2024 QB Portal Thread

[ellitor 33,114]

4 hours ago, TeamZero77 said:

Freeze struggled to find a QB last year.

@TeamZero77 Freeze didn't struggle to find a QB. Outside of a couple guys, he chose to be picky.

4 hours ago, TeamZero77 said:

I argued back and forth last year that Freeze wasn't being "picky" when looking at QB's in the portal,

Respectfully you were & are wrong.

4 hours ago, TeamZero77 said:

he was just getting turned down.

Outside of Hartman this is incorrect.

4 hours ago, TeamZero77 said:

Our insiders wouldn't admit that though

Can't admit what wasn't true.

4 hours ago, TeamZero77 said:

All I'm saying is don't be shocked and hurt if we don't get a top QB in the portal or even a QB at all.

We will get a QB but like it or not Thorne being at AU for a 2nd year makes him the favorite, & in most cases the overwhelming favorite, to be QB1 next season.

4 hours ago, TeamZero77 said:

our fans all think it's a done deal that he isn't QB1

I'm sure some think this but I don't think the majority of AU fans think this.

4 hours ago, TeamZero77 said:

So why does everybody think Hugh will just throw Thorne away

I don't think most think that but we will bring in a QB to push & compete with Thorne.

4 hours ago, TeamZero77 said:

hopes that with spring ball and fall camp, as well as highly rated WR recruits, the offense will run at a much higher level next year. 

More like plans & expects.

4 hours ago, TeamZero77 said:

Russell Wilson chose Wisconsin over Auburn the year after we had Cam and it was due to us losing so many seniors and Wisconsin had a great O-Line and veterans.

Wisky promised him QB1 while we didn't.

3 hours ago, TeamZero77 said:

he gives off vibes that he won't use the portal unless it's just an absolute must. 

He will use it. Plan right now is 12-13 transfers.

[ellitor 33,114]

8 hours ago, Win4AU said:

The plot thickens

The plot was thicker earlier in the week. Per Hoke, AU pretty much had Leonard til RL's agent got ND involved.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,710]

1 hour ago, AUApostle said:

Vandagriff’s name is feeling left out of this conversation.

I'm not sure why he'd come here or why we'd recruit him honestly. He'll be a redshirt junior without having played meaningful football. Why would he go from being a backup there, to potentially being a backup here? If he leaves UGA, he's going somewhere where it's almost a guarantee he starts, as he would've already used his redshirt + transfer year

For the other part of that point, I don't think it makes a ton of sense for us to dedicate resources towards a 21 year old unknown commodity out of all of the QB options out there

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,710]

kinda like it was mentioned above, Auburn needs to pretty much get someone a definitive step above Thorne if they're going for anyone who's really contending for the starting spot. Now if they just want a quality backup or a young talented guy that was sitting at an unfavorable situation, that's also fine to me. Gunner Stockton would probably fit that billing, speaking of Georgia QBs. I don't know if he'd be inclined to transfer, as he's probably the real heir apparent at UGA, but that's just an example of the type of guy you'd be hoping for in the latter case 

[DAG 34,005]

Get mccall and call it day. 

[W.E.D 11,070]

6 hours ago, AUApostle said:

Vandagriff’s name is feeling left out of this conversation.

he can come for $0 and push Thorne, but I'm not sure if he's even good enough to do that.  No one at UGA is high on him.  He's not been good when giving the opportunity or behind the scenes report.

[bishoptf 686]

17 hours ago, fishepa said:

Anyone feel a little sorry for teams like WSU that when they find a "diamond in the rough" (I'll use that term loosely) that they really have no chance of keeping them due to NIL?

Nope I do not feel sorry for any University or college loosing players since I am for the kids. If they have a chance to make some $$, more power to them. IMHO for to many years Universities and the @#$%^ NCAA have taken advantage if kids for way to long not letting them move around. I know it's frustrating as a fan to lose players but at least for me I think the kids should have every right to go where they want for whatever reason, coaches do it all the time so why shouldn't the players be allowed to do it.

 

Just my opinion...

[johnnyAU 3,637]

10 hours ago, au701948 said:

I agree with your sentiments.

After CHF quit inserting Ashford in to games, for no real purpose except to seemingly appease him, Thorne became a more positive and comfortable QB. He is not a world beater, but given a full season in the system and better receivers next Fall, he could finally be a bridge to the future for this program.

