3/23/23 Football Articles

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Auburn football quarterbacks: Where Robby Ashford, TJ Finley, Holden Geriner stand

 

 

Richard Silva, Montgomery Advertiser

Thu, March 23, 2023 at 5:02 AM CDT

 

 

AUBURN — Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze has brought in 12 transfers so far during his first offseason with the Tigers. Between a few additions along the offensive line and some new faces on the defense, Freeze is doing his best to infuse talent into a roster that won five games in 2022.

But none of those transfers play quarterback. Freeze, who said Monday he wishes the situation at QB was "further along," is going through spring practice with three scholarship quarterbacks − Robby Ashford, TJ Finley and Holden Geriner − along with walk-on Sawyer Pate.

Ashford and Finley have been going back and forth with the first and second groups in pace periods at spring practices. On March 13, Finley jogged onto the field first. A week later, it was Ashford.

CAM NEWTON:Why former Auburn football quarterback Cam Newton came back to throw at Tigers' pro day

SPRING PRACTICE:Robby Ashford, TJ Finley and other observations from Auburn football spring practice

"There is no depth chart," Freeze said Feb. 27. "I don't care what group you trot out with on the field right now. I don't have in my mind that this is a first-team, a second-team, a third-team guy."

Here's where Auburn's quarterback situation stands about midway through spring practice.

Robby Ashford

Ashford started the final nine games of Auburn's season in 2022. He initially lost the starting battle to Finley, but after the LSU transfer injured his shoulder against Penn State, Ashford got the nod the following week versus Missouri.

The 6-foot-3 Ashford is dynamite as a runner − he rushed for 710 yards and seven touchdowns last season − but his arm has been suspect: He posted an SEC-worst 49.2% completion rate last season.

That's not to say he didn't have flashes, though. In the second quarter of the Iron Bowl, he dropped a perfect 20-yard touchdown pass to Ja'Varrius Johnson, a play that got the attention of Freeze.

But the main issue with Ashford is Freeze being unable to properly evaluate his ability to extend plays in practice. Once a quarterback pulls the ball down to run, the play is blown dead.

T.J. Finley

From a pure arm talent standpoint, Finley may be Auburn's best bet.

But after he went down last season, Ashford's legs proved valuable, especially behind an offensive line that struggled as much as Auburn's did. However, the protection up front was addressed this offseason with the transfers of Gunner Britton (Western Kentucky), Avery Jones (East Carolina) and Dillon Wade (Tulsa), all of whom have been consistent members of the first unit in practice.

Perhaps if the offensive line is as improved as Freeze says it is − he recently said he was pleased with the group − then there's a path for Finley to be at the top of the depth chart.

Holden Geriner

Geriner saw action in one game last season: against Missouri on Sept. 9 after Ashford, Finley and former Auburn QB Zach Calzada were all dealing with some sort of injury issue. He only threw three passes and not much could be taken away from an evaluation standpoint.

The redshirt freshman was with the third group during practices on March 13 and March 20. He could make a push in the second half of spring or once fall camp begins, but until then, he appears to be behind the aforementioned two.

Transfer portal

If Freeze isn't satisfied with his three current options, he could opt to bring someone in via the transfer portal.

The first portal window is currently closed, meaning no players may enter, but there will be a second opening after spring practice wraps up for players to take advantage of. It's a 15-day window that is available from May 1-15.

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Robby Ashford? TJ Finley? Auburn football quarterbacks update

 

Edited March 23, 2023 by aubiefifty

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247sports.com

 

Fairweather 'loving Auburn' as he adjusts to first spring with the Tigers

Jason Caldwell

3–4 minutes

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AUBURN, Alabama—A basketball player growing up in the Miami area, Auburn transfer tight end Rivaldo Fairweather admits he messed around playing the sport as a young kid, but he didn’t play his first real down of football until his sophomore year of high school. Now settling in at Auburn after playing his first three years at Florida International University, Fairweather said the first half of his first spring at Auburn has gone very well to this point.

“It's been going great,” he said. “This is probably the best spring I've ever had. I'm loving this new coaching staff, loving Auburn.”

Having to learn a new offense with a new coaching staff, Fairweather said he’s a fast learner and that has helped him get up to speed on learning the meshed system of Hugh Freeze and Philip Montgomery. That ability to learn quickly has also helped him get more out of his football career despite his lack of experience.

What was the hardest part of the transition from basketball to football for him?

