Auburn 'in conversations' with more QBs on transfer board

[DAG 33,955]

13 minutes ago, gr82b4au said:

As for others comparing Robby to Campbell or Willis, it is apples and oranges. The only comparison is that they are all quarterbacks.

 

I don't consider it apples to oranges at all. It makes perfect sense. The difference is it didn't happen over night like people are expecting it too. MW was about three years removed from Auburn before being an "NFL" QB. We saw the transition for J.C. 

That does not happen over one off season, yet people want a QB right now at this very minute. 

Edited January 13, 2023 by DAG

[gr82b4au 5,568]

Just now, DAG said:

I don't consider it apples to oranges at all. It makes perfect sense. The difference is it didn't happen over night like people are expecting it too. MW was about three years removed before being an "NFL" QB. We saw the transition to J.C. 

That does not happen over one off season, yet people want a QB right now at this very minute. 

But the difference is that Robby has never shown the ability, even back in HS, to be accurate. The other two quarterbacks were very accurate before the adequate coaching.

Look, I want him to be successful. I just don’t want to rely on that to be the answer. 

[80Tiger 899]

2 minutes ago, gr82b4au said:

But the difference is that Robby has never shown the ability, even back in HS, to be accurate. The other two quarterbacks were very accurate before the adequate coaching.

Look, I want him to be successful. I just don’t want to rely on that to be the answer. 

To your point, in Jason Campbell's 4 years at AU  his lowest completion percentage was 61.5%

[DAG 33,955]

10 minutes ago, gr82b4au said:

But the difference is that Robby has never shown the ability, even back in HS, to be accurate. The other two quarterbacks were very accurate before the adequate coaching.

Look, I want him to be successful. I just don’t want to rely on that to be the answer. 

I never said he was. But a  kid who hasn't shown success at the power 5 level isn't the answer either, five star or not. Also did more digging and he ended being regulated to third string after three years at Washington. Ultimately, this is the long game and CHF feels at the very least he can work with him as he has said as much. However, I do think we will be working  on getting a proven caliber QB in the mean time.

Edited January 13, 2023 by DAG

[gr82b4au 5,568]

13 minutes ago, DAG said:

a random kid who has shown success isn't the answer either, five star or not.

You may be right. But would you rather have a guy that in the past has proven he can be accurate and elite in hs but has not had a chance to show it yet in college, or a guy that had his chances in hs and college already but has never shown that ability?
I get what everybody is saying. I mean we thought we had a home run in McCall but it did not work out. We all want someone with college experience who is accurate and awesome. 
I just need to learn to be patient. I find that I am a lot like the kid in Willy Wonka who wants everything now, especially after having to endure the last several years of recruiting as an Auburn fan. Ha ha ha

[DAG 33,955]

5 minutes ago, gr82b4au said:

but has not had a chance to show

Have you seen his stats. He is slightly better than RA in a much weaker conference. I think he threw four picks in one game. He became third string his sophomore (RS) year. So, if you are asking me would I rather roll the dice on RA as a long term project versus the UW guy, I absolutely would choose RA. Highschool means very little to me, once you get to this level. Your potential can get you through the door, but majority of folks have potential at this level, which simply means, you haven't done a thing.

[e808 3,020]

Where is the RA never been accurate narrative coming from. Looks like he only had 5 games on varsity and spent most of his time playing baseball. I am not saying RA will be the next Tom Brady. I just take into account he was injured and the condition he played under. Don’t think many quarterbacks would have fared well.  

[JuscAUse! 1,387]

22 minutes ago, DAG said:

I never said he was. But a  kid who hasn't shown success at the power 5 level isn't the answer either, five star or not. Also did more digging and he ended being regulated to third string after three years at Washington. Ultimately, this is the long game and CHF feels at the very least he can work with him as he has said as much. However, I do think we will be working  on getting a proven caliber QB in the mean time.

Yeah. The star rating is based on where the athlete is in High School and not on his potential as a college player. Most 5 stars in every position but QB and OL will have the athletic tools available for success in college ball. I have read that high school QBs and OL are the hardest positions of the highest rated players to evaluate as becoming standout college players. At least that's what I read in an article or two last year. So if that is true, I can see where HF would want a QB that he has projected to be better than what he has by a good bit, and doesn't care what he was rated in HS. 

 

 

 

[metafour 4,958]

22 minutes ago, e808 said:

Where is the RA never been accurate narrative coming from. 

