyo embraced gross racial stereotypes about urban African Americans to suggest they will go MAGA in 2024. Fox News Leaning especially hard into well-worn racial stereotypes, Fox News pundit Raymond Arroyo this week insisted Black Americans will support Donald Trump in this presidential election because “they love sneakers.” Over the weekend, the twice-impeached ex-president made a surprise appearance at Sneaker Con in Philadelphia, unveiling his new self-branded merchandise including the gold “Never Surrender High Top Sneaker” selling for $399. After the limited-edition MAGA shoes quickly sold out, Arroyo suggested Sunday on Fox’s Big Weekend Show that Black voters will now abandon the Democratic Party and President Joe Biden because the former president is selling athletic footwear. (The segment went largely unnoticed until later this week when a clip from it went viral on social media.) Trump Unveils New MAGA Merch—Gold Sneakers and Perfume is this racist? it sure seems like it. Asserting that Trump’s poll numbers have only seemed to improve amid his ever-increasing legal headaches, the most recent involving a $364 million judgment in a New York civil fraud case, Arroyo then contrasted that to Biden’s sinking approval numbers among minorities. “[Trump] somehow survives, which must drive his opponents crazy, because even the sneaker thing. I was on social media last night. Very interesting as you see Black support eroding from Joe Biden,” the Fox News co-host declared based on tweets he read. “This is connecting with Black America because they love sneakers!” Arroyo added. “They’re into sneakers… this is a big deal, certainly in the inner city. So when you have Trump roll out his sneaker line, they’re like, ‘Wait a minute, this is cool!’” Taking it several steps further, the conservative commentator—who has previously gotten into hot water with the Anti-Defamation League for peddling antisemitic tropes—continued to plainly argue that Black Americans will be easily swayed to MAGA because of their affinity for high-tops. “He’s reaching them on a level that defies and is above politics,” Arroyo exclaimed. “The culture always trumps politics, and Trump understands culture like no politician I’ve ever seen.” Right-wing Fox News contributor Tomi Lahren wondered if the sneaker connection would translate into “them going out and voting for Donald Trump,” prompting Arroyo to declare: “Anybody willing to put 400 bucks down for a pair of sneakers? Yeah, I think that’s commitment and love. It’s something, it’s affection on some level. I don’t think this is just for collectors. It’s for people who want Donald Trump-brand sneakers that, again, he’s connecting on a different level.” While there is polling that suggests Trump could receive double-digit Black support in the upcoming election—the most a Republican candidate has received in generations—conservatives incorrectly believed Trump would pull in record Black American support in 2020. In fact, days before the 2020 election, right-wing media ran wild with a survey from conservative polling firm Rasmussen that found nearly one-third of Black voters would vote for Trump. In the end, Biden won the Black vote 92 percent to Trump’s 8 percent.

back at you big shooter!

Hillary.

i tried coke back in the day............i loved to put peanuts in the bottle......man it was good.

please do not get nola talking fancy as i hardly understand a word he says when he gets rolling. yes i am a big dummy and it is sad but true........

“Humiliation”: Fox host buries GOP as Republican admits “we were warned” about indicted informant Igor Derysh Thu, February 22, 2024 at 7:34 AM CST·4 min read 3.2k James Comer and Jim Jordan Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., claimed that top Republicans were warned about the debunked Biden claims from a former FBI informant before he was indicted for making up allegations that the Bidens took bribes. David Weiss, the special counsel who charged Hunter Biden with drug and tax violations, last week charged Alexander Smirnov with lying to the FBI that Hunter and President Joe Biden received $5 million bribes from executives at the Ukrainian energy firm Burisma for protection. The special counsel said that Smirnov told investigators that “officials associated with Russian intelligence” were involved in passing the story. Buck, a House Judiciary Committee member who has pushed back on the rush to impeach Biden, told CNN that Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., along with other Republicans were warned about the informant’s claims before they hyped them publicly. “We were warned at the time that we received the document outlining this witness’s testimony – we were warned that the credibility of this statement was not known,” Buck said. “And yet people, my colleagues went out and talk to the public about how this was credible and how it was damning and how it proved President Biden’s – at the time Vice President Biden’s – complicity in receiving bribes,” he said. “It appears to absolutely be false and to really undercut the nature of the charges.” Buck added that it “appears” that Comer and Jordan went public with the information even though they knew it was uncorroborated. “I certainly didn’t have any evidence outside the statement itself that it was credible,” he said. “And as a prosecutor for 25 years, I never went to the public until I could prove the reliability of a statement. And even then, the only one public statement a prosecutor makes is the charging document. Let’s see what the evidence is in this impeachment, if there is more evidence before going forward.” House Republicans have continued their impeachment inquiry, interviewing President Biden’s brother James behind closed doors on Wednesday. James Biden denied that the president has ever had “any involvement or any direct or indirect financial interest” in his business ventures, according to Politico. “I don’t know why Jim Comer and Jim Jordan thought that perhaps it was going to be Joe Biden’s brother that brought him down,” Fox News host Jessica Tarlov said Wednesday. “But this is the path that they’ve chosen to take. And honestly, I’m surprised that they have this high of a threshold for humiliation, every witness that they have called has decimated their argument.” Tarlov called out the Republicans’ reliance on the statement from Smirnov, which they’ve said was key evidence before walking back the purported importance of the document after the charges. Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course. “Not only did he lie, he was lying because the Russians were feeding him the disinformation. It’s so embarrassing,” Tarlov said. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said Wednesday that the “impeachment investigation essentially ended yesterday, in substance if not in form, with the explosive revelation” that Russia fed information to Smirnov. “It appears like the whole thing is not only, obviously, false and fraudulent, but a product of Russian disinformation and propaganda,” Raskin said. “And that’s been the motor force behind this investigation for more than a year.”

