4/9/23 Auburn Articles

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al.com

Hugh Freeze feels 'better' about Auburn's QBs, but portal still in play

Updated: Apr. 08, 2023, 4:21 p.m.|Published: Apr. 08, 2023, 4:18 p.m.

7–9 minutes

Two months ago, before he ever coached a practice at Auburn, Hugh Freeze was anxious to get on the field and evaluate the Tigers’ trio of returning quarterbacks — Robby Ashford, T.J. Finley and Holden Geriner — firsthand.

After accepting the job on the Plains, Freeze only had the opportunity to review cutups of each quarterbacks’ film, the good and the bad. It was hard to gauge just what he had to work with at the most important position on the field. Fast forward to A-Day, the last of 15 official spring practices, and Freeze is feeling a bit more at ease about Auburn’s quarterback situation heading into Year 1, though the position is far from settled.

Read more Auburn football: Hugh Freeze wants to address these five positions in the spring transfer portal window

Hugh Freeze makes the case for replacing spring games with charity exhibitions against other schools

Auburn trying to strike right balance with new up-tempo offense this spring

“I feel better than I did 15 practices ago,” Freeze said Saturday after his first spring game with the Tigers. “I really think that from this point now until the end of fall camp, there’s so much that needs to happen for somebody to solidify being the guy. And I think all have improved. I think all are still inconsistent with some things.”

It was another blunt assessment from Freeze, who has not minced his words when it comes to critiquing and praising the progress of Auburn’s quarterbacks this spring. He reiterated Saturday that the competition will wage into fall camp, that the offseason months will be a critical piece of the puzzle for determining QB1 and that Auburn won’t shy away from adding another quarterback option in the post-spring transfer portal that when it opens in a week.

For as much attention as Auburn’s quarterbacks have received over the last six weeks, though, little could actually be gleaned from Saturday’s rain-soaked spring game. Auburn attempted a total of 12 passes — with two more designed pass plays that resulted in “sacks” (albeit noncontact for the quarterbacks — across the duration of the A-Day scrimmage, which ended in a 24-24 tie after the defense was spotted a 24-0 advantage at the onset of the day.

Ashford, as has been the case for much of spring, was the first quarterback to get his crack with the offense. He led a touchdown drive on his first possession, capping a 10-play, 65-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown run. His lone pass attempt on the drive was incomplete, but he ran the ball four times for 23 yards as Auburn’s run game showed signs of promise.

Ashford completed just one of his three pass attempts on the day, with the lone completion a 39-yard seam down the field to Tar’Varish Dawson Jr. down to the 9-yard line. That led to a field goal as time expired in the second quarter.

“I think you saw today that he’s got the capability of making some plays,” Freeze said of Ashford, who earned offensive MVP honors for the second consecutive A-Day.

Finley was the second quarterback in the rotation again on A-Day. The offense went three-and-out on his first possession on the field, but he led a pair of field goal drives in the second half, including the one that resulted in Alex McPherson’s 33-yard game-tying kick as time expired in the weather-shortened scrimmage, which was called after three quarters.

Finley finished the day 1-of-4 passing for 4 yards, and while it wasn’t much, he has received credit this spring for his improved accuracy this spring and his understanding of how to play within Freeze’s offense.

“I believe I can compete with anybody in the country, and that’s why I transferred here from LSU,” Finley said. “I felt like I can compete with Bo Nix (in 2021). Competition doesn’t scare me. I know who I am. I know what I can do, and with the right coaches, I know who I can grow into and hopefully this is the place. Competition brings the best out of everybody, and if you can’t handle competition, you don’t need to be in this industry. That’s how I look at it. I serve a great God, and God has put me here for a reason, and I’m going to fulfill my destiny here.”

Geriner was third in the rotation at quarterback, though his second possession included some work with the first-team offensive line. The redshirt freshman, who took a step forward in his development midway through the spring, had the best passing numbers of the trio Saturday, though that wasn’t saying much considering how little Auburn did in the passing game under the conditions at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Geriner completed 3-of-5 passes for 17 yards and led a touchdown drive late in the third quarter. He also converted a 2-point attempt at the end of that drive to get the offense within a field goal late. After appearing in just one game with limited snaps last season, Geriner said he feels confident and calm this spring despite the coaching change.

“I feel like I’ve grown tremendously from a physical aspect as well as mental,” Geriner said. “I feel like I’m in a lot better place mentally and just confidence-wise. Then along with the physical aspect of that, it helps me going out there every day and having the confidence in there to make all the throws I know I can. I definitely feel good and ready to play.”

Freeze may feel better about Auburn’s quarterback room than he did upon taking the head coaching gig late last year, but he wants to see more from each of them in the coming months. Consistency will be key, as will leadership. Summer months, with individual workouts and player-only practices, will factor into the decision come fall, and it remains to be seen whether any of the three quarterbacks who took the field at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday will be the guy for the Tigers when they open the season against UMass.