By his entire college career and HS career, lol. He was a clear athlete playing QB in HS with noted accuracy issues (hence why he landed at Oregon in the first place) and over 250 pass attempts in college he is a 49% completion passes. Please note that the same stuff you saw in live game action is what he was showing all fall camp prior to any shoulder injury, hence why TJ Finley was the starter in the first place and why Ashford would have been 3rd string with a healthy Calzada in the fold. We can also safely deduce that if he was looking accurate during his two seasons at Oregon, he probably wouldn't have been 3rd/4th string on their depth chart.

So really, the onus is to prove WHEN he has been an accurate passer, because there is no record of it. Furthermore, what is the list of P5 QB's who have drastically improved their accuracy in year #4 after being grossly inaccurate over 3 seasons? I can't imagine that the list is very long, considering that we know that "accuracy" contains a large component that isn't coachable.

[JuscAUse! 1,387]

17 minutes ago, metafour said:

By his entire college career and HS career, lol. He was a clear athlete playing QB in HS with noted accuracy issues (hence why he landed at Oregon in the first place) and over 250 pass attempts in college he is a 49% completion passes. Please note that the same stuff you saw in live game action is what he was showing all fall camp prior to any shoulder injury, hence why TJ Finley was the starter in the first place and why Ashford would have been 3rd string with a healthy Calzada in the fold. We can also safely deduce that if he was looking accurate during his two seasons at Oregon, he probably wouldn't have been 3rd/4th string on their depth chart.

So really, the onus is to prove WHEN he has been an accurate passer, because there is no record of it. Furthermore, what is the list of P5 QB's who have drastically improved their accuracy in year #4 after being grossly inaccurate over 3 seasons? I can't imagine that the list is very long, considering that we know that "accuracy" contains a large component that isn't coachable.

Hard to argue after you make the case.  Robbie did make some beautiful throws during the season, which makes me wonder if it's mechanics ? I am not a QB coach and have no plans to be one, just thinking out loud. If not, you have to wonder if the bad throws are the norm and the good ones are aberrations. There's no doubt that in between the good throws he gave us plenty of WTH moments also. I do believe HF will make him and Geriner better than the coaches we had in the past could have managed. It'll be interesting to watch.

 

Edited January 13, 2023 by JuscAUse!

[Gowebb11 9,309]

1 hour ago, metafour said:

We can also safely deduce that if he was looking accurate during his two seasons at Oregon, he probably wouldn't have been 3rd/4th string on their depth chart.

For context, he was behind a senior Anthony Brown, Texas Tech starter Shough and 2 top 100 QB recruits. 

1 hour ago, metafour said:

I can't imagine that the list is very long, considering that we know that "accuracy" contains a large component that isn't coachable.

It’s not a long list but it’s there. Joe Burrow went from 58% to 78% in a year. A closer comparison for RA might be Kellen Mond  who improved significantly under Fisher. Maturity, coaching, play calling, and supporting cast all play a critical role. RA may not be our next great one, but I know he can improve significantly under this coaching staff. Interestingly enough, Geriner is said to be extremely accurate but a lot of fans seem to discount his ability to contend for the job next season.  

[Hank2020 3,195]

9 minutes ago, Gowebb11 said:

For context, he was behind a senior Anthony Brown, Texas Tech starter Shough and 2 top 100 QB recruits. 

It’s not a long list but it’s there. Joe Burrow went from 58% to 78% in a year. A closer comparison for RA might be Kellen Mond  who improved significantly under Fisher. Maturity, coaching, play calling, and supporting cast all play a critical role. RA may not be our next great one, but I know he can improve significantly under this coaching staff. Interestingly enough, Geriner is said to be extremely accurate but a lot of fans seem to discount his ability to contend for the job next season.  

Agree, I believe Geriner has best chance to run the passing portion of offense next year.

[autan 737]

It's becoming more and more apparent that we will not get a transfer QB until after spring. Questions remains unanswered. Can McCall graduate this spring? Will Auburn bring him in or get someone else after spring? Can GMc still be one of the premier QBs in the SEC next year like we hoped? Did Malik leave Auburn after a spring and start at Liberty that fall or am I missing a year or season? My guess is neither TJF or RA or GMc will improve that much before fall so a McCall transfer would probably still be our best hope for next season if it is still even an option.

Things to ponder over the next few months.

[metafour 4,958]

23 hours ago, maryland tiger said:

You could have made these same statements about Jason Campbell and you saw what he did his "last" year. When a better offensive mind was hired, Jason balled out. Also, Tank should be higher on the all-time rushing list but do you know why he isn't? Because of the awful Offensive line that he played behind, the same line that didn't give any QB time to throw. 

Dear god. Okay, here we go...