does he have more championships than most of the other sports? 11 i think.......

theplainsman.com Auburn University to unveil Aubie statue on Saturday, Feb. 24 Denisen Justice | Photographer 3–4 minutes Auburn University announced Tuesday that it will unveil a bronze statue of Aubie the Tiger on Saturday, Feb. 24. The unveiling will take place at the Harold D. Melton Student Center front entrance with President Christopher Roberts, Bobby Woodard, the Auburn Senior Vice President for Student Affairs and other leaders of the university attending. The base of the Aubie statue at the Harold D. Melton Student Center as construction continues on January 23. This announcement comes shortly after Aubie won his 11th UCA National Championship in January. Aubie was originally created as a cartoon character by Birmingham Post-Herald artist Phil Neel in 1959 and he appeared in costume for the first time in 1979. The Aubie statue was a $300,000 project, funded completely by donations and created by sculptor Alison Caswell at Firebird Bronze Foundry in Troutsdale, Oregon. In the past, Caswell created bronze likenesses of mascots including the Oregon Duck, Michigan State University's Sparty and Buc-ee the Beaver.The statue will be sculpted through a process called lost wax casting that will use a colored patina to bring Aubie to life. The project was approved in April of 2023 by the Auburn University Board of Trustees. Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman. Kristen Carr | Editor-in-Chief Kristen Carr | Editor-in-Chief Kristen is a senior majoring in journalism with a minor in business. She has been with The Plainsman since her freshman year serving as a sports writer, podcast editor and host, and most recently, operations managing editor. Carr is currently the editor in chief of The Auburn Plainsman. Twitter: @kristencarrau Portfolio Share and discuss “Auburn University to unveil Aubie statue on Saturday, Feb. 24” on social media.

i forgot to say there is some seriously frosty language that might offend some folks. i got way into before i heard anything bad.

i admit i love the love and i am an attention ho but the mighty mims is facing some tough surgery as well so i hope you folks will remember him in thoughts and prayers.

Hey bro have you ever argued with a stop sign? i have................grins

Alexander Hamilton wrote to George Washington in 1792. “When a man unprincipled in private life[,] desperate in his fortune, bold in his temper … is seen to mount the hobby horse of popularity … It may justly be suspected that his object is to throw things into confusion that he may ‘ride the storm and direct the whirlwind.’”

al.com Ex-Auburn player arrested, accused of punching student Updated: Feb. 21, 2024, 8:23 p.m.|Published: Feb. 21, 2024, 8:20 p.m. ~3 minutes Sports Former Auburn football player Prechae Rodriguez arrested, accused of punching student Former Auburn receiver Prechae Rodriguez, left, is shown here vs. Kentucky in 2005. (Birmingham News file photo by Linda Stetler)bn By Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com Former Auburn football player Prechae Rodriguez is out on bond after being arrested earlier this week for an incident involving a 9-year-old student at a Florida school at which he worked. Rodriguez, 39, is charged with one count of child abuse after he was accused of punching a non-verbal autistic student at the Eisenhower Exceptional Center in Gibsonton, Fla., a suburb of Tampa. Rodriguez worked at the school as a behavior support specialist. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the incident took place Feb. 8. The student allegedly struck Rodriguez with his hand and police say Rodriguez responded by punching the child, causing him to fall to the floor. Following an investigation into the incident, Rodriguez was arrested on Monday afternoon at his home in Sun City Center, Fla. He was released early Tuesday on a $2,500 surety bond, according to Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office online records. WFLA-TV reported that Rodriguez was terminated from his job at the school. “Mr. Rodriguez was removed from the school while the investigation was going on and has now been terminated from the school district,” the Hillsborough County School District announced in a statement to the station. “We are deeply disturbed by the charges. The safety and wellbeing of our students is our top priority.” Rodriguez, a Tampa native, played at Auburn from 2005-07 after spending a season in junior college. Most notably, he caught the decisive touchdown pass in the third quarter of the Tigers’ 22-15 win over Alabama in the 2006 Iron Bowl in Tuscaloosa. Rodriguez never caught on in the NFL but played professionally for several years in the Canadian Football League and with a variety of indoor league teams. He most recently played in 2016 for his hometown Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