The spring transfer portal opens in a week and runs from April 15-30. Freeze has been upfront with the trio that he plans to explore the options in the portal, and if he can find the right fit, he’ll pursue adding a quarterback to the room — just as he will for any position on the roster.

“I know people make a big deal out of that, but the bottom line is you’re constantly — I think competition is helpful for those that handle it right,” Freeze said. “And for those that don’t, they’re probably not going to be winners for you anyway. And so, we’re open. Do I think we can win some games with what we have? Yes. I do. But, you know, I don’t want to ever be put in a box where I say something, and I do the opposite. I don’t know the answer. I don’t know if we are. I know that I would be open to it.”

Ashford, Finley and Geriner have appreciated Freeze’s honesty throughout the spring — from his “brutally honest” evaluations of them both publicly and privately, to not hiding his desire to explore the portal for any potential additions to the room.

“That’s the best way to be,” Finley said. “There’s no sugarcoating it when you want to get better, and as a competitor you want that out of a coach. You want to be criticized, you want to be coached hard, I think we’re all — like I said — responding to it well.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

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saturdaydownsouth.com

 

Auburn’s soggy spring game was a brutal development for Hugh Freeze’s QB decision

Connor O'Gara

6–8 minutes

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You could sense the disappointment in Hugh Freeze’s voice.

After a week of nothing but beautiful weather, of course, Auburn’s spring game fell on the day that the skies opened up and the temperatures dropped into the 50s. If it were just a normal day of practice, Auburn moves indoors and doesn’t think twice about inclement weather. But on this day, wherein Freeze was hoping to get another piece of the evaluation process to determine his first QB1, he got soggy, awful conditions for airing it out.

Freeze shared his pregame disappointment on SEC Network.

Yep. Freeze was right.

Amidst sloppy conditions, there was no real evaluation. Sure, there was the decision-making aspect of Auburn’s quarterback competition. But Saturday’s conditions made an already limited evaluation, well, still limited.

A game that ended with a walk-off field goal for a tie fittingly also had no real result worth documenting in what appears to be an extremely fluid quarterback room.

We saw:

• A) 0 passes completed in the first quarter
• 1 pass completed for positive yards in the first half
• C) Several dropped passes in the rain
• D) 5 combined complete passes by 3 QBs
• E) All the above

It’s “E.” It’s always “E.”

The only real impressive throw and catch on the day came from the favorite in the clubhouse, Robby Ashford. It was a 39-yard strike down the seam to Tar’Varish Dawson.

With all due respect to Ashford, who looked comfortable running the offense in his limited reps, that 1 throw wasn’t going to make or break Freeze’s decision.

To be fair, even an A-Day with perfect weather could’ve still left Freeze feeling like his evaluation was incomplete. After all, none of his quarterbacks were live. It was always going to be difficult to use Saturday to judge if Ashford, TJ Finley and Holden Geriner handle pressure and deliver on-target throws.

At one point, Freeze was mic’d up on SEC Network and he shared his frustration with Finley throwing downfield into triple coverage instead of hitting the check down for an open first down. That’s not ideal from a guy entering Year 4 at the Power 5 level.

Then again, so is Ashford. You could’ve made the case that Ashford had the most to lose as the incumbent starter who would ideally follow the Malik Willis path to success under Freeze. The issue with Ashford is that he’s a rather incomplete evaluation. He might’ve taken over the starting job in 2022, but after his first full offseason playing football (he played baseball in his first 2 springs at Oregon), he was still extremely raw as a passer. It helped Auburn’s offense have a pulse in the final month when the mobile Ashford used his legs even more, but it didn’t help Freeze’s future evaluation.

Therein lies the challenge. Is Freeze going to dip into the transfer portal to find his next QB1? The post-spring window now goes from April 15-29 instead of May 1-15. One would think after there was reportedly mutual interest in Grayson McCall and Spencer Sanders that Freeze will again test the waters of the portal.

Nothing from Saturday’s spring game screamed “build around this guy.” Again, though. That was never likely with the limitations. Seeing how Ashford moved as a runner in a non-contact jersey wasn’t in question.

Freeze spoke more about the quarterback room as a whole instead of speaking specifically about getting into the weeds of a sloppy, run-heavy A-Day:

Perhaps the more interesting development was Freeze sharing that it’ll be new offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery handling the role of primary play-caller. He did so throughout A-Day with Freeze taking more of the CEO approach. Freeze told the SEC Network crew that he’d still like to have the ability to step in for a series if he sees something, but that it’ll be Montgomery’s responsibility.

Ideally, Montgomery will jump-start a passing game that hasn’t finished in the top 60 since 2009. Freeze’s offense isn’t 1-dimensional, nor should it be with 8 new offensive linemen on the roster.