Jason Campbell was a 5-star recruit and one of the top QB's in his class. Robby Ashford was a 3-star recruit on both 247 and Rivals (ESPN rated him a 4-star, but ESPN's HS rankings are useless). So right from the bat, you have zero basis for comparison. Nobody with a brain who knows anything about football thinks that Ashford is anywhere near Jason Campbell in terms of talent. Do you also believe that with the "right coaching" that Wesley Steiner could be Takeo Spikes? Why stop there? 

I love how silly Auburn fans like yourself automatically jump to Jason Campbell every time we have a bad QB sitting as the "starter". No, you dolt - not every bad QB can be coached into Jason Campbell. Jason Campbell wasn't ever even BAD in the first place. This is the single dumbest Auburn take that repeatedly gets spread around. Jason Campbell NEVER dipped below 60% completion in any one of his 4 seasons at Auburn. And this was back during the West Coast offense days where you weren't completing easy high-completion passes all game long. So what exactly is the comparison here supposed to be? Do you need me to pull out a calculator for you to calculate the MASSIVE difference between 49% completion (Ashford) and 62.7%, 63.1%, and 61.8% completion (Campbell over his first 3 seasons)?

Robby Ashford is MUCH closer in comparison to someone like Kodi Burns or Kiehl Frazier than he is to Jason Campbell. Why didn't you use that as a comparison? 

Quote

 I'm saying the dude has all the tools if those tools are coached up

Except he DOES NOT have "all the tools". Do you understand how complicated it is to play QB at this level? Here's your problem: you think that "tools" means running fast and throwing the ball far. Those are two out of maybe a dozen possible "tools". 

How about accuracy? touch? timing? processing ability? Which of those tools has Ashford shown consistently? How about pocket presence? How about awareness? 

He has shown NONE of those things; and those are the ACTUAL "tools" that make or break a QB. 

There are a million big, strong, fast guys with big arms who suck *** at QB and NEVER develop. That's because the above traits are barely if at all coachable. So save me the joke of the suggestion that you're just going to "coach up" a 3rd stringer into a Heisman QB - what an absolute joke lmao.

Yes bro, Robby Ashford is Jason Campbell! Just needs some more coaching! And Austin Troxell would have been Marcus McNeill if only he had the right coaching hahaha! 

[gr82b4au 5,568]

On 1/12/2023 at 12:30 PM, CT Tiger said:

Is he definitely a TCU lock?

Unfortunately, it looks like he is now going to go to ole miss. Yuck. 
nothing official yet just reading other boards

Edited January 14, 2023 by gr82b4au

[AUnCullman 601]

I think Robbie MAY have made 5 elite throws this past season. Maybe... 

The norm was- too low, too high, too far in front, too far behind, etc.

If RA is QB1 going into the season, will we be better? No doubt. Will we be great? Highly doubt it. 

[Mims44 1,864]

23 hours ago, e808 said:

Where is the RA never been accurate narrative coming from. Looks like he only had 5 games on varsity and spent most of his time playing baseball. I am not saying RA will be the next Tom Brady. I just take into account he was injured and the condition he played under. Don’t think many quarterbacks would have fared well.  

Based on 5 games in HS and this past year at Auburn playing for a coaching staff where half of them quit on the team early on and behind an Oline that couldn't block a group of senior citizens.

He's a dude whose first love was obviously baseball (at least for a time). In terms of actual gametime experience the RA we saw this year was worse than a normal true freshman, since most true freshman come in with more than 5 career starts counting HS.

He's now at 17 games played counting HS and college, maybe he takes that experience and HFs QB magic and makes something of it, maybe he doesn't.

 

But, some posters on here are just in love with being debbie downers.

[AUApostle 7,648]

Jason and Robbie are nothing alike. Jason just needed the game to slow down for him but had every other trait you want in an elite QB.

[gr82b4au 5,568]

20 hours ago, gr82b4au said:

Unfortunately, it looks like he is now going to go to ole miss. Yuck. 
nothing official yet just reading other boards

Just an update on the Howard kid. As of this morning, the Ole Miss mods feel like they are going to get him. Kiffin may have his issues but QBs want to play for him. 

[AUwent 3,747]

That we’ve been able to win transfer battles with USCw and UAT would make it completely baffling if we truly are missing on all these QB targets. I def have more trust in the staff than I did a month ago, but we desperately need a QB out of the TP—Robbie is absolutely not the answer, sorry! Yes 2003 was super disappointing (not that I have any memory of the hype leading up to it) but can we please stop using it as proof that any low-rated/criticized player or coach will be a star for us?

So are we confident that there’ll be a nice crop of QBs that hit the portal come May? If OM is getting Howard then it sounds like we could easily get Sanders if we want him.