“I’d probably say, because I come from basketball, probably the physicality of football,” Fairweather said. “That was probably the hardest. I remember I was always a physical player, so it wasn’t really that hard. I really transitioned well into it because I come from a tough home. I got an older brother and siblings, so we used to all fight and stuff, and I was always aggressive.”

A talented athlete that chose Auburn in part because of Freeze’s history of using the tight ends and making them a part of the offense, Fairweather said this spring has been the best he’s gone through in his college career. The reason why is because of the way the team has responded to change and something new.

“It's not even about my performance, it's about the team performance,” he said. “It's just our playbook, our offensive scheme and stuff, I really like it. I feel like there's a lot of ways the whole team can get involved and I feel like this coaching staff puts us in positions to make plays for the team.”

10COMMENTS

Getting ready for his first year on the Plains, Fairweather said he’s hoping to bring a playmaker to the Auburn offense that will help the Tigers become a more explosive passing team in 2023.

“I'd say I bring an athletic, playmaker, team-player, someone that just wants to win no matter what it takes,” he said. “Even if it's just I'm blocking all game, I'll do that or if they want to put me out there and catch passes, that's what I'm good at. Just being a team-player and someone that wants to win, wants to flip the script of Auburn.”

">247Sports

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si.com

 

An overview of Auburn football's linebacker room

Lance Dawe

~3 minutes

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The transfer portal giveth, and the transfer portal taketh away.

The Tigers have lost two backup linebackers to the portal in the last day, with Kameron Brown and Desmond Tisdol announcing plans to enter the portal on Wednesday.

Hugh Freeze noted on Monday afternoon that linebacker was one of the deeper units on the team. Now, with two men out, the rotation gets a little tighter.

Here's an updated look at the entire room as the Tigers work through spring practice.

#0 DeMario Tolan, So.

- 6-foot-1, 203 lbs

Bio: Transfer from LSU, recorded 10 tackles in 12 games.

Projection: Potential starter

#9 Eugene Asante, Jr.

- 6-foot-1, 219 lbs

Bio: Transfer from North Carolina, 62 career tackles, injured last season.

Projection: Contributing backup

#12 Austin Keys, Jr.

- 6-foot-2, 235 lbs

Bio: Transfer from Ole Miss, 51 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 2.0 sacks in two seasons with Rebels.

Projection: Starter

#13 Cam Riley, Jr.

- 6-foot-5, 237 lbs

Bio: Appeared in 33 games for Auburn, 88 career tackles (65 last season), 4.5 TFL.

Projection: Starter

#17 Robert Woodyard Jr, RS Fr.

- 6-foot-0, 241 lbs

Bio: Top-150 prospect in 2022 class, appeared in four games for Auburn last season, recording four tackles.

Projection: Backup

#31 Powell Gordon, RS Fr.

- 6-foot-2, 222 lbs

Bio: Three-star prospect, captain at Auburn High School, redshirted in 2022.

Projection: Third-string

#32 Wesley Steiner, Sr.

- 6-foot-0, 239 lbs

Bio: Appeared in 34 games over three seasons for Auburn, recorded 70 total career tackles, career-high 46 in 2022.

Projection: Backup

#46 Jake Levant, Jr.

- 6-foot-1, 233 lbs

Bio: Appeared in 20 total games for Auburn over three seasons, recorded 4 tackles in 2022. Earned scholarship during fall camp.

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Projection: Third-string

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247sports.com

 

#PMARSHONAU: Unique challenges in Freeze's first Auburn spring

Phillip Marshall

3–4 minutes

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Randy Campbell remembers what it was like in the spring of 1981. Pat Dye had been named Auburn’s head football coach, and his mission was to see who would be tough enough to make it through.

"I can remember players being so tired coaches would hold them up at the line of scrimmage," Campbell says. "When the ball was snapped, they'd shove guys in there. We were just trying to find out who was tough and who wasn't. Between 30 and 40 people left the program."

Campbell and others who were there tell the stories to this day. It was for men only.

“To this day, it was the toughest thing I have ever been through,” Campbell says.

In those days, there were few limits on spring practice. Most practices in the spring were in full pads. There was no time limit on those practices. If Dye didn’t like what he was seeing, he would call for a return to Period 1, essentially starting over.

Those days are long gone. Over the years, rules have been passed putting limits on almost every part of practice. That’s not to say it’s easy now, but it’s not what it once was. Change happened at a steady pace, and then in 1998, sweeping new rules severely limited the numbers of days allowed, the length of practices, the number of practices in full pads and scrimmages.

Hugh Freeze is eight days through his first spring practice as Auburn’s head coach, just over three months from the time he took the job. What he and other first-year coaches face is unique new and sometimes confusing.

