SEC Media Days: AU Updates

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JUCO DL signee Quientrail Jamison-Travis in 'really good' spot to enroll at Auburn

The JUCO DL has not yet arrived on Auburn's campus, but appears set to soon.

Christian Clemente22 mins

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — JUCO defensive lineman signee Quientrail Jamison-Travis is on track to arrive at Auburn after finishing classes, head coach Hugh Freezetold local reporters at SEC Media Days. Signing with Auburn in December, Jamison-Travis had hoped to enroll in January and was unable to make it, which was the case again in May when the rest of Auburn's class enrolled ahead of summer workouts.

"I feel really good about Bobby (Jamison-Travis) right now," Freeze said. "He’s finishing up his work and everything looks promising there."

The Iowa Western signee was a late addition under Freeze and Jeremy Garrett, being mostly forgotten about until announcing that he was committed just a few days before Signing Day.

Iowa Western is expected to wrap up classes on July 28.

"I love his tape," Freeze said Tuesday. "Love his tape. I absolutely think — you can't have enough depth. When you watch right now — let's just call it how it is — when you watch Georgia play, they're going to roll one and then another and then another and there ain't much difference in them. We've got to get back to that point.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 280 pounds, Jamison-Travis was ranked as the No. 18 player, No. 3 defensive lineman and No. 2 player from Iowa in the 247Sports JUCO rankings. The industry-generated 247Sports JUCO rankings had Jamison-Travis as the No. 39 player, No. 6 defensive lineman and No. 6 player from Iowa.

All over the field in a dominating win over Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College in the JUCO title game, Jamison-Travis finished with four tackles, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries for the Reivers. For the season, Hutchinson finished with 45 tackles, eight and a half sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss. For his career at Iowa Western, Travis had 102 tackles, 11.5 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss.

“I’m a dog,” Jamison-Travis told Auburn Undercover after committing. “I don’t want to come in and sit on the bench and ride the bench. I want to play and show them what I’ve got. In the national championship game and the games I played, it proves it.”

With a need to replenish the room and some uncertainty previously surrounding Jamison-Travis' ability to make it to Auburn, the Tigers added Justin Rogers, Lawrence Johnson and Mosiah Nasili-Kite through the transfer portal.

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Hugh Freeze addresses transfer linebacker DeMario Tolan's departure

The former 4-star recruit left the program earlier this month

Nathan King25 mins

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Auburn's 20-man transfer class dropped one name just a few days ago, when linebacker DeMario Tolanexited the program three weeks before the start of fall camp.

Tolan exited the program earlier this month, and was removed from the official roster last week. Freeze confirmed Tuesday in a meeting with local reporters that Tolan was not dismissed from the team and left to deal with a personal matter.

"DeMario is dealing with some personal, family issues," Freeze said. "We want to support him every way we can to make sure he is in the best spot possible for him and his family."

Freeze was later asked if the door is open for Tolan to return to Auburn in the future, and didn't turn down the possibility: "I think that's still to be determined."

The LSU transfer was a 4-star recruit in the 2022 class. He made nine tackles in a depth role with the Bayou Bengals last season before choosing Auburn as his new school in January.

“It’s just going to take some time, learning what to do, just being new,” first-year Auburn linebackers coach Josh Aldridgesaid of Tolan in the spring. “You know what I mean? I think a lot of people forget — sometimes you take a transfer, and you think you’re getting this seasoned veteran or whatever. But you forget that the kid was only in one semester of college. Just because he played every game as a true freshman at LSU, he’s still a young guy.”

Auburn added two other linebackers from the portal, both of whom are far more experienced pickups. Austin Keys started six games at Ole Miss last season with 39 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble, while North Texas' Larry Nixon was an All-Conference USA selection after posting 105 tackles on the year. Seniors Cam Riley and Wesley Steiner are also back after starting a combined 12 games last season.

Auburn's preseason practices are set to kick off Aug. 3.

Still a murky situation for Auburn in the weeks leading up to fall camp

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — A murky offseason storyline remains unclear for the Tigers with fall camp fast approaching.