Edited January 15, 2023 by AUwent

[JuscAUse! 1,387]

40 minutes ago, AUwent said:

That we’ve been able to win transfer battles with USCw and UAT would make it completely baffling if we truly are missing on all these QB targets. I def have more trust in the staff than I did a month ago, but we desperately need a QB out of the TP—Robbie is absolutely not the answer, sorry! Yes 2003 was super disappointing (not that I have any memory of the hype leading up to it) but can we please stop using it as proof that any low-rated/criticized player or coach will be a star for us?

So are we confident that there’ll be a nice crop of QBs that hit the portal come May? If OM is getting Howard then it sounds like we could easily get Sanders if we want him.

 Do you worry this much about everything? HF - nor any other power 5 program - seem to want Sanders at this time. Why should we "get" him just to have him on the roster? The argument some have is we have QBs in name only, and the solution is to get the same from the portal. It seems to me you give a scholly to people that are a cut above what we have or we stand pat and hope for something better in the future. And I will never claim to know the plans of our staff , for QB or any other position on the team. The results of the last 5-6 weeks will definitely keep me from getting an ulcer worrying about it , and I am looking forward to the future of our program. Not just next year, either. Sure seems positive at this point, anyway.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 15, 2023 by JuscAUse!

[gr82b4au 5,568]

Before the last 6 weeks, we were on the verge of being the worst AU team ever assembled. HF has absolutely taken us from the depths of Vandy to being a competitive team. He has far surpassed what I thought was even possible in the portal. 
We are just missing one piece. A good QB can take us from good to great overnight now that we have an OL and quality pieces on the defense. 
I just did not want the same QB crew that we had last spring to go through practice again, but it seems inevitable. Hopefully they will show out. 
I know he is trying to find someone!!

Edited January 15, 2023 by gr82b4au

[metafour 4,958]

20 hours ago, Mims44 said:

But, some posters on here are just in love with being debbie downers.

It has absolutely nothing to do with being a debbie downer and everything to do with taking real stock of the situation and properly evaluating what we have.

Here's the problem with AU fans: every year there is this idiotic delusion to try to build up and hype players who have proven nothing (and in many cases have actually shown to be not very good), and then those same fans turn around and act surprised as to why we're a bottom-tier SEC team.

If you want to envision actually being a top team, then you need to be realistic with what you have. Some of you have spent ~3 years trying to convince yourselves that our under-talented OL just needed "more time" and "better coaching". If your immediate reaction to a player is that "better coaching" will somehow make him good, then you're already operating from a point of delusion. More often than not, a player who isn't very good is simply lacking himself, as opposed to being a "Heisman talent" who apparently has just had everything go against him (lol).

The fact of the matter is that this Auburn roster has been significantly eroded of talent. That includes the QB position. We are talking about a 3rd year player who has spent the entirety of his NCAA career as a 3rd/4th stringer. By sheer luck on his part, he got to play most of last season. He did not look overly good, made a ton of mistakes, and put up some very concerning and poor stats. You have to be delusionally optimistic to look at the picture here and conclude: "yeah he's the guy, he just liked baseball more and needs better coaching". 

C'mon dawg, don't make me laugh. Ashford playing baseball isn't even an anomaly. There are LOTS of football players who played or play multiple sports, especially QB's and baseball. Ashford wasn't some underprivileged recruit: he played at Hoover and then received P5 coaching at Oregon and Auburn. By the way, he was on Oregon's baseball team for like 20 games. I've seen that spun too to make it seems like he was "focusing on baseball" when in fact he quit baseball almost immediately and was focusing entirely on football.

The same flaws you saw in his game last season are why he dropped to a 3-star recruit by the time he signed, and why he was buried on Oregon's depth chart. He isn't young (same age as Finley, one year younger than Bo Nix) and has pretty severe flaws as a QB. It's also forgotten that he was actually committed to Ole Miss, until Lane Kiffin was hired. He decommitted when Kiffin was hired, but don't you think that a QB-guy/offensive wizard like Kiffin would have worked to keep him in his class if he actually thought that he was a difference maker at QB? 

[aubaseball 2,584]

If people want to compare Ashford to a current player, I believe the right comparison would be Plumlee.   Both struggled with passing their first year playing meaningful snaps but are exceptional runners.   

[AEAugirl 9,623]

3 hours ago, gr82b4au said:

Just an update on the Howard kid. As of this morning, the Ole Miss mods feel like they are going to get him. Kiffin may have his issues but QBs want to play for him. 

To be fair, they think they are going to get everyone that visits.  

Their mods almost guaranteed RaRa Thomas and we see how that turned out.  

There is some social media chatter that Howard is visiting AU. 

Edited January 15, 2023 by AEAugirl