But it’s a tricky sell to a potential transfer portal quarterback knowing the task at hand. It’ll be limited reps in a new system, and in addition to an overhauled offensive line to work with, it’s a group of receivers that hasn’t exactly been getting rave reviews (expect Freeze to be active in the portal with more wideouts). Stepping into the nation’s toughest division with those potential surrounding factors might not appeal to everyone.

Fortunately for Auburn, it does have the Freeze factor. The guy has 5 top-40 passing offenses at Ole Miss and Liberty. Even if more rough times await for this passing game in the immediate future, Freeze is the silver lining.

The new Auburn coach clearly wanted to focus on offense on Saturday. He set the score at 24-0 in favor of the defense with mostly equal reps for Ashford, Finley and Geriner. All 3 signal-callers were from the Bryan Harsin era, yet they stuck around in hopes of running a Freeze offense.

It remains to be seen if any of them will get that opportunity in 2023, or if Freeze has other plans.

All we know is that nowhere in Freeze’s QB evaluation plan was a cold, sloppy A-Day.

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al.com

T.J. Finley addresses future amid uncertain Auburn QB situation after A-Day

Published: Apr. 08, 2023, 5:42 p.m.

7–8 minutes

T.J. Finley came to Auburn two years ago to compete for the starting job. Little did he know then that he’d be entrenched in a competition to be the Tigers’ quarterback for, ostensibly, the third consecutive offseason.

Finley has battled Robby Ashford and Holden Geriner for the job this spring as part of a competition that will carry into fall camp and could include a fourth, to-be-determined candidate, should head coach Hugh Freeze land a viable option in the post-spring transfer portal. It’s the latest development in an unexpected journey for Finley, whose career started at LSU in 2020.

Read more Auburn football: Hugh Freeze feels “better” about Auburn’s QBs, but the transfer portal remains in play

Hugh Freeze wants to address these five positions in the spring transfer portal window

Hugh Freeze makes the case for replacing spring games with charity exhibitions against other schools

“I believe I can compete with anybody in the country, and that’s why I transferred here from LSU; I felt like I can compete with Bo Nix (in 2021),” Finley said Saturday, addressing the local media for the first time since September. “Competition doesn’t scare me. I know who I am. I know what I can do, and with the right coaches, I know who I can grow into and hopefully this is the place. Competition brings the best out of everybody, and if you can’t handle competition, you don’t need to be in this industry.

“That’s how I look at it. I serve a great God, and God has put me here for a reason, and I’m going to fulfill my destiny here.”

Finley’s comments came following Auburn’s annual A-Day game on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium, which represented the culmination of the Tigers’ first spring under Freeze. The day provided less-than-ideal conditions for Auburn’s quarterbacks; the heavy rain and unseasonably chilly weather wasn’t conducive to throwing the ball much, and Auburn attempted just 12 passes on the afternoon, with Finley going 1-of-4 in the pocket for 4 yards.

A-Day, of course, was just a sliver of the bigger picture when it comes to Auburn’s uncertain quarterback situation. Freeze said afterward that overall, he felt better about the Tigers’ quarterbacks than he did six weeks ago, but inconsistencies from all three returning signal-callers have underscored the need for continued improvement at the position.

“It’s just about competing, bettering ourselves in each aspect of the game — mentally, physically,” Finley said. “Anywhere in the country, guys are competing at each and every school. It’s always good to compete. You need competition to bring the best out of you each and every day, and I think we’re all responding to it well.”

Finley’s turn at quarterback on Saturday saw him take the reins on Auburn’s second drive, after Ashford led the offense to a touchdown on its first possession. Finley also led a pair of field goal drives in the second half, including the one that cemented a 24-24 final score as time expired.

It was his first time conducting the offense at Jordan-Hare Stadium since Week 3 last season against Penn State, back when he was still Auburn’s starting quarterback.

Since that Penn State game, it has been a whirlwind stretch of uncertainty for Finley. He sustained a shoulder injury during that loss, and he only appeared in one other game the rest of the season, a brief appearance at Ole Miss in October, as Ashford took over the starting job. He then spent some time away from the team in November for what a source described at the time as a “mental health break” before rejoining the team for winter workouts.

“I’m not really sure what triggered it, what prompted it,” Finley said of his leave of absence. “I like to leave the past in the past and focus on the future. All I know is I’m a completely better person now mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and hopefully who I am right now can lead this team to a national championship.”

To do that, though, Finley will have to reclaim the starting job at Auburn. He edged out Ashford and Zach Calzada as QB1 during fall camp last season.

He’s no stranger to competition. He competed with Max Johnson midseason as a freshman at LSU when Myles Brennan went down with an injury in 2020. Then Finley transferred to Auburn, where he competed with returning starter Bo Nix for the job in Bryan Harsin’s first season and eventually took over as starter when Nix’s season ended due to an ankle injury. Then there was last offseason’s competition, which culminated with him being named starter ahead of the season opener against Mercer before injury sidelined him.