Hugh Freeze remains mum on potential suspensions within the football program, either settled or still ongoing, based on a university statement from a few months back.

In a meeting with local reporters Tuesday before his time at SEC Media Days, Freeze was asked specifically about the status of starting running back Jarquez Hunter.

"I can't comment on university policies or procedures," Freeze said.

On May 18, a statement from Auburn University was provided to Auburn Undercover that said at least one member of the Auburn football program has been suspended for violation of team rules.

"We are aware of the situation and take this matter very seriously," the statement read. "The appropriate offices are conducting a thorough review. Indefinite suspensions have been issued for violation of applicable Auburn Athletics department policy. No further comment will be provided at this time."

Hunter was the target of social media allegations in May from a now-suspended Twitter account, which posted explicit videos and claimed they were recorded and shared without consent of at least one of the participants. Hunter was not and has not been named in any statement, however, and the university later sent a follow-up email to Auburn Undercover, saying, "There is no 'Jarquez Hunter statement'," and that the initial message was "the official Auburn University statement regarding this issue." 

No comment was made at the time by Auburn's football program, as the statement came from the university. When asked by Auburn Undercover whether "indefinite suspensions" means multiple student-athletes are currently suspended from team activities, the university did not provide a response.

When asked Tuesday if he expects any players to be suspended for the start of fall camp, Freeze maintained his previous response: "I can't comment on any policies or procedures."

Auburn begins preseason practices Aug. 3.

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Hugh Freeze expects Auburn QB battle to be narrowed quickly after camp starts

Justin Hokanson

© Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Auburn footballcoach Hugh Freeze recently tasked offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery and offensive assistant Kent Austin with developing a plan for the quarterback position entering August.

“I told Phil and Kent they need to present a plan,” Freeze said on Tuesday at SEC Media Days. “Hank Brown can make every throw, but realistically, you can’t get four kids reps in camp. Probably it’ll be those other three for the first 10 days trying to get enough reps so we can get it down to two guys, and then move from there.”

The plan for Brown falls in line with Auburn Live’s depth chart projections for the quarterback position. The battle will be between Payton Thorne, Robby Ashfordand Holden Geriner.

Thorne received praise from Freeze on Tuesday as a player showing “intrinsic” leadership qualities since arriving at Auburn.

As for Ashford, Hugh Freeze and Co. challenged the returning quarterback in the spring and Freeze reiterated the challenge to Ashford again at media days.

“We’ve challenged Robby since I’ve been here to grow into what comes with being the quarterback at Auburn,” Freeze said. “He’s responded mostly positive with that. We haven’t been in the fires yet, in the competition, not just Robby, with everybody. It’s going to be everyone, how do they handle it? This is life. You’re never going to be the only guy that should be competing. Hopefully he handles it well because I do believe Robby Ashford helps us win football games.”

And regarding Geriner, the redshirt freshman made strides in the spring, with Freeze saying the youngster “really stood out” towards the end of spring camp.

Auburn Live recently posed five questions for the quarterback room entering August camp:

Is Thorne the presumed starter?

Yes is the answer to this question. During the spring, Freeze said, “I think we can win games with (Ashford and Geriner), but should a guy that comes available that’s a dynamic guy that we think is a proven guy at doing that, I think we would have to at least look at that.” That’s what Freeze did in landing Thorne, and really the answer to this question goes beyond Thorne. Freeze and Co. looked at Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall, former N.C. State quarterback Devin Leary, former Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders, former Nebraska quarterback Casey Thompson and others, before Thorne entered the portal. That speaks to what we all know, and that’s while Ashford is athletic and developing, and Geriner has potential, Auburn needed a proven, high-level Power Five quarterback in order to reach its potential this fall and Freeze knew it.

Program sources have told Auburn Live that Thorne has lived in the film room since his arrival in May, and if anyone other than Thorne is the starter against UMass, it would be a very surprising development.

What role will Ashford play in the Auburn offense?