al.com Manziel says there was a bag man at every school, including Bama Published: Feb. 21, 2024, 6:09 p.m. 3–4 minutes It’s a moot point now, but Johnny Manziel revealed in a recent interview “there was a bag man at every school around the country if you were competing for a national title.” Yes, that included Alabama, the former Texas A&M quarterback said. The comment was a result of a story he shared on the “Club Shay Shay” podcast with Shannon Sharpe in which his father tried to broker a $3 million deal on his behalf while Manziel was still in college. In the pre-NIL days of college athletics, that would have been the hottest story of the year. Now, the idea of a player being paid is as common as an athlete jumping in the transfer portal. “Went on for 30, 40 years before,” Manziel said of backroom deals. “It was the same way that was happening when you (Sharpe) were getting recruited back in the day. “Just keep it in cash, throw it somewhere,” Manziel explained. “We’ll get it later. We don’t need it right now. But for my security if something happens for two years down the road. And my dad did this without me knowing. And I ain’t mad at him about it for nothing. It’s the way the business worked back then. There was a bag man. There was a bag man at LSU. There was a bag man at ‘Bama. There was a bag man at every school around the country if you were competing for a national title. It is what it was, and it was always that way until we’re into the NIL portion of everything now. The way it should be.” According to the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner, his father was working an angle to bring Manziel back to College Station in 2014 instead of entering the NFL Draft. “My dad went and had a meeting with Kevin Sumlin,” said Manziel, who added he didn’t know about the meeting until 5 years after it happened. “And pretty much went to him man to man and was like, ‘We’ll take $3 million and we’ll stay for the next two years.’ And my dad says this is as true today as he did when he told me.” Manziel, of course, declared for the draft and was selected No. 22 overall. He added Sumlin “kind of blows us off,” adding the coach had an ego about him, believing the success was, in large part, of his doing and not Manziel’s. It was a similar situation, Manziel said, Kliff Kingsbury had with Sumlin when he left the offensive coordinator spot the year before. Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