Now he’s competing with Ashford again and Geriner with hopes of leading Auburn’s offense under Freeze, who has credited him with improving his accuracy this spring as well as his understanding of how to play within the Tigers’ new system. Consistency has been an issue for each of Auburn’s quarterbacks this spring, even if they have progressed over the last six weeks, and it’s something Finley hopes to improve upon in the offseason months.

“I’ve been talking about this for three years: It’s being the same guy in the office as you are outside of the office,” Finley said. “I think I’m doing a very good job at that myself. Just being there for the team and being what the team needs at the time, whether it’s being the leader or just sitting back and following and other guys on the team leading and stuff like that. Just consistency, and I think that will separate who the QB1 is going to be.”

Whether that will be Finley is to be determined. Freeze reiterated Saturday that he’ll explore the transfer portal for potential quarterbacks when the post-spring window opens next week (from April 15-30) and will bring in another candidate if the right fit becomes available.

If that’s the case, Finley—who graduates at the end of this semester—will sit down with Freeze to discuss his own future. Finley, for his part, has appreciated Freeze being upfront not only in his assessment of Auburn’s three current quarterbacks but in the possibility of bringing in someone else to compete for the job.

“I’m going to compete, and if I’m not the best guy, I can—you know, if I’m not the best guy, I’m going to compete,” Finley said. “I’m going to compete.”

When asked if he is committed to remaining at Auburn, even if it means being the backup, Finley said he’s “not sure” and is not focused on that at this time (his upcoming Easter meal with his family had his attention after A-Day). Finley emphasized, however, that he very much wants to be Auburn’s starting quarterback this fall.

“Hell yeah, most definitely,” Finley said. “If I didn’t want to be, I wouldn’t be here.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

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saturdaydownsouth.com

 

College football recruiting calendar changes set for final approval

Keith Farner

4–5 minutes

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The college football recruiting calendar, which is one of the more talked about items around the sport, especially for coaches, is expected to see final approval next week after extensive discussion of recent changes.

Jean Gee, the chair of the Comprehensive Recruiting Review Subcommittee and senior associate athletics director for student affairs and compliance at Montana, shared a response to the expected moves.

“We wanted to maintain and strengthen the scholastic recruiting model for football, prioritize coach work/life balance and attention to current student-athletes and rules that are enforceable and monitorable, as well as creating transparency in the recruiting process,” Gee said. “The subcommittee developed these recommendations through regular and numerous meetings, review of membership feedback from a variety of constituents and collaboration with FBS and FCS conferences.”

Here are some of the changes:

• Schools would have 33 evaluation days (42 for U.S. service academies) during the months of September, October and November, selected at the discretion of the school. Only authorized off-campus recruiters could visit a prospective student-athlete’s educational institution and on only one calendar day during this period.
• The Monday of the week that includes the initial date for the regular signing period of the National Letter of Intent through the first Sunday in March would be a dead period.
• For U.S. service academies, the Friday immediately after the initial date for the regular signing period of the National Letter of Intent through the first Sunday in March would be a quiet period.
• At the discretion of the membership school, coaches would have 140 recruiting person days (180 for U.S. service academies) from April 15 through the Saturday preceding Memorial Day for a contact period.
• The Sunday before Memorial Day and the next three calendar days would be a dead period.

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Goodman: The SEC has a quarterback problem this spring

Updated: Apr. 08, 2023, 11:16 p.m.|Published: Apr. 08, 2023, 4:49 p.m.

11–13 minutes

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This is an opinion column.

Hugh Freeze wants to keep expectations low at Auburn, and so in that the Tigers’ new coach succeeded on Saturday in Auburn’s A-Day exhibition.

His predecessor, who wasn’t a very smart guy in the ways of SEC football, told Auburn fans to “just watch.” Oof. Freeze’s philosophy in his team’s first A-Day seemed to be “please just don’t watch,” and the weather even gave him some cover, too. Freeze said he wanted his quarterbacks to air it all out, but, shucks, it rained.

The three guys at quarterback for Auburn — none of which are anywhere close to being as good as, say, Bo Nix — combined for five total completions on 12 total attempts. Maybe next time, Auburn fans, and with a different quarterback who’s not even on campus yet.

What’s the big takeaway from A-Day? It all felt like a net positive despite the weather and despite the quarterbacks and despite no one even really knowing what was going on with the running clock and confusing format. A-Day was played in a cold rain, and I’m not sure how they kept score, and it ended in a tie between Team Offense and Team Defense, 24-24, but none of that mattered in the end because any spring practice on the Plains is a massive victory with former coach Bryan Harsin gone-oft-back to wherever it is he now calls home.

I’ll take the potential for double pneumonia and five completed passes over Harsin every time. At least with Freeze Auburn now has a shot.

