Walker White Seems Relieved to Escape Hugh Freeze, Auburn

The Auburn Tigers suffered through a poor season in 2024 in large part because of Hugh Freeze's offense, including subpar quarterback play.

Former Auburn Tigers quarterback Walker White transferred to Baylor after sitting behind Payton Thorne for year. / John Reed-Imagn Images

Dysfunction came to define internal goings on between Auburn Tigers head Hugh Freeze and his stable of quarterbacks last season

Primarily it was incumbent starter Payton Thorne who drew the ire of coach Freeze most frequently, but the chaotic vibes extended much further down the depth chart.

Former 4-star recruit Walker White found himself unable to even unseat principle backup Hank Brown, only some fleeting mop up duty was all he could eventually muster.

White took his opportunity to jump the Auburn ship in the transfer portal, after it was clear Freeze didn’t see him as part of an immediate or even distant future. He headed to new pastures at Baylor and appeared to take a parting shot at Freeze’s inability to nurture signal callers.

"I can't wait to meet my new teammates and get to work in Coach Spavital's offense. I'm also excited that there's a clear plan for quarterback development," White said, via Pete Thamel of ESPN.

Former Auburn QB Walker White commits to Baylor via Instagram. He tells ESPN: "I can’t wait to meet my new teammates and get to work in Coach Spavital’s offense. I’m also excited that there’s a clear plan for quarterback development." https://t.co/dl1curD2Mq

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 28, 2024

Tiger fans might might find a slight in White's parting words, though White sounded excited to be starting over in a set up he deems as being more quarterback friendly for himself at this stage of his career.

However, no one would blame White for summing up last year’s quarterback room as chaos. Thorne bounced in and out of the starting line up at the beginning of the season, and then in and out of the doghouse later in the season. One had to ask the question when watching Thorne struggle, “if White can’t beat out Thorne right now, what future does he have at Auburn?”

Turned out, not much.

Given the fact that Freeze is now starting over at quarterback with transfer captures, Jackson Arnold and Ashton Daniels, the pressure is firmly on the veteran coach to prove he can get production right away from his revamped quarterback room.

Therefore, the kind of PR landmines Freeze jumped on so readily last season, particularly during sideline meltdowns directed toward Thorne, simply must be avoided at all costs. Unquestionably, the most fierce of the Freeze critics will simply claim he's far too long in the tooth to change his ways, but his very coaching survival might hinge on showing his more caring side.

Perhaps White has indeed raised a red flag , but it was ultimately too late to dissuade the precociously talented 5-star prospect Deuce Knight from signing on at Auburn.

Having said that, Freeze cannot continue with his bull in a china shop routine, especially when it comes to man managing his signal callers. 

Auburn is of course more than happy to turn the page on White, and the feeling is undoubtedly mutual, but vital lessons can still be learned along the way.