Ashford showed last season his ability to run the football is an elite skill set. He racked up 108 rushing yards at Mississippi State, 121 yards at Alabama, finishing with the same amount of rushing touchdowns, 34 more rushing yards and three more yards per game than running back Jarquez Hunter. Montgomery said this spring of Ashford, “It’s frustrating for a guy like Robby who has a lot of athletic ability to him. When he breaks out of that pocket, good things can happen for us. You have to make sure you’re looking at that in a proper way when you’re moving forward.” That’s the big question when it comes to Ashford: How does it ability to run fit into Freeze and Montgomery’s offense, and how often can Ashford be utilized without disrupting the flow of presumed starter Thorne and the Tigers’ offense?

What is expected from the QB in the RPO offense?

One of the things heard from Freeze and other offensive assistant coaches in the spring was the installation of the RPO elements of this new offense was slowing the evolution of the quarterbacks and receivers. The RPO offense can take time to grasp and put into motion. It essentially looks like a run play. The line blocks run, the running back anticipates the handoff, and the quarterback can give it. That’s a post-snap RPO. Then there’s pre-snap RPO, when the quarterback is making reads before the ball is snapped. Most of that centers around reading coverages and fronts, and then deciding the best play to run.  Installing the RPO offense requires confidence in the quarterback as he will have to make split-second decisions to either hand the ball off to his running back or pull the ball back to fire a quick pass.

As Freeze said, “…it’s multiple and tempo-driven with NFL passing concepts.” Quick decisions, accurate passing, and patience will be key in making this offense go.

What is Geriner’s future?

Last year, sources around the program would often say no quarterback on the roster spun the football as good as Geriner. Maybe that speaks to Geriner’s potential, or maybe that speaks to Geriner’s competition at the time. It’s probably a little bit of both. Three of the four recruiting services considered Geriner a four-star prospect, with ESPN considering him a top-10 quarterback prospect nationally. Following Finley’s injury last season, Geriner earned the start against Missouri, but wasn’t given a real chance to operate freely, only throwing three passes in the game and later being replaced by Ashford. Now, Geriner enters his redshirt freshman season behind Thorne and Ashford, with a true freshman in Brown coming in, and another stellar freshman in Walker White coming into the program after this season.

Needless to say, August camp will be important for Geriner to continue to develop. The quarterback room will get crowded next spring if everyone currently on the roster returns. It will be interesting to see how Geriner’s season goes and how that plays into his immediate future with the Tigers.

Where does Auburn’s quarterback room rank in the SEC?

Despite the arrival of an experienced and talented signal caller in Thorne, the Tigers’ quarterback room still falls well down the list of the best rooms in the SEC by most neutral observers. Athlon Sports ranks Auburn’s quarterback room the 14th-best room in the league (dead last, really?). Sporting News considers it the 11th-best room.

Six schools should feel really good about where they’re at. LSU tops most lists among SEC teams with senior starter Jayden Daniels and redshirt sophomore backup Garrett Nussmeier. Arkansas returns redshirt senior KJ Jefferson. Mississippi State returns senior Will Rogers. South Carolina returns senior Spencer Rattler. Kentucky brings in the senior transfer Leary (On3 Sports’ No. 2 transfer portal QB). Tennessee brings back senior starter Joe Milton, and welcomes the insanely talented five-star freshman Nico Iamaleava.

Five more schools have talent, but fall below the first six. Ole Miss returns junior Jaxson Dart, and welcomes redshirt freshman transfer Walker Howard (LSU) and senior transfer Sanders (Oklahoma State). Georgia faces some uncertainty with redshirt junior Carson Beck slated to start, along with redshirt sophomore Brock Vandagriff and redshirt freshman Gunner Stockton backing him up. Texas A&M returns sophomore starter Conner Weigman and still has senior Max Johnson backing him up. Alabama, for the first time in years, faces real uncertainty with sophomore Jalen Milroe, sophomore transfer Tyler Buchner and freshman Ty Simpson battling it out.

Then there’s three schools that are hoping for the best. Florida brings in senior transfer Graham Mertz (Wisconsin), Missouri welcomes back junior starter Brady Cook, and Vanderbilt returns sophomore starter A.J. Swann.

Where does Auburn fit into the mix?