Freeze is searching for a quarterback to run his offense, but look around the SEC before calling Auburn a hopeless rebuilding project for the 2023 season. Do any teams in the SEC have surefire, SEC/national championship-contending quarterbacks? Jayden Daniels of LSU? Don’t tell that to Texas A&M.

RELATED: More from Hugh Freeze on Auburn’s QBs

RELATED: Auburn’s Frank Thomas honored on A-Day with statue

RELATED: Auburn hoops land coveted transfer

It’s too early to make any predictions, but the SEC has a quarterback problem this spring and that’s great news for a coach like Freeze. He has a pretty good track record of doing more with less at that position. I asked Freeze if he was open to bringing in another quarterback to compete with Robby Ashford, T.J. Finley and Holden Geriner. Affirmative.

“The transfer portal opens soon, and we are open to any position that would help us improve our team as long as they fit within the culture, and that includes the quarterback room.” Freeze said.

Love Freeze at Auburn or not, but he’s a smart guy who specializes in quarterbacks. Don’t you find it pretty interesting that a smart coach who specializes in quarterbacks hasn’t brought one single quarterback to Auburn despite the new transfer rules and Auburn’s enormous and always-growing war chest of an associated NIL collective? Affirmative.

In this modern game, what do teams need out of a quarterback to win the league?

“Well, I think you’ve got to have somebody who can make the throws in tight coverage, and you’ve got to have receivers who can get open in them, too,” Freeze said. “I think we’re looking for some of that consistency in both spots. There are going to be some games where they just stop the run, and you’re going to have to make some throws to win the game, and we’re not proven in the room that we have that any of those have done that.

“I’m not saying they can’t. I’m not down on them. I think we can win games with these guys, but should a guy become available that is a dynamic guy that we think is already a proven commodity of doing that, I think we would at least have to look at that.”

Someone like Oregon’s Bo Nix, in other words, just to name a good quarterback who might still be familiar to Auburn fans.

Auburn doesn’t know who’s going to play quarterback this fall, but the Tigers are not alone in worrying about the current projected depth chart. Name a quarterback returning to the SEC for this spring who is better than, just throwing out a random name again, Bo Nix. Short answer: There aren’t any. Long answer: Enjoy the spring while it lasts.

KENTUCKY

Spring game: No spring game this year (stadium renovation).

The QB room in a word: Searching. Will Levis is gone to the NFL Draft, and so the Wildcats picked up N.C. State transfer Devin Leary. Leary is no sure thing, although he was excellent in 2021 (35 TD passes/five interceptions). He was injured last season (torn pectoral) and only appeared in six games.

MIZZOU

Spring game: Played indoors due to weather on March 18.

The QB room in a word: Healing. Projected starter Brady Cook (13 games in 2022) missed the spring after having surgery on his throwing shoulder, so it’s wait-and-see time for Mizzou. Cook led Mizzou to the victory against Arkansas, so he’s not without potential if he returns healthy. The other options are Sam Horn (a better baseball prospect) and Jake Garcia (Miami transfer).

AUBURN

Spring game: Played on Saturday.

The QB room in a word: Learning. It’ll come down to whether or not new coach Hugh Freeze thinks the current quarterbacks can develop enough to win in the SEC. Robby Ashford (12 games in 2022) flashed signs of his potential last season in the Iron Bowl, but his skills as a passer (49.2 percent ) need to improve. TJ Finley (four games in 2022) had one touchdown pass to four interceptions.

VANDERBILT

Spring game: Played on Saturday.

The QB room in a word: Deserted. AJ Swann is the projected starter after Mike Wright transferred to Mississippi State. It was Wright who led the ‘Dores to late-season victories against Kentucky and Florida. Swann was injured down the stretch in 2022, and finished with 10 touchdown passes to two interceptions. His one victory as a starter was against Northern Illinois (four touchdown passes).

FLORIDA

Spring game: 6:30 p.m., Thursday, April 13 (ESPN+)

The QB room in a word: Midwest. Graham Mertz (Kansas native) is the new senior transfer from Wisconsin. Jack Miller III is a year removed from transferring down from Ohio State. Redshirt freshman Max Brown is from Tulsa. Who will replace Anthony Richardson? Looks like it’s Mertz’s job to lose. He left the Badgers with two years of eligibility when Luke Fickell (formerly of Cincinnati) was named the new coach. Good luck, Billy Napier, in your first quarterback decision at never-satisfied Florida.

ARKANSAS

Spring game: noon, Saturday, April 15 (ESPN+)

The QB room in a word: Solid. By many, KJ Jefferson is considered the best returning quarterback in the SEC. OK, fine, but what does that even mean at this point? Jefferson won seven games in 2022. Best SEC win: Ole Miss. Worst SEC loss: Missouri. He accounted for 33 touchdowns in 2022, which is most of any returning quarterback including Jayden Daniels of LSU (29). Even with Arkansas there are plenty of questions, though. The Hogs only won seven games in 2022. Oh, and Dan Enos was hired as offensive coordinator after Kendal Briles left for the same position at TCU.