In 15 days of practice, they try to understand what they have. At the same time, they install new offense schemes and defensive schemes. And then there is the transfer portal, which is closely connected to NIL. How many of Auburn’s new transfers will pan out? How many players will hit the transfer portal when it opens after spring practices? Who will Auburn coaches go after when the portal opens?

The recruiting of high school players goes on non-stop, every day and every night. It’s a new and often bizarre world.

How Freeze and his men navigate it will have a lot to say about Auburn’s hopes for the 2023 season and beyond.

Few decisions are bigger than choosing a starting quarterback. Auburn has three candidates – Robby Ashford, T.J. Finley and Holden Geriner. Ashford and Finley have both been starters.

1COMMENTS

I’ve heard plenty of folks interpret what Freeze has said to mean that the quarterbacks aren’t talented enough. I’ve re-watched his press conference twice. Not only did he not say that, he said the opposite. He talked about how different what they are being asked to do is from what they have done in the past, which is a good thing. He said he wished they were more consistent. Will Freeze go after a quarterback in the transfer portal? Unless a real difference-maker becomes available, I don’t believe he will.

Really, there was never a chance that one quarterback would separate himself in the first half of spring practice. Nor was it ever going to happen in spring practice at all.

">247Sports

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A second Auburn linebacker plans to enter transfer portal

Updated: Mar. 22, 2023, 6:06 p.m.|Published: Mar. 22, 2023, 6:06 p.m.

2–3 minutes

Linebacker Desmond Tisdol (30) during Auburn football practice Tue. Aug. 16, 2022 in Auburn, Ala. Todd Van Emst/AU AthleticsTodd Van Emst/AU Athletics

A second Auburn linebacker has announced his plans to enter the transfer portal this spring.

Desmond Tisdol, a senior reserve linebacker, announced Wednesday evening on his Instagram account that he intends to transfer from Auburn when the post-spring transfer window opens. Tisdol will have two years of eligibility remaining at his next stop.

Read more Auburn football: Rivaldo Fairweather a “late bloomer,” but Auburn has high hopes for the FIU tight end transfer

Colby Wooden’s goal at Auburn’s pro day? “Show violence”

Shedrick Jackson “not done yet” after an unofficial 4.25 40-yard dash at pro day

The 6-foot, 231-pounder has appeared in 24 games over the last three seasons for the Tigers, including all 12 as a backup last season, when he finished the year with 14 total tackles. A four-star linebacker in the 2020 class, Tisdol signed with Auburn out of Wilcox County High in Rochelle, Ga., where he earned blue-chip status and was rated as the nation’s No. 14 inside linebacker and the No. 247 overall prospect in the class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Tisdol appeared in five games as a freshman during the pandemic-impacted 2020 campaign. He followed that with an appearance in seven games as a sophomore in 2021, when he finished with two tackles on the year. He saw an uptick in playing time last year, seeing the field in all 12 games for Auburn but still working behind Owen Pappoe, Cam Riley and Wesley Steiner in the team’s rotation at linebacker.

This spring, he has been working in a group that returns both Riley and Steiner, as well as Robert Woodyard Jr., and has welcomed a pair of SEC transfers in Austin Keys and Demario Tolan. Tisdol is the second linebacker to depart the program this spring, joining Kam Brown, who announced his intent to transfer late Wednesday morning.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

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247sports.com

 

Auburn's secondary leader, Zion Puckett sees spring practice progress

Mark Murphy

4–5 minutes

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AUBURN, Alabama–Zion Puckett remembers how much help he received from his older Auburn teammates during spring practice of 2019 after he graduated early from Spalding High School in Griffin, Ga. With the Tigers at the midway point of spring training 2023, the fifth-year senior safety has been singled out by his position coach and others as a player who is going the extra mile to help out his younger teammates in the secondary.

“We call him Teach Tape 10,” safeties coach Zac Etheridge said about Puckett, a returning starter who wears No. 10.

“He does everything right from a technique standpoint,” the coach points out. “He is really a vocal guy. Everybody in the room, when they have a question they go to Zion because he actually studied the game.”

Puckett said he is enjoying his role this season of being one of the most experienced players on Auburn’s defense. He remembers how much help he received his first spring as a college football player.

“To be able have a great and special defensive backs room, you have to start with the younger guys, bring them along and teach them everything,” he said.

