Auburn opens its college football schedule in less than a month, and at the onset of camp on Thursday, head coach Hugh Freeze told reporters that he was “anxious” and “uncomfortable” with all the new players the program added.
That wasn’t to say that Freeze wasn’t confident in who they brought in, but the fact that so many players have to “hurry up and catch up” has put the Tigers behind the eight ball as the season nears.
“This is the most uncomfortable fall camp I’m going into and it’s because of this new world [of roster turnover],” Freeze told reporters, according to ESPN.
“We had players we added after spring ball, and one’s a quarterback and I haven’t coached him a single practice and everyone’s asking, ‘What do you think?’ I have no idea.”
Freeze is going into his first season at the helm of Auburn after it went 5-7 in 2022.
He was hired away from Liberty in November to take over the job after Auburn fired Bryan Harsin eight games into the season and relied upon Cadillac William in an interim role.
Now, the weight is on Freeze’s shoulders this year after the program went through a bit of a roster rebuild.
“It makes me feel a little bit anxious that I may be behind in our evaluation of who we are and what we can do,” Freeze said. “Maybe we are. That’s a feeling I have to battle.”
Among the decisions Freeze will have to make is at starting quarterback.
Robby Ashford, who started for Auburn last season, is back this year, along with redshirt Holden Geriner and true freshman Hank Brown.
Also expected to compete for the starting job is Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne, who opened camp taking reps with the first-team offense, according to the Montgomery Advertiser.
Freeze expressed confidence that the team could win with any of their quarterbacks and hinted that even once a decision was made, it doesn’t mean that it is ironclad.
“How that plays out — heck, it may be three games into the season before we know this is absolutely the guy we have to roll with,” he said. “I hope it’s not that, but it could be.”
Auburn opens its season on Sept. 2 against UMass.