MISSISSIPPI STATE

Spring game: noon, Saturday, April 15 (ESPN+)

The QB room in a word: Transitioning. Will Rogers is back, but Mike Wright also transferred in from Mississippi State. It’s Rogers’ team, and he’ll lead the Bulldogs’ offense in the transition between Mike Leach’s signature Air Raid attack and the spread offense implemented by new offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay (Appalachian State, 2022).

TENNESSEE

Spring game: 1:30 p.m., Saturday, April 15 (ESPN+)

The QB room in a word: Patient. How much remains unknown in the SEC this spring? I’m willing to consider career backup Joe Milton III one of the best quarterbacks in the league until further notice. Milton III first featured at quarterback for Michigan in the 2018 season. He’s now the projected starter after outgoing quarterback Hendon Hooker helped coach Josh Heupel bring Tennessee back from obscurity. Milton was great in the Orange Bowl (three touchdown passes) against Clemson. Five-star freshman Nico Iamaleava (Long Beach, California) is the big name after being one of the first quarterbacks out of high school to sign a lucrative NIL deal.

OLE MISS

Spring game: 2 p.m., Saturday, April 15 (ESPN+)

The QB room in a word: Transient. Lane Kiffin remains the transfer king, but we’re not sure that’s a good thing after how Ole Miss finished 2022 (five losses in six games). The spring quarterback battle is between returning starter Jaxson Dart, transfer Spencer Sanders of Oklahoma State and transfer Will Howard of LSU. Dart was a four-year starter for the Pokes, but averaged 10 interceptions per season. Dart (20 touchdowns, 11 interceptions in 2022) began his career at USC.

GEORGIA

Spring game: 3 p.m., Saturday, April 15 (ESPN2)

The QB room in a word: Expectations. Replacing Stetson Bennett II shouldn’t be too hard. That’s the general fan consensus out of Athens, at least. Reality tells a different story. Carson Beck was the leader entering spring after backing up Bennett. Redshirt sophomore Brock Vandagriff, who grew up an Auburn fan, has been around for two national championships at this point. Gunner Stockton is the new five-star in his first spring. Good luck.

TEXAS A&M

Spring game: 3 p.m., Saturday, April 15 (ESPN+)

The QB room in a word: Extra. Look, Haynes King was supposed to be everything for Texas A&M last season, and he was a bust. Now he’s at Georgia Tech. Jimbo Fisher brought in Bobby Petrino to be the offensive coordinator, but then said recently that all offenses are basically the same. Texas A&M is so … extra. Conner Weigman? He’s supposed to be the next Haynes King, or something like that. Forever backup Max Johnson will be on standby.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Spring game: 6 p.m., Saturday, April 15 (ESPN+)

The QB room in a word: Prolific. Just not in the way South Carolina would like. Returning starter Spencer Rattler had 18 touchdown passes to 12 interceptions for South Carolina. That’s the most interceptions of any returning starter in the SEC. Tanner Bailey of Gordo High School redshirted in 2022 and he’s worth watching.

LSU

Spring game: 1 p.m., Saturday, April 22 (ESPN+)

The QB room in a word: Proven. Jayden Daniels has the best preseason odds among SEC quarterbacks to win the Heisman Trophy, but it’s not like he’s a favorite to win the award. There are seven other quarterbacks from outside the SEC ahead of him. Daniels passed for 17 touchdowns last season to go along with 11 rushing touchdowns and one receiving. His most important stat of all? He only threw three interceptions.

ALABAMA

Spring game: 2 p.m., Saturday, April 22 (ESPN+)

The QB room in a word: Pressure. Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson are battling it out to be the next quarterback to follow these names: Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones and Bryce Young. Milroe played well on the road against Arkansas as an emergency backup and then threw three touchdowns to one interception in the victory against Texas A&M. It appears like he can handle the pressure, which is a major part of the job. Simpson remains an unknown.

Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of “We Want Bama”, a book about togetherness, hope and rum. You can find him on Twitter @JoeGoodmanJr.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

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The Montgomery Advertiser

Takeaways from Auburn football's A-Day as Alex McPherson hits field goal to end game in tie

Richard Silva, Montgomery Advertiser

Sat, April 8, 2023 at 9:15 PM CDT

 

 

AUBURN — It was soggy, it was gloomy and it ended in a tie, but for the first time since November, Auburn football was back in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

With coach Hugh Freeze at the helm, the Tigers introduced a new idea for A-Day: Rather than trying to evenly split the roster in two, Freeze opted to pit his offense against his defense, spotting the defensive unit a 24-point lead to begin the game.