I believe that in the earlier part of the season CHF was in fear of not having a backup behind Thorne. He kept inserting Ashford to keep that line of thought alive. After he saw the difference in Thorne after genuinely giving him QB1, he knew he could not turn back. He almost did it a few plays against Bama, but it will never work with Ashford. He will always be a run first athlete, not QB1. Not only that, if we as fans know that, how sad was it to see the coaches try and full other teams as well.

I agree to the extent that our offense found somewhat of an identity in that stretch. Then again, didn't that coincide with playing MSU, Vandy and Arkansas? Maybe we can improve in all phases of offense next season. Thorne seems somewhere between Chris Todd and Sean White to me. Throws a bit like Todd, runs more like White. Tougher than both I think. He took some hits this year.  Never saw him hesitate to run it again.  Todd had Darvin Adams as the go-to WR. Who will step up next year and be that guy for Thorne?

[bishoptf 686]

I'm mixed with bringing in another QB especially if its just for one year. IMHO we really need to get the o-line built up since a lot of Thornes issue was just not having any time to do anything. Not to say that I think we could have had better play calling to suit what they had but I believe the o-line progressed as the year went on. I would spend money on the o-line first priority and if there appears to be a QB out there that has more than 1 year of eligibility and fits better than Thorne then I think that would be good, but just getting someone for one year not sure if that makes the most sense. The other thing that concerns me about Mcall is the concussion, if he was out for that lenght of time then it was serious and in the SEC your going to get hit. I'm not a Thorne fan but at least he has been in the system for a year and hopefully is even better next year if he can get a better o-line and some dang receivers that actually catch the ball, lol.

[Cardin Drake 1,853]

Our situation isn't attractive to a top transfer QB unless Thorne leaves.  I don't want Thorne to leave.  I'd prefer someone like McCall to come in and compete with Thorne to be the starter, but I don't see that happening.  That won't be appealing to either guy.  We are probably looking at a guy who will be ok with being a backup. Unless Thorne enters the portal, which would be a disaster.  And don't completely discount White. I hope he is not pushed into a starting role out of necessity, but I think that kid is special.  He could just take the job.

[CR 2,446]

So, what if the line and receivers are upgraded and Thorne still struggles? The WR group coming in wants to be used like receivers not blocking dummies. There has to be a transfer QB brought in. Other than Arkansas Thorne was awful on the road. Weve gotta have a guy that can go to Tuscaloosa and Athens and lead an offense.

[KansasTiger 3,254]

13 hours ago, woodford said:

Cam Ward

Grayson McCall

Will Howard

Maalik Murphy

 

IMO one of those guys will end up at Auburn 

 

My guess is the only person on this list we have a realistic shot at is Howard or Murphy. Insiders consistently saying McCall isn't a target, and I'd be beyond shocked if Ward came here to compete with Thorne over picking a destination with a better offensive situation where he is garaunteed QB1. And Howard would be the better option over Murphy, but I wouldn't be shocked if another school offered him a better situation, too. Murphy would be like Ashford 2.0

[Cardin Drake 1,853]

I was high on Murphy but in his 2 starts at Texas while Ewers was out he was a turnover machine.  Strong arm, made some great passes, but he is not a runner at all. And maybe it's just inexperience, but the turnovers were brutal.  I can't see us taking a chance on him. High ceiling, low floor. Will Howard is a stud. Like him a lot.

Edited November 30, 2023 by Cardin Drake

[bishoptf 686]

20 minutes ago, CR said:

So, what if the line and receivers are upgraded and Thorne still struggles? The WR group coming in wants to be used like receivers not blocking dummies. There has to be a transfer QB brought in. Other than Arkansas Thorne was awful on the road. Weve gotta have a guy that can go to Tuscaloosa and Athens and lead an offense.

Look I've been pretty tough on Thorne, he has made mistakes and had some issues but I have also seen him make a lot of throws that were just flat out dropped. If we have receivers catch some of those, some of those games may have gone differently. I'm not saying he is the end all be all but I think if given time with some decent protection and receivers that catch the ball I believe he is good enough to win games even against the big boys. I'm just saying my first priorities would be oline and receivers, that is where I would spend my money if possible. I'm not saying if there is an opportunity to get a better QB then so be it, but given what I saw this year with oline and receivers they are going to do a lot of running like we saw this year, he didnt have a lot of time to go through his progressions so hard to work with that, again just my opinion.... 