al.com Spring football in Auburn: Notes and quotes on the edge rusher room ahead of spring camp Published: Feb. 22, 2024, 6:30 a.m. 4–5 minutes AUBURN, AL - SEPTEMBER 30 - Auburn Jack Linebacker Jalen McLeod (35) during the game between the Auburn Tigers and the #1 Georgia Bulldogs at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, AL on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. Photo by Austin Perryman/Auburn Tigers03385434/Auburn Tigers The second spring camp of the Hugh Freeze era at Auburn is just around the corner as it’s set to get underway Feb. 27. The Tigers will then proceed to hold 13 spring practices in preparation of Auburn’s spring game — also known as A-Day — which is set to be played on April 6 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Before spring practices get underway, AL.com will take a position-by-position look at the Tigers’ roster, this time diving into Auburn’s room of edge rushers — sometimes referred to as the Tigers’ jack linebackers. MORE: Spring football in Auburn: Notes and quotes on the Tigers’ linebacker room MORE: Spring football in Auburn: Notes and quotes on the Tigers’ cornerback room Who did the Tigers lose in their edge rusher room? Departing Auburn’s room of edge rushers after the 2023 season are Elijah McAllister, who ran out of eligibility, and Stephen Sings V, who entered the transfer portal in early December. Together, McAllister and Sings combined for 33 tackles in 2023 with McAllister tallying 28 on his own as he appeared in all 13 of Auburn’s games. Meanwhile, Sings logged appearances in just six games during his junior campaign last fall. Who are the Tigers returning to their edge rusher room? While Auburn might be losing a pair of edge rushers in McAllister and Sings, the Tigers are also returning a pair as Jalen McLeod and Brenton Williams are both set for their second year on The Plains. McLeod’s second year at Auburn comes after he transferred from Appalachian State ahead of last season, while Williams will be a redshirt freshman in 2024. At the conclusion of the 2023 season, McLeod finished as Auburn’s third-leading tackler with 48 total tackles, of which 10.5 came from behind the line of scrimmage. McLeod also tallied 5.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery during his first season of SEC ball. “He plays hard. He’s having to play too many snaps. We still don’t have the depth at pass rushing that we need,” Freeze said of McLeod midway through last season. “Jalen is definitely the biggest threat we have, and that’s good for us.” Meanwhile, Williams is set to see his role increase in 2024 after appearing in just two games last fall. “Brenton’s definitely stepping up, because he knows that it’s just me and him right now, and it’s going to be Jamonta when he comes,” McLeod said of Williams in December. “So, he knows that he’s got to compete, he’s got to keep competing, come to practice ready to work and that’s what he’s been doing. So he’s stepping up, too.” Who did the Tigers add to their edge rusher room? Auburn’s 4-star signee in Jamonta Waller stands as the only current addition to Auburn’s room of edge rushers. Waller was a big flip for Freeze and Co. as the 4-star Mississippi native flipped his commitment from Florida to Auburn in the middle of November and never looked back. During his senior season of high school, Waller logged 69 total tackles, 22 tackles for a loss, nine sacks, 21 quarterback hurries and two caused fumbles. Measuring 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, Waller ranked as the 10th-best edge rusher out of the 2024 recruiting class and the second-ranked recruit — regardless of position — to come out of the state of Mississippi. “You have Jamonta — he’s coming in, the five-star. I talked to him. He’s hungry, too. You’ve seen his tape,” McLeod said of Waller. “So, we’ve got a lot of people coming in that’s hungry and ready to go, and they know what they bring to the table. They’ve just got to believe in themself, that’s where they at.” If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Breaking down Auburn’s QB situation ahead of spring practice Taylor Jones Thu, February 22, 2024 at 6:00 AM CST·4 min read Spring practice is set to begin on Feb. 27, and all eyes will be on Auburn’s quarterbacks. Incumbent starter Payton Thorne returns to the roster for the 2024 season and will look to bounce back following a disappointing debut season on the Plains. In a recent episode of the “Andy Staples On3” podcast, On3 analysts Andy Staples and Jesse Simonton analyzed Auburn’s quarterback situation. When discussing Thorne, Simonton says that he feels as if head coach Hugh Freeze “fumbled the bag” when taking Thorne from the transfer portal last spring. Recruiting efforts have gone smoothly through one season of the Freeze era, and Simonton has just one question. “He has done a great job assembling all of this talent around the quarterback position,” Simonton said. “They sign this insane wide receiver class with multiple five-stars – you flip (Cam) Coleman from Texas A&M, you get (Perry) Thompson as another in-state guy. Yet, who the heck is going to throw them the ball?” Thorne will get a do-over this spring as he looks to bounce back with a new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. If he is not the guy, then who is? Here is a breakdown of Auburn’s quarterback room ahead of spring practice. Who is gone? Jake Crandall/The Montgomery Advertiser Robby Ashford transferred to South Carolina Sawyer Pate graduated Ashford is a notable departure due to the athleticism that he brought to the offense. However, it became obvious late in the season that Ashford was not going to be included in the offense’s plans. Ashford has moved on to South Carolina, where he will compete for the starting QB job for Shane Beamer’s squad. Who is returning Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports Payton Thorne Holden Geriner Hank Brown Jackson Barkley John Colvin Incumbent starter Payton Thorne returns, but it is an easy assumption that his job is not safe. Thorne completed just 60% of his passes last season for 1,755 yards and 16 touchdowns. Another notable stat is that he passed for under 100 yards five times last season, three of those games were against SEC foes. Hugh Freeze, who is known as a pass-first coach, needs someone to help the new receiver class reach its full potential. Who will challenge him? Holden Geriner has plenty of upside, and Hank Brown turned heads in the Music City Bowl by completing 7-of-9 passes for 132 yards in mop-up duty. New faces Walker White/247Sports Walker White White will provide new life to the quarterback room. White joins Auburn’s class as the No. 5 overall quarterback and the No. 1 player from the state of Arkansas. Expect White to challenge Thorne, Geriner, and Brown for the role of QB1. Projected depth chart entering spring Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports Payton Thorne Holden Geriner Walker White Hank Brown Although he will have a short leash, Thorne will more than likely begin the spring period as QB1. It will also be neat to watch Geriner compete with Thorne for the top spot, and how quickly White and Brown develop in their first spring practice at Auburn. Overall thoughts Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers It seems as if the “is this year’s quarterback currently on the roster” trend will continue into 2024. Last season, neither Robby Ashford nor TJ Finley impressed Hugh Freeze during spring practice, so he reeled in Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne following the spring session to compete for the job that he ultimately won. Now, it seems as if Thorne’s job is not safe heading into this season. This year’s roster features several talented receivers, and they will need a solid arm to get the ball to them. Is that guy on the roster already? Geriner has plenty of upside, but he has not done enough to win the job to this point. There is plenty of excitement surrounding White, and the question surrounding him is his youth. Can he develop fast enough to earn the starting job this season? Finally, Brown will look to build momentum off of his Music City Bowl performance this spring. If he does that, will he be a true contender for the job? There are plenty of questions surrounding the quarterback position this spring, and many of them may not be answered by the time A-Day concludes. Because of this, many eyes will be on the quarterback battle, and all four of players will compete at a high level for the starting job. Story originally appeared on Auburn Wire