Auburn Tigers Lose Final 2024 QB to Transfer Portal

The Auburn Tigers had four quarterbacks on the 2024 roster; not a single one of them will be back in 2025.

Auburn Tigers freshman quarterback Walker White saw limited action in 2024 and is entering the transfer portal. / John Reed-Imagn Images

The 2024 Auburn Tigers were plagued by poor quarterback play throughout a disappointing 5-7 2024 season.

Senior Payton Thorne was benched after just-two games, having thrown five interceptions. However, his stint on the sidelines didn't last long. Hank Brown replaced him and threw three interceptions in the first half of a 24-14 loss to Arkansas.

Thorne threw a crucial pick-six in the next week's loss to Oklahoma. Head coach Hugh Freeze publicly lambasted Thorne during season, criticizing everything from his decision making to his accuracy.

Despite the struggles, Freeze stuck by Thorne rather than turning to a third quarterback, true freshman Walker White.

As Auburn fell to 3-6 after a home-loss to Vanderbilt, the obvious question became "If White can't beat out Thorne in a lost season, what future does he have at Auburn?"

Turns out, not much.

White is entering the transfer portal according to reports. This is on the heels of Auburn garnering a commitment from former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold earlier on Saturday.

Thorne's eligibility expired in Tuscaloosa, and White becomes the third Auburn quarterback after Hank Brown (Iowa) and Holden Geriner to enter the portal.

White entered Auburn as the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback in the country by ESPN and a top-50 player by 247Sports. However, Rivals didn't include him in their Rivals 250, and despite the lofty positional ranking, ESPN still only considered him the No. 161 prospect regardless of position.

Still, his time at Auburn shouldn't have changed his evaluation for staffs that were on him in 2024, and he should have no trouble finding a home in 2025. Clemson and Ole Miss were also heavily considered by White before signing with Auburn.

There won't be a single familiar face in Auburn's quarterback room in 2025. After watching the quarterback play in 2024, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. That's not to say Freeze and his coaching staff are completely off the hook. The three-headed play-calling monster was always doomed to fail, and Freeze's clock management left a lot to be desired.

The old saying goes - if you have two quarterbacks, you don't really have one. What does it say about three different people calling plays on game day?

Arnold joins highly-touted freshman Deuce Knight as the only quarterbacks on scholarship at Auburn. Freeze said earlier this month that he'd like to have four. He could look for a graduate transfer from a small school to add depth to the position, but he likely has his top-two guys in Arnold and Knight.

Now, he needs some depth.

After finishing 5-7 in his second-year on the job, Freeze was always going to hit the portal for an experienced starter. He must win in 2025 if he's going to see 2026, and doing that with a freshman quarterback like Knight was a dicey proposition.

Quarterback play was poor on the Plains in 2024. One factor in that equation, the quarterbacks, has been completely changed. Now Freeze and his staff must trust that they evaluated correctly this December, and get out of their own way when it comes to play calling next September.