Remembering his first spring on the Auburn campus, Puckett said, “Coming out early I felt like that was the best opportunity for learning from all of the older guys like D.T. (Daniel Thomas), Noah (Igbinoghene) and all of the other guys like that. I think I matured more, especially playing with Smoke (Monday). I think that helped me a lot through my years here.”

Asked for his reaction about the football love he is receiving from his position coach, who said Puckett is like having an extra coach on the field, the senior said, “I love that. I know a lot of coaches have been telling me that they can see a coach in me...I feel like down the road I might be a coach somewhere.”

Puckett finished sixth on the team in tackles last season with 45. He deflected two passes, was credited with one quarterback sack and forced a fumble. He played briefly as a true freshman in 2019. Despite having injury setbacks as a collegian, he has accumulated 112 tackles.

Off the field things have been going well, too," Puckett points out. “School is going great. I actually graduate in May.

“That is very exciting I will have a (marketing) degree,” he noted. “I think it is something special having an SEC graduate patch during the season. It will definitely be another accomplishment for me.”

While Puckett is quite familiar with his position coach, the defense is being directed by a new coordinator, Ron Roberts, who the safety said he really likes. He notes that Roberts tries to make sure the players are enjoying the sport they are playing.

The Tigers also have a new overall leader, Hugh Freeze, who also gets a thumbs up from the safety. “I love Coach Freeze. I feel like his drive, and everything he brings to the table, is really true,” Puckett said. “He loves players and is all about recruiting.”

Puckett is part of an experienced secondary that includes returning starters such as Nehemiah Pritchett  and Jaylin Simpson, who have significant experience in big game situations. “We have got a big group,” Puckett said. “I feel like everybody is getting better each and every day. People are coming upstairs (to the coaching staff’s offices and video rooms) to get extra film work, doing anything they can to get better.”

Etheridge has made clear his respect for Puckett and it is a two-way street regarding their relationship. “I love Coach Etheridge,” the fifth-year senior said. “I feel like he is a brother more than like a coach. I can call him for everything. He has just given us the word of life more than football. He takes care of us a lot.”

3COMMENTS

Puckett and his teammates will go on public display on April 8th at 1 p.m. CDT at Auburn’s annual A-Day game at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

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this might be a repeat from a few days ago but i love it.

 

i love it when the first thing Coach Freeze said "Man what an honor"! i just feel deep down in my gut he feels blessed to be at Auburn. I also believe he will reward us on believing in him and giving him another chance with the big boys. when is the last time we have ever heard of bama and jawja players saying they love what is happening at auburn and are making repeat visits to the plains even tho they are already committed. when has this ever happened before?

Edited March 23, 2023 by aubiefifty

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Five-star Alabama commit Ryan Williams sets two more Auburn visits

JD McCarthy

2–3 minutes

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It’s safe to say that Auburn’s previous staff dropped the ball with their recruitment of five-star wide receiver Ryan Williams. The new staff, led by Marcus Davis and Hugh Freeze, has prioritized the legacy recruit and has the Tigers back in the race.

Williams, who committed to Alabama on Oct. 8, 2022, visited Auburn on Monday and once again had a great visit, he told Auburn Undercover’s Christian Clemente.

“Another great visit,” Williams said. “I really enjoyed myself today and I’m pretty sure my family enjoyed themselves today, too. Definitely, like always, the brotherhood here. Practice was exciting, the receivers made a lot of great days. Just an overall great day.”

This was his second visit since the new staff took over he has already set up two more. The 6-foot, 170-pounder is planning to return to the Plains on March 27 and for the A-Day game on April 8, he told Clemente.

He is the No. 12 overall player and No. 3 wide receiver in the 247Sports Composite ranking. The Saraland product is also the No. 4 player from Alabama in the 2025 recruiting cycle.

He caught 88 passes for 1,641 yards and 24 touchdowns as a sophomore last season. He added 700 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground.

Auburn already has one commit in its 2025 recruiting class, Opelika defensive lineman Malik Autry.

More Recruiting!

Four-star edge rusher Jamonta Waller to visit Auburn

Dillon Wade ranked among top underrated SEC transfers

Tight end target Colton Heinrich: Auburn 'felt like one big family'

Four-star cornerback Jalyn Crawford crystal balled to Auburn

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15.

[AUnCullman 601]

Good stuff @aubiefifty thanks for all you do for us here

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7 minutes ago, AUnCullman said:

Good stuff @aubiefifty thanks for all you do for us here

i try. sometimes sickness or real life might interfere but i plan to do the best i can as long as i can.................thank you for your kindness. i just want to give back a little on here. i am not anything but just a member like you who wants to help.