A look at Auburn football's quarterback room entering fall camp

Auburn enters fall camp with a quarterback battle on their hands.

Author:
Lance Dawe
Publish date:
Jul 24, 2023 10:00 AM EDT

In this story:

Auburn enters fall camp with a quarterback battle on their hands.

Payton Thorne, a transfer from Michigan State, will battle things out with incumbent Robby Ashford and redshirt freshman Holden Geriner.

Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze believes the Tigers will have the battle trimmed to two quarterbacks about 10 days into camp, which begins on August 2nd.

Here's a look at the entire QB room with practice right around the corner.

Payton Thorne

Thorne was a two-year starter at Michigan State before transferring to Auburn over the weekend. The Tigers were in search of a new starting quarterback, and the expectation among fans is that Thorne comes in and wins the job in fall camp with (relative) ease.

It's unknown how Hugh Freeze is going to play things out before Auburn takes the field vs UMass, but expect incumbent Robby Ashford to push for the job regardless.

Thorne finished an accomplished quarterback at Michigan State, setting single-season records for total yards, total touchdowns and passing touchdowns. He ranks fifth in career total touchdowns, fifth in career total yards, fourth in career passing touchdowns and third in single-season passing yards.

Career pass attempts - 861 (7.5 YPA)

Career pass yards - 4,693 (61.0%)

Career pass touchdowns - 49

Career rush yards - 270

Career rush touchdowns - 6

Best game of career: Vs Pittsburgh (12/30/2021) - 29-of-50 passing, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception

Robby Ashford

Ashford spent his first two seasons at Oregon, where he did not see the field. He transferred in to Auburn in 2022 and earned the backup role to TJ Finley to begin the season. He essentially split time with Finley on the field through the first two weeks.

Following Finley's injury in week three vs Penn State, Ashford took over the starting role and never relinquished it - completing only 49.2% of his passes on the season but showing serious promise as a dual-threat - churning out over 700 rushing yards and solidifying himself as the best option in Auburn's quarterback room heading into 2023.

Career attempts completions - 250

Career pass yards - 1,613

Career pass touchdowns - 7

Career rush yards - 710

Career rush touchdowns - 7

Best game of career: At Alabama (11/26/22) - 11-of-23, 77 yards, 1 TD, 17 carries, 121 yards, 2 TD OR Vs LSU (10/1/22) - 19-of-38, 337 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 11 carries, 19 yards

Holden Geriner

Geriner now enters his second season with the Tigers after redshirting in 2022.

He recorded a stat in one game - coming in for a drive against Missouri - but did not receive any sort of meaningful playing time.

While raw, it was evident in fall camp that Geriner had the best passing mechanics in Auburn's quarterback room. It will be interesting to see how Hugh Freeze works with Geriner - or, if Freeze decides to bring in a QB from the portal, Geriner may decide to transfer himself. The former four-star quarterback has talent and could work well in a system like Freeze's.

Career pass attempts- 3

Career pass yards - 8

Career passing touchdowns - N/A

Career rush yards - N/A

Career rush touchdowns - N/A

Best game of career: N/A