“I really like our room”...

These are the words that came out of Hugh Freeze’s mouth whenever reporters talked to him about whether or not he would be pursuing a quarterback into the portal. Wait a minute, coach, you’re telling me that you’d rather have a guy that struggles to throw the football and can’t put together efficient drives?

During a stretch in which Auburn played Texas A&M, LSU, Georgia, and Ole Miss, your quarterback: Payton Thorne, had a 56% completion percentage, 82 yards passing, got sacked on average of 3 times, and except for a few big runs, didn’t do a lot of damage with his legs. Now, you add the fact that Robbie Ashford has entered the transfer portal, it’ll be Hank Brown and Thorne who will, at the moment, be fighting for the starting job in 2024.

But why not dive into the portal and take a chance on guys that could be at least a capable backup. Guys like Drew Pyne, who has one FBS offer at the moment (Ohio), but two seasons ago was 8-2 as a starter, replaced Tyler Buchner, and was an efficient game manager, 2,021 yards passing with 22 touchdowns to just 6 interceptions, and had a 65% completion percentage.

Then you also have Jeff Sims from Nebraska, he may not be the best option for Auburn because of how similar he is to Thorne, not an efficient passer plus he gives up on the play a lot. But he’s still a guy that didn’t have a lot of weapons around him and a mediocre offensive line.

However, the most intriguing prospect that Hugh Freeze needs to take note of is Jordan McCloud, he’s coming off of a season with 35 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions. He is also an efficient passing quarterback, he had a 68% completion percentage on a team that took college football by storm.

So to what Hugh Freeze says about him liking his quarterback room. You’re crazy for even thinking that, you’re making a big mistake, and you need a capable backup for Payton Thorne in 2024.