The offense chipped away, and as time expired, Alex McPherson sank a 33-yard field goal to knot the score at 24 apiece. Players on both sides celebrated when McPherson's kick sailed through the uprights, and guys like defensive lineman Jeffrey M'Ba took to the end zone and treated the field like a Slip 'N’ Slide with the rain coming down heavily.

With the weather an issue, the Tigers opted to play three periods instead of four quarters.

 

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How did Auburn's QBs do?

Robby Ashford trotted onto the field first, leading the offense to an opening-possession touchdown with a 7-yard scamper in the first period. He also converted a fourth-and-3 earlier in the drive with an 11-yard rush. The rain made it difficult to have much success in the passing game, but he completed one deep ball to Tar'Varish Dawson for 39 yards on a free play toward the end of the second period.

It was a pass down the seam, placed right where it needed to be.

TJ Finley was with the second unit. The offense went three-and-out during his first drive after a drop on first down and a pass breakup from freshman defensive back Kayin Lee on third down. As for Holden Geriner, he logged the game's first completion on a screen pass to Brian Battie that went backward three yards.

Geriner completed three of his five pass attempts − both marks paced the team − and rushed the ball into the end zone on a two-point conversion late in the game.

Who won MVP?

Ashford took home the offensive MVP after he finished with 77 total yards and a touchdown, but not before a couple running backs made things interesting. Sean Jackson and Justin Jones logged 77 and 50 rushing yards, respectively, and every player who registered one or more attempts had a gain of at least 10 yards.

Jackson, Damari Alston, Brian Battie and TJ Finley had longs of 16 or more.

Defensively, it was DJ James and his four solo tackles to bring home the accolade. Jake Levant finished with six total tackles and a sack, and senior jack linebacker Hayden Brice was able to get to the QB, too. He was able to push through the B-gap and get close enough to Geriner for the referees to blow the play dead.

McPherson was the MVP for special teams. He missed his first attempt wide left from 49 yards out, but followed that up with a 39-yard make and the aforementioned game-tying kick. Sophomore Evan McGuire was given one try from 19 yards away just before halftime, which he converted.

Offensive line shines

It's a spring game, which often means players aren't going at 100%, but the offensive line looked to be something the Tigers could lean on. As a team, Auburn rushed for 280 yards and two touchdowns in the abbreviated contest.

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football: Tigers battle to tie at Hugh Freeze's first A-Day

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Everything Hugh Freeze, players said after A-Day

 

JD McCarthy

Sun, April 9, 2023 at 7:00 AM CDT

 

 

The 2023 A-Day game has come and gone, with the game ending in a 24-24 tie between te offense and the defense.

While a tie was far from exciting, head coach Hugh Freeze was pleased with the game and announced that everyone would get to enjoy a steak.

“Everybody can get steaks,” Freeze said. “Ms. Danielle (Gillan) can feed them all everything she had planned. I told them it’s our first trip into Jordan-Hare and both sides are undefeated. I like the way it ended. I did give the option to the coordinators on headset. I said, ‘Look, our ones, twos and threes got the same amount of possessions. Do y’all want to go ones right here from the three-yard line for the win or loss, one play?’ They were quiet for a long time on that. They didn’t give me an answer for a while and I said, ‘Are you going to answer?’ and they said, ‘Let’s leave it a tie,’ so I’m happy with the way it ended.”

 

Freeze and several players spoke with the media after the game and discussed a variety of topics, here is everything they said.

Hugh Freeze: Opening statement

 

Photo By Austin Perryman

“Thanks to our fans and the band and everyone that weathered the conditions to come out and support our players today. We appreciate that very much. It was my first spring game to have those types of conditions. I certainly appreciate you guys for being here to cover it all. We got through it without anybody getting injured, which is always a plus. I thought it was a solid day. There were some good things and some not-so-good things, of course. Overall, I think our first spring and the 15 days that our kids gave us had some great energy and effort. We took the right step toward building some foundational things that we’re going to have to lean on to compete next year in this league. I’m pleased with our staff and there is a lot of good we can take from the 15 days.”

Hugh Freeze: On the quarterbacks development

Photo By Austin Perryman

“I feel better than I did 15 practices ago. I think from this point, now until the end of fall camp, there’s so much that needs to happen for somebody to solidify being ‘the guy.’ I think all have improved. I think all are still inconsistent with some things. We really wanted to throw that ball around and it would’ve been really ugly and probably a lot of three-and-outs had we tried to do that. I think Robby (Ashford) got better. He’s really been fun to coach. I think he’s trying to change some of the things that may have caused me concern about him being the quarterback leader, whether it be body language or ball security or just your demeanor in general — the way you talk, the way you talk to your teammates. I don’t know that anybody has really challenged him the way I did this spring with that. I thought all three of them responded to our challenges and were like, ‘please coach us.’ I think you saw today that he’s got the capability of making some plays. I thought he threw a really good seam ball in those conditions. I thought Holden (Geriner) threw some good balls. He missed a couple reads on some RPOs I think. T.J. (Finley) did too. It’s kind of been that way all spring. Some really positives one day and some inconsistencies the next day. We’ve still got some time to help them improve, hopefully.”

