Will Kaidon Salter Reunite with Hugh Freeze at Auburn?

Former Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter has a history with Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze.

Former Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter could be Auburn's top target in the transfer portal. / HELEN COMER/The Daily News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Auburn must restock its quarterback room with Payton Thorne done with college football, plus losing backups Holden Geriner and Hank Brown to the transfer portal.

That makes the addition of a big-time Transfer Portal signal-caller a must for the Tigers. How about one with proven production and a long history with Hugh Freeze?

READ MORE: Auburn Transfer Portal Tracker

Enter Kaidon Salter. At 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, he’s a proven commodity with four years of experience at Liberty. Most notably, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze signed Salter out of the Transfer Portal at Liberty after Salter began his career with Tennessee.

Perhaps Salter will transfer to play for Freeze again.

According to On3, Salter’s recruitment includes programs like Auburn, Colorado, Florida State, Syracuse, and UCLA. Let’s see if Salter heads to the Plains for a visit. If he does, there’s much to like about what he would bring to Jordan-Hare Stadium.

NEWS: Liberty transfer QB Kaidon Salter is planning visits to Syracuse, Colorado, and Florida State, per @PeteNakos_👀

UCLA and Auburn have also shown interest.https://t.co/3dUaUxNq6z pic.twitter.com/CZA5cuTRLx

— On3 (@On3sports) December 9, 2024

His career passing numbers are impressive. Salter has 5,887 yards, 58.7%, 56 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions, with most of his production coming from the 2023 and 2024 college football seasons. He’s a threat to beat a defense with the deep ball, too.

According to Pro Football Focus, Salter’s 2023 passes traveling 20 or more yards downfield provided a result of 33 of 69, 47.8%, 1,152 yards, a 16.7 average per attempt, 18 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. To say the least, Salter maximizes his deep shots.

Throwing downfield more often than many other passers, Salter’s completion percentage looks a bit low to the naked eye. His yards-per-attempt average more than override for the lower hit rate. Salter’s passing motion also provides insight.

Watching him throw the football, Salter’s arm strength is impressive. He displays a consistent over-the-top throwing motion and does not rush his delivery. Salter often looks for opportunities to burn an opposing defense deep. When Salter decides to run, he’s just as dangerous.

Whether operating a traditional option play, ad-libbing by making defenders miss and then burning a defense with his athleticism, or running the football during a designed play call, Salter’s athleticism creates havoc for a defense.

For his career, Salter has 2,013 yards on the ground and 13 scores. It’s fun watching him dodge defensive linemen and linebackers before breaking into the secondary and outrunning defensive backs. Salter should be considered a threat to score on any given play.

Auburn would gain a proven dual-threat quarterback in Salter. Additionally, one with direct knowledge of Freeze and his offensive system. He would be as close to a plug-and-play quarterback as Auburn could find.