There’s some really good starting quarterbacks in the SEC this season. Until Thorne proves his worth in the toughest league in college football, there will be some doubt. And while Ashford is fantastic in the ground, he completed under 50 percent of his passes in seven games last fall, including four straight to end the season. Entering the season, it’s fair to say the Tigers’ quarterback room has work to do to be considered one of the better units in the league.

[southern_sports 58]

Thanks for the updates!

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Thorne has that ‘it’ factor

NASHVILLE | Hugh Freeze hasn’t officially seen Payton Thorne throw due to NCAA rules.

But Luke Deal has and the senior tight end is certainly impressed with the Michigan State transfer.

“He’s throwing really good,” said Deal. “He’s just such a savvy quarterback. He’s a savvy guy. He is a veteran quarterback and you can tell. He’s got the swagger to him. He’s got that it factor when it comes down to experience and he’s got a lot of it, which I’m excited for.”

Thorne will compete for the starting position this fall. (Auburn athletics)

But it’s Thorne’s leadership that’s really stood out to Deal.

“Really good person, really good leader,” he said. “Obviously, he’s a two-time captain at Michigan State and rightfully so. He’s got really good leadership qualities and I think a lot of guys trust him. That’s the main thing whenever you’re a new guy on a team, especially a team that has some older guys on it. He’s built a lot of trust and that’s a big thing for me.”

Thorne helped build that trust shortly after he arrived in Auburn. One of the moments that really stood out to Freeze was when he asked for pictures of all the people that worked in Auburn’s Woltosz Football Performance Center in order to learn their names as quickly as possible.

“What I’ve been impressed with his his attention to detail, his desire to learn the systems, to be a leader, to have position group meetings,” said Freeze. “He definitely has those leadership qualities.

“He’s just got some intrinsic things about him that you really like that I know is going to enhance that room. But like I said, I haven’t coached him a single practice yet. So it would be unfair for me to even act like I knew where everybody stood at. But absolutely love what I’ve seen from him in the leadership world.”

Thorne comes to Auburn after throwing for 6,494 and 49 touchdowns in 29 career games at MSU. Thorne, a junior, will complete with sophomore Robby Ashford and redshirt freshman Holden Geriner for the starting job in fall camp.

At SEC Media Days Tuesday, Freeze said he hopes to narrow the race to two quarterbacks after 10 days.

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Hugh Freeze acknowledges Auburn football is a 'work in progress'

Justin Hokanson

Auburn coach Hugh Freeze (Steve Roberts / USA TODAY Sports)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Auburn footballprogram is very much a work in progress. New head coach Hugh Freeze knows that better than most.

Through the NCAA Transfer Portal, 20 new players have arrived and 19 have left. In addition, the Tigers signed 22 players in the 2023 recruiting class. Roster turnover across college football is at an all-time high and it’s no different at Auburn.

“That’s the challenge. I don’t even know all the names, truthfully,” Freeze said during SEC Media Days on Tuesday. “We’re going to have to wear tape on our helmet again, we’ve recruited kids after spring practice, I haven’t coached them or been with them a whole lot. It would be hard to say I know them, or they know me. 

“I’ve never felt quite like this. I’m going to have to lean on our assistant coaches to help capture their hearts and minds. You come in as a transfer and you expect to play, but that isn’t going to be true for every single person. Yet, we’re going to need everyone in that team room to be of one mind and one accord.”

Within the last few weeks, Freeze traveled to the mountains, something he says he does every year. The purpose centered around Freeze developing a “teaching” plan for the next year. He hopes that helps reset things, as he’s been running ragged since being hired on November 30, 2022. 

Immediately, the focus was hiring a staff, while salvaging a recruiting class. Then, it was starting spring camp at the end of February. After spring camp? More transfer portal moves before having time in the summer to try and reset.

Freeze said “tunnel vision” will be paramount to Auburn’s immediate success.

“There is no skirting the issue, that’s a big challenge for us to formulate a team from so many different, new faces in a short amount of time,” Freeze said. “Our program is work in progress. I’m ok with that, and (the players) have to be ok with that. I’m not a big goal setter. I believe on focusing on what we can do today to get better. If we can stay there, then hopefully from game one to 12, there’s considerable improvement.”