Holden Geriner: On the A-Day experience

John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

“It was, as I’m sure you all saw out there, not the best weather, but it was still awesome to be out there with all the guys and compete and have some fun. It was a lot of fun just getting out there with all the guys. It was really a great experience and super appreciative of all the fans that came out there and supported. So, it was a great experience.”

Holden Geriner: On his 2-point conversion

Photo by Declan Greene

“That’s been something that I’ve been trying to implement recently, just being able to run a lot more. I think I’ve definitely improved on that a lot and it’s something I like to show.”

Avery Jones: On the rain

Photo by Austin Perryman

“I think it’s good because of course you’re going to have games where it’s going to rain a lot and we’ve got to play through that and not let that affect us. At the end of the day, we’re still trying to get the win, so I think today was a good way to practice that.”

Avery Jones: On the offensive line

Photo By Austin Perryman

“Games like this you can’t focus on passing, so you really got to focus on running the ball and moving.”

Robby Ashford: On the game

Jamie Holt/Auburn Tigers

“It felt good. The conditions weren’t ideal, but just going out there with guys, having fun. Credit to those fans who showed up. It was pouring out here but showing up and showing their support. We appreciate that. To go out there and end the spring strong with the guys, it was fun. These 15 practices have been fun. It was good to be back in the crib, back in the most beautiful stadium in the world. You can’t beat it.”

Robby Ashford: On being challenged in practice

Auburn Tigers quarterback Robby Ashford (9) flicks the ball during the A-Day spring football game at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, April 8, 2023.

“I feel like every single day I found something to get better at. Coach (Hugh) Freeze definitely challenged me, and I appreciate that because he has taught me so much already in such a short amount of time. Being able to go out there and have him challenge me has been really good. Just from our talks, he is a coach who really cares and really wants to see me succeed. Him, Coach (Philip) Montgomery, Coach (Kent) Austin, and Coach (Jesse) Stone have all just helped me tremendously and have gotten me so much better from day one of spring ball to practice No. 15.”

Robert Woodyard Jr.: On his development

Photo by Declan Greene

“I feel like I’ve come a long way mentally, just coming off injury. It was kind of a setback coming in. Being able to know the defense more and my teammates have really pushed me. I really feel like I fit the defense well and I feel like I know the ins and outs of it, and I really know the guys around me.”

Robert Woodyard Jr.: On the rain

Photo By Austin Perryman

“You have to love it to play in the rain. For me I don’t really care, but it was pretty fun playing in the rain with my brothers.”

T.J. Finley: On the QB battle

John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

“It’s about competing and bettering ourselves in each aspect of the game – mentally and physically. Anywhere in the country, guys are competing, at each and every school. It’s always good to compete. You need competition to bring the best out of you each and every day, and I think we’re all responding to it well.”

T.J. Finley: On how the offense has grown under Hugh Freeze

Auburn Tigers quarterback T.J. Finley (1) warms up during the A-Day spring football game at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, April 8, 2023.

“We’ve grown tremendously. Today was kind of vanilla just because of the weather and things like that. During practices and all that, the stuff that we’ve put in – everybody is grasping onto the concept of what we’re trying to get done here as an offense. I think we’re all doing well with it and we’ll continue to grow throughout the summer on our own and then once we transfer over to fall camp.”

Jarquez Hunter: On how the running backs have done this spring

Auburn Tigers running back Jarquez Hunter (27) runs behind his defenders during the A-Day spring football game at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, April 8, 2023.

“I think it’s been great the whole spring. We all went out there and competed well. Coach (Carnell) Williams did well installing the new plays. All of us are trying to get the new plays down pat, but I think we all did have a good spring.”

Jarquez Hunter: On being RB1

(AP Photo/Butch Dill)

“All the running backs had a pretty good run and at least one explosive run today. Anybody can go in there and contribute. I think Coach Williams can put anybody in and we can do the job and get the job done. It was great to see everybody just go out there and compete.”

Nehemiah Pritchett: On the weather

John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

“It was good getting the fans back out here to watch us practice. The weather was unfortunate, but we got in and got some things done.”

Jayson Jones: On the defense

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

“I think our effort was there. We just have to keep on getting down on the technique, play with our hands, play fast, play physical and most importantly, play together.”

Jayson Jones: On the weather

John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

“Yeah, because no matter where we are, you always have to adjust to the climate. For example, when we go out to Berkeley it is not going to be humid, it is a dry heat and that’s totally different.”

Story originally appeared on Auburn Wire