[aucom96 1,630]

I don't really know what Thorne can do. We started out with a bad offensive line built of transfer bandaids and one of the worst group of receivers I've seen at Auburn. We didn't have a coherent offensive plan at all until late in the season, and that was largely built around read-option and the run... due to receivers who drop more than they catch. He has a good arm, seems to have adjusted more to the speed of the game and is a gutsy player. But no defense is going to worry about him or our passing game next season. We are still going to be patching an offense together with bandaids and that's going to keep us playing more option and running the ball. I'm much more wary of transfers after this past year. They can have good looking numbers due to their competition level and come to the SEC and be completely ineffective. If there is a difference making QB in the portal, it will cost us probably most of whatever we have in NIL to get them against numerous teams with bigger bank accounts. And we'll need that money to buy more patches on the lines, in the secondary, at receiver again...

NIL has really ruined this game, in my opinion. It's just the reality, now, but it's going to make things harder. 

[JuscAUse! 1,443]

9 minutes ago, bishoptf said:

Look I've been pretty tough on Thorne, he has made mistakes and had some issues but I have also seen him make a lot of throws that were just flat out dropped. If we have receivers catch some of those, some of those games may have gone differently. I'm not saying he is the end all be all but I think if given time with some decent protection and receivers that catch the ball I believe he is good enough to win games even against the big boys. I'm just saying my first priorities would be oline and receivers, that is where I would spend my money if possible. I'm not saying if there is an opportunity to get a better QB then so be it, but given what I saw this year with oline and receivers they are going to do a lot of running like we saw this year, he didnt have a lot of time to go through his progressions so hard to work with that, again just my opinion.... 

As someone said in the Nest, forget about receivers running the wrong routes, how much better do Thorne's numbers look if our guys just catch the balls that hit them in the hands?

Every game this was a problem and he still completes 60+ % of his passes. And I thought we made a big mistake letting Leary go to UK. 

I was wrong. 

Edited November 30, 2023 by JuscAUse!

[au701948 1,005]

50 minutes ago, Cardin Drake said:

Our situation isn't attractive to a top transfer QB unless Thorne leaves.  I don't want Thorne to leave.  I'd prefer someone like McCall to come in and compete with Thorne to be the starter, but I don't see that happening.  That won't be appealing to either guy.  We are probably looking at a guy who will be ok with being a backup. Unless Thorne enters the portal, which would be a disaster.  And don't completely discount White. I hope he is not pushed into a starting role out of necessity, but I think that kid is special.  He could just take the job.

Sure hoping that Thorne does not go to the portal. As you said, it would be a disaster for us. I do not know how CHF balances trying to keep Thorne and looking to the portal at the same time.

He began to grasp things a lot better when left alone as a genuine QB1. Lots of time and effort put into that by both Thorne and the coaches. And quite often since then, he has made some extremely positive choices of when to run.

Keeping Thorne at this juncture in our QB Room should be the priority.

JMO

Edited November 30, 2023 by au701948

[bishoptf 686]

3 minutes ago, aucom96 said:

I don't really know what Thorne can do. We started out with a bad offensive line built of transfer bandaids and one of the worst group of receivers I've seen at Auburn. We didn't have a coherent offensive plan at all until late in the season, and that was largely built around read-option and the run... due to receivers who drop more than they catch. He has a good arm, seems to have adjusted more to the speed of the game and is a gutsy player. But no defense is going to worry about him or our passing game next season. We are still going to be patching an offense together with bandaids and that's going to keep us playing more option and running the ball. I'm much more wary of transfers after this past year. They can have good looking numbers due to their competition level and come to the SEC and be completely ineffective. If there is a difference making QB in the portal, it will cost us probably most of whatever we have in NIL to get them against numerous teams with bigger bank accounts. And we'll need that money to buy more patches on the lines, in the secondary, at receiver again...

NIL has really ruined this game, in my opinion. It's just the reality, now, but it's going to make things harder. 

I agree with most of what you have to say although I do not think NIL has ruined the game, I am pro players and think they should have every opportunity to make money if they have the talent. Not saying its perfect but kids should be able to make some $$ when they are putting there bodies on the line. Most coaches I see whining about NIL like Dabo and others are just ones that want to lock kids up so they cannot go anywhere, screw that. It is a new frontier and it does make it more difficult for the ones that do not have a big NIL pot to work with but kids that have skills should be able to make money when the schools, coaches and media almost everyone else has made Billions from them playing football. They should get a cut of the pie just like everyone else, just my opinion...

