Why Hugh Freeze has tempered expectations for Auburn's A-Day Game

Hugh Freeze has made headlines several times over the last week, as Auburn’s first-year head coach reintroduced the no-brainer idea of playing spring games against other schools while also previewing the Tigers’ annual A-Day Game on Saturday. 

But it was less about what he expected to happen in the spring scrimmage than what’s to come later in the offseason for the Tigers. 

As in: More roster movement. 

In a Thursday interview with On3’s J.D. Pickell of the Hard Count, Freeze candidly admitted that Auburn will be aggressive in the next transfer portal window. 

“None of us has dealt with the spring portal,” Freeze said. 

“It can affect you both ways. You can lose some that you don’t want to lose, but there’s some out there you hope you can attract that can add more depth and experience to our team.”

In January, Auburn’s new coach utilized the initial transfer window to restock the offensive line (three potential new starters), add a bevy of pieces to the Tigers’ front seven and sign USF tailback Brian Battle, who averaged 6.74 yards per carry for nearly 1,200 yards and eight touchdowns last season, to pair with Jarquez Hunter. 

Still, after 14 spring practices, it’s evident to Freeze that the Tigers need way more help if they hope to be competitive in the SEC West come fall. Freeze named five positions he hopes to target in the spring transfer portal — including adding a quarterback. 

“We’ll take a few more O-linemen. We’ll take another safety,” he said. “Another corner, another rush guy, a quarterback possibly if it’s the right one. We’re open. I’m curious to see who all goes in.”

Freeze’s latest comments are simply another sign that he isn’t crazy about Auburn’s current quarterback room. A couple weeks ago, he wished that the group of Robby Ashford, T.J. Finley, and Holden Geriner were “further along.” Although the unit’s play hasn’t worsened over the course of the spring, Finley and Ashford in particular haven’t separated themselves. Freeze told Pickell that the competition would bleed into the fall — and that likely would include another arm in the race. 

“I don’t think the evaluation of the quarterback is a one-day deal,” he said. 

“This will just be a piece of the pie. We have a folder and a book that has every grade for their execution and decision-making, and that book will go long beyond spring practice 15. Every one is an opportunity for them to prove they are prepared for that job. It’s going to take great competition and doing it over a length of time, even how they lead and operate when they aren’t in practice sessions.

“That’s something that’s been missing that they haven’t been challenged on much. If you want to be the guy, what’s that look like in May, June or July? Is it bringing the locker room together or apart? We’ll see how it happens. This thing is going into fall camp and if you can’t handle that as one of the guys, that tells me a lot. We’re a long way away from being able to say who that guy is.” 

Part of the reason Freeze raised the idea of school-v-school spring scrimmages this week is because he believes it would provide a better evaluation framework for his roster. He’s frustrated by the difficult of evaluating Auburn’s quarterback options because of some of the natural limitations in spring ball. QBs aren’t live — even in Saturday’s A-Day — so it makes it harder to assess a guy like Ashford, who relies so heavily on his athleticism. 

Not helping Auburn’s QB quagmire: Many spring reports from the Plains suggest Auburn’s receiver room, which didn’t have a single pass-catcher with over 500 yards last season, remains an ongoing issue. 

. @AuburnFootball fans you might need some, um, patience with your WRs …

— Heather Dinich (@CFBHeather) March 27, 2023

A year ago, Ashford was the star of A-Day, yet Finley wound up being Auburn’s starter in Week 1. Tank Bigsby was heavily featured in the passing game, yet the tailback caught just 30 balls all season. 

So temper your expectations, Auburn fans. Freeze has suggested as much, too. Too many dynamics stand to change in the coming months. 

Auburn fans are right to be excited about a new era on the Plains, but they should avoid making any rash reactions to whatever they see on the field on A-Day — especially from the QB position.