As for expectations, Freeze understands the dynamic. Auburn football recently announced the largest season ticket sell-out in the history of the athletic department. Fans are optimistic. On the flip side, most predictions place the Tigers near the bottom of the SEC West in Freeze’s first season.

“My expectations are for us to play a passionate, 60-minute football game every Saturday,” Freeze said. “Hopefully it’s fundamentally sound where we give our kids a chance to win games in the fourth quarter. I don’t set a goal on where we’re going to finish in the West. Man, can we just play well today at practice. Then tomorrow at practice, and see where that a puts us.

“I can see why they have us all over the place, I really do. We can’t control that, but we can control how we prepare fo the opportunities we’re going to be given. We’re going to be given 12 opportunities and I guess seven are at home, and with Jordan-Hare, we can make that more difficult. What we do with those and how we prepare is what really matters.”

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Will Hugh Freeze or Philip Montgomery call offensive plays?

Justin Hokanson

Hugh Freeze (Photo by Auburn Athletics)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Auburn footballhead coach Hugh Freeze hired Philip Montgomery for a reason.

“I hired Philip to call plays,” Freeze said clearly during SEC Media Days on Tuesday.

Through two seasons at Arkansas State, five at Ole Miss and four at Liberty, Freeze has always been the predominant play caller on offense. It started at Briarcrest High School in Tennessee during the early 1990’s and has continued to this day. 

Freeze’s forte is being an exceptional play caller, but there’s a shift happening.

“I think at one point, I was one of the better play callers in the country,” Freeze said during SEC Media Days on Tuesday. “I haven’t felt like I was quite on my game, but I could still manage a game and figure out a way to win,” Freeze said of his time at Liberty. 

“While I still believe in our system, there are so many dynamics going in the college game right now, to rebuild Auburn, I thought that it was very beneficial to get someone that’s done it a a high level.”

Enter Montgomery, who cut his teeth on the offensive side of the football in Texas high school football, all the way through offensive coordinator stints at Houston and Baylor, before assuming head coaching and play calling duties at Tulsa.

“Having said that, the game plan is formed by a lot of people. I will be involved in that,” Freeze said. “While Philip will call from the plays we feel good about, I certainly reserve the right to jump in at any time to say, ‘I have a good feel right now, let me help a little bit.’ I want to be clear, Philip was hired to call the plays and that’s what we’re going to do, but there will be suggestions from other people, including me. He knows that. He’s challenged with calling them.”

During spring camp, Montgomery explained his offensive philosophy this way:

“We want to be an efficient scoring machine and we want to be able to create excitement. We want to be able to push the ball down the field, we want to get involved in the run game, we want to get involved in the screen game, but keeping people off balance a little bit from a defensive standpoint. But, we’re going to stretch the ball vertically as well as horizontally and try to make you play out in space. So, I think we’re going to give them something to stand up and cheer about.”

[RunInRed 18,479]

 

[JerryAU 1,891]

Thanks a lot Toddc. 🍻

[Win4AU 4,201]

I’ve heard Robby has made good progress during the summer.  Hopefully they have a package or 2 if the circumstances dictate.  Too much athleticism not to give him some touches.

[RunInRed 18,479]

Thought Hugh did a really nice job today.

[RunInRed 18,479]

[RunInRed 18,479]

 

 

[RunInRed 18,479]

 

 

[AuCivilEng1 12,293]

6 minutes ago, RunInRed said:

 

 

Good god! Let that man speak to the media after every game, win or lose. Talk about a guy who is the embodiment of what every player should strive for.

[bigbird 60,941]

29 minutes ago, AuCivilEng1 said:

Good god! Let that man speak to the media after every game, win or lose. Talk about a guy who is the embodiment of what every player should strive for.

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al.com

 

‘We’re going to ride this bus together’: Hugh Freeze feels aligned with Auburn’s new administration

Published: Jul. 18, 2023, 5:30 p.m.

~3 minutes

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Hugh Freeze talks challenges of rebuilding a program, Auburn culture at SEC Media Days 2023

Auburn’s first-year head coach Hugh Freeze says he’s heard through the grapevine that some believe alignment is lacking on The Plains.

It’s not a wild assumption to make considering all the changes at Auburn.

On Feb. 4, 2022, Chris Roberts was named the 21st president of Auburn University.

Eight months later, on Oct. 29, it was announced that John Cohen would be the Tigers’ athletics director after serving the same role at Mississippi State.

Thirty days after Cohen was hired, Freeze was named Auburn’s head coach, replacing Bryan Harsin, who was fired midway through the 2022 season.

When Freeze first arrived on The Plains, he admits the Auburn football program wasn’t in the best shape.

Upon his arrival, Freeze was a bit shocked how hard it was to recruit at Auburn.

“I don’t want to be negative. Just, it was off from what I believe an Auburn roster should look like,” Freeze said. “Recruiting has been a little more challenging than I thought for Auburn, because of what I believe Auburn should be and what it’s proven it can be.”

Since his arrival, Freeze has hit the transfer portal hard, adding more than 20 players to Auburn’s roster — many of whom might see starting roles.

On the recruiting trail, an area Freeze recognizes to be of the utmost important as he rebuilds Auburn, he and the Tigers just received their sixth pledge from a 4-star prospect in the 2024 cycle with the commitment of cornerback Jalyn Crawford.

“I do think that the ‘24 and ‘25 recruiting cycle will tell a large portion of the story of my tenure here,” Freeze said.

Before that story can even unfold, however, Freeze wants to put a sock in the mouths of those who question the alignment of the Tigers’ football program with the rest of the university.

“We have a brand-new president, and that president has a brand-new athletic director, and that athletic director and that president chose a new football coach,” Freeze said. “And we are as aligned as we could ever be... And we’re going to ride this bus together.”

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[aubiefifty 18,301]

 

al.com

 

Goodman: Why is Hugh Freeze worth the risk?

Updated: Jul. 18, 2023, 4:29 p.m.|Published: Jul. 18, 2023, 4:21 p.m.

5–6 minutes

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Hugh Freeze, Auburn Man, was back at SEC Media Days on Tuesday for the first time in six years. The last time he participated in the league’s big kickoff celebration of college football something uncomfortable was dogging him like a burn on the roof of his mouth.

Tonguing that thing always makes it worse, but it’s so hard to stop.

There is a curious history of unexpected cringe-inducing moments involving coaches at SEC Media Days. An intoxicating mix of SEC sideshow shenanigans, Paul Finebaum and cosplaying Alabama fans are what made this thing popular, and I hope that no one ever forgets that grassroots weirdness. This year’s four-day event in Nashville is like a glow up for the league. It’s so corporate now. It’s so … professional. No matter where the SEC is headed, though, the SEC lifers among us will always look back with fondness at those days in Hoover and Birmingham.

They were so … what’s the best way to put this … they were so Hugh Freeze at Ole Miss.

GOODMAN: Has Brian Kelly already surpassed Nick Saban?

RELATED: Freeze notes Alabama ‘gold standard,’ welcomes challenge

RELATED: Auburn football players already talking about the Iron Bowl

RELATED: Rewinding what Auburn’s Hugh Freeze said at SEC Media Days

Freeze is the new head coach at Auburn and he’s a major upgrade from the previous guy. Freeze has his baggage, though. In 2017, he was the coach of the Rebels and he was sued by former Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt on the eve of Freeze’s turn in front of the cameras. It was awkward, of course. Freeze handled it the best that he could.

“I keep waiting for the Media Day where I come here and we can just talk about our players,” Freeze said to reporters. “For whatever reason, the journey we’ve been on — obviously, some our fault — has continued for a long time. This’ll be my sixth Media Day, if my memory’s right. Be the fifth time we’re talking about something other than our team.”

Freeze didn’t see another SEC Media Days with Ole Miss. In fact, he only lasted at Ole Miss for another week. Freeze was forced to resign in disgrace after the civil complaint filed against him brought to light a history of phone calls to escort services.

