2024 QB Portal Thread

[GreenTiger 1,007]

Personally like to keep Thorne as the probable starter and spend money on a better supporting cast. No time to throw and no receivers to catch then it doesn’t matter who is QB. 

Probably will have to bring in one qb and so bring that a qb with experience who has potential to push the others a little 

 

[GwillMac6 20,706]

7 hours ago, PigskinPat said:

I believe we did not offer the major he was in at CC and we couldn’t make his hours transfer in a way to keep him eligible at Auburn. 

He’s a graduate transfer now so it’s more feasible he can go to another school.

[CR 2,446]

On the latest ON3 recruiting show, they basically said any chance of Ryan Williams signing with Auburn is dependent on who is landed in the QB portal. Freeze isnt investing all this effort in trying to flip Williams if he knows hes not coming.

[HabitualChiller 110]

9 hours ago, LPTiger said:

This is an over-reach IMO.   We won 6 games with him as the starter and should have won both of UGA and Bama.  Would we be down on Thorne if we were 8-4 rn?  It took the staff  8 games to realize the QB shuffle was not working.  Remember the interception in the second half of the UGA game that went right through Riley's arms and belly?  If he completes that catch we win the game.   Remember the D giving up 200 yards of offense and 3 scores on UGA's last 3 possessions?  Complete back breaker.   Also, our offensive game plan was way too predictable at times this year.   We were in a rut of run on 1st down, get behind the chains and then have to throw.   Thorne has shown he gives you a chance to win 8 games without a single stud receiver around him.    8 wins is probably our ceiling in 24 no matter who is taking snaps.

Thorne played a miniscule role in most of the 6 wins we had. Let's not act like he was putting up 200 yards and 2 touchdowns a game...

I feel like we won in spite of him at times. You can't watch him miss / almost miss easy throws on a weekly basis and say that my post was an over-reach. 

UGA scoring 3 times in a row to end the game isn't even a knock on the defense. UGA has top-notch talent offensively and happened to wake up towards the end of the game. The D playing out of their minds for 3 quarters was an aberration, not the norm. Remember, THAT'S THE #1 TEAM in the nation. 

Edited December 1, 2023 by HabitualChiller

[keesler 5,928]

On 11/29/2023 at 12:46 PM, passthebiscuits said:

Ward is the best on this list. Word on the street is that he demands a high NIL. The good news for us is that unlike last season’s off-season, we should have already evaluated most of these qbs and have a good sense of who would fit best. 

The word on the street is it’s going to take +$1.5million to buy a top QB out of the portal.  🤑

[AUStew87 326]

23 minutes ago, keesler said:

The word on the street is it’s going to take +$1.5million to buy a top QB out of the portal.  🤑

What the money guys are going to have to pay to get the Freeze 5 to the Plains, what’s another mil and a half to ensure they have someone who can consistently throw them a decent ball?

[DAG 34,014]

1 hour ago, CR said:

On the latest ON3 recruiting show, they basically said any chance of Ryan Williams signing with Auburn is dependent on who is landed in the QB portal. Freeze isnt investing all this effort in trying to flip Williams if he knows hes not coming.

Of course , that’s what the fans don’t get . These WRs aren’t coming here to elevate an upperclassman game.

[AURex 2,030]

Personally, I'm not an insider privy to the discussions among the coaching and recruiting/evaluation staff, but me (just being me) has a focus on both lines and the WR position. A QB to compete with Thorne is on my board. But just throwing around invites to QBs like Uiagalelei - I just don;t see it happening. Maybe I'm not reading CHF