[bigbird 60,580]

8 hours ago, ellitor said:

The plot was thicker earlier in the week. Per Hoke, AU pretty much had Leonard til RL's agent got ND involved.

Yep

[KMR 54]

3 minutes ago, bigbird said:

Yep

Ouch

[KansasTiger 3,254]

8 hours ago, ellitor said:

The plot was thicker earlier in the week. Per Hoke, AU pretty much had Leonard til RL's agent got ND involved.

Hate that for us. But that's a good agent.

[aucom96 1,630]

2 minutes ago, bishoptf said:

I agree with most of what you have to say although I do not think NIL has ruined the game, I am pro players and think they should have every opportunity to make money if they have the talent. Not saying its perfect but kids should be able to make some $$ when they are putting there bodies on the line. Most coaches I see whining about NIL like Dabo and others are just ones that want to lock kids up so they cannot go anywhere, screw that. It is a new frontier and it does make it more difficult for the ones that do not have a big NIL pot to work with but kids that have skills should be able to make money when the schools, coaches and media almost everyone else has made Billions from them playing football. They should get a cut of the pie just like everyone else, just my opinion...

That's what I meant by it just being the reality, but it's also going to hurt the game. It already is. Players are going to keep jumping for more money, their development is going to suffer because they're jumping from one system to another but also because it's much harder to coach a "pro" who only cares about the NIL dollars. Teams that don't have big bank accounts are going to struggle to put rosters together, won't be able to keep top playmakers and the haves versus have nots is going to become more pronounced. That's not going to help Auburn. 

Personally, I wish the NFL would just form a minor league and let those who are in it for the paycheck go ahead and get started out of college. There are still a lot of young men and women who value a full-ride scholarship with food, training, equipment, lodging, million dollar facilities, free promotion, etc. enough to make college sports enjoyable. But, again, this is a new game now. It's certainly good for the players, but it's going to have definite downsides for more fanbases than not. 

[bishoptf 686]

2 minutes ago, aucom96 said:

That's what I meant by it just being the reality, but it's also going to hurt the game. It already is. Players are going to keep jumping for more money, their development is going to suffer because they're jumping from one system to another but also because it's much harder to coach a "pro" who only cares about the NIL dollars. Teams that don't have big bank accounts are going to struggle to put rosters together, won't be able to keep top playmakers and the haves versus have nots is going to become more pronounced. That's not going to help Auburn. 

Personally, I wish the NFL would just form a minor league and let those who are in it for the paycheck go ahead and get started out of college. There are still a lot of young men and women who value a full-ride scholarship with food, training, equipment, lodging, million dollar facilities, free promotion, etc. enough to make college sports enjoyable. But, again, this is a new game now. It's certainly good for the players, but it's going to have definite downsides for more fanbases than not. 

Yeah I understand but main the problem with that model since that is what we had, we have programs that already were paying there players. We had the likes of Bama and others paying players so even that is not a level playing field. I dont think that Bama would be where they are now if NIL had been around a long time ago they and others (including us) have been doing it forever, they were just waaay better at doing it. Lets be honest, it has always been going on since it became such a big money thing, IMHO it levels the playing  field and why coaches like Saban and Dabo and the other folks don't like it since now everyone can pay players. NFL is not going to spend any money on a minor league THIS IS the minor league and they do not have to spend any money to do it. I also disagree that players are always going to jump, I think if a team is winning and competing for championships etc, those players want the exposure also so those teams while they may loose backup players not playing, good football programs have an easier time to keep the players.  What it does mean is that you need a coach that can recruit and coach who can keep players and get players, money talks but it's more than that.

Sorry didnt mean to derail the topic... @ScotsAU

[HabitualChiller 110]

19 hours ago, AUY2K said:

I wish McCall could have worked out last year.  I think it would be best if Auburn found someone with 2+ years of eligibility.  Either way I think we will be fine with PT next year and Hank/Walker as back ups.  

Hell no. Throne isn't a starter by any stretch of the imagination. Even McCall for one year could potentially net us an extra 2-3 wins. That definitely would've been the case this year. 

[Cardin Drake 1,853]

Man, this stuff is complicated for the coaches.  There's only a small number of QB's that are proven enough that it is worth risking your relationship with your existing guy. Apparently Leonard was one. Howard could be another. That kid is good. I hope we are talking to him.