The SEC might be changing, but it’s bringing along Freeze for another ride. I’m ready for it. There’s something poetic about Auburn’s unpolished hue. It tastes and feels and sounds like the old SEC, for good or ill — like grit between the teeth, like an Iron Bowl that suddenly matters, like a hard-written country song by the Hillbilly Shakespeare himself. Hank Williams, Sr., moved to Nashville and became a star, but it was Alabama that formed his tragic genius.

I would not be shocked if Freeze and Auburn upset Nick Saban and Alabama in November. Freeze is that good of a coach. Is the league ready for a renaissance on The Plains? I know that I am. The Ballad of Hugh Freeze begins this way: At least it’s not Bryan Harsin.

The hook of that song goes like this. Why is this guy Hugh Freeze worth the risk?

Answer: Freeze gives Auburn a legitimate chance to beat its rivals and win a national championship. It’s that simple, and it doesn’t matter what teams join the SEC in 2024 or how future schedules stack up against the Tigers. The new ways of the SEC favor an old coach keen on redemption.

Auburn is a mystery like no other going into the 2023 season. Harsin never saw a lead he couldn’t find a way to squander. I don’t know what to expect from Auburn this fall, but coaches tell me that no one in college football makes better second-half adjustments than Freeze. That’s something worth remembering. I asked Freeze about it on Tuesday and he laughed.

“Well, what coach said that?” Freeze asked. “Was it Coach Saban? That would be nice if it came from him.

“I do think we’ve been very good at that through the years. We typically have been able to come out and have good adjustments. Truthfully, I always hold a few things until the second half. I don’t know if that’s wise… but I’ve instructed our staff, let’s kind of hold onto that until the second half.”

Freeze is a complicated country song and a window into the real SEC. That sounds like Auburn to me. His seventh SEC Media Days was not unlike the sixth. I asked him if running back Jarquez Hunter would be available to participate in the beginning of fall camp.

“Yeah, I’m not allowed to comment on university’s policies or procedures at this point,” he said.

Maybe next time he’ll get that chance to talk about his players.

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.

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[aubiefifty 18,301]

al.com

What about Robby Ashford? Auburn’s Hugh Freeze weighs in on returning QB’s role

Published: Jul. 18, 2023, 4:45 p.m.

~3 minutes

Auburn quarterback Robby Ashford is set to battle Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne for the starting job this fall. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)AP

It’s no secret. Auburn will be home of, what sounds like, an intense quarterback battle this fall.

We knew that would be the case when first-year head coach Hugh Freeze dipped into the transfer portal and plucked junior quarterback Payton Thorne from Michigan State.

When Thorne’s transfer was announced in December, Auburn’s returning quarterback, Robby Ashford, took to Twitter.

“Let’s work. Iron sharpens iron!!,” Ashford tweeted.

When Freeze arrived at SEC Media Days in Nashville on Tuesday, it didn’t come as a surprise when the first question he fielded was in regards to the quarterback situation on The Plains.

Local media wanted to know what Freeze had seen out of Thorne. To which Freeze said he hadn’t seen Thorne throw yet, but that he was impressed by the transfer’s leadership.

But what about Ashford — the in-state kid who first went to Oregon before transferring to Auburn and being named the starting quarterback by the opening of SEC play last fall.

In 2022, Ashford passed for more than 1,600 yards, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions. He added 710 yards on the ground with seven more scores.

And it’s Ashford’s multi-dimensional skillset that’s bound to have him seeing the field again this season, regardless of who wins the starting gig.

“We’ve challenged Robby since I’ve been here to elevate what comes with being the quarterback at Auburn. And I think he’s responding, mostly positive with that,” Freeze said.

The Tigers currently have seven quarterbacks listed on their roster, including true freshman Hank Brown, who received high praise from Freeze Tuesday.

However, Freeze hopes to narrow the battle down to two quarterbacks within the first 10 days of fall camp.

“On great teams, you’re never going to be the only guy that should be competing,” Freeze said. “Hopefully, (Ashford) handles it well because I do think Robby Ashford helps us win football games.”

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