Hugh Freeze looks back on his previous success with transfer quarterbacks

Auburn is hoping that new coach Hugh Freeze can lead a major turnaround on The Plains and a big part of that will be his ability to get better quarterback play out of the Tigers, even if it takes transfer quarterbacks to do so.

The position was a complete mess last year following the departure of Bo Nix for Oregon.

But Freeze, the former Ole Miss and Liberty coach, believes he can get the position ironed out. To that end, the Tigers took in transfer Peyton Thorne from Michigan State, a multi-year starter.

“I do think I have a pretty good feel of how to get a kid ready and what he can do and playing to those strengths,” Freeze said this week at the Regions Tradition pro-am. “We’ve had success with that, and now you get one that’s probably more proven than any I’ve had before.”

Thorne has been highly productive for Michigan State for the last two years. He threw for 3,240 yards and 27 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2021, then threw for 2,679 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2022.

As a transfer quarterback, he’ll come in and compete with returning starter Robby Ashford.

Ashford might have trouble holding onto his job, though his excellent running ability could provide Freeze with the ability to play multiple quarterbacks.

After taking over for former LSU transfer TJ Finley in 2022, Ashford went 123-of-250 (49.2%) passing for 1,613 yards, with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions. Again, though, Freeze is confident in his ability to get production out of the quarterback position.

“We’ve had success with quarterbacks,” Freeze said. “I give a lot of that credit to people that have helped me coach them like Dan Werner and Kent Austin and Phillip Montgomery, that crew. I think that I’ve got some of the best quarterback coaches in the country that are with me.”

Freeze and company will have a couple options to work with, including the transfer quarterback, and it figures to be a competition into fall camp.

Along with Thorne and Ashford, redshirt freshman Holden Geriner will be in the mix.

“I thought Robby and Holden really improved this spring, so looking forward to that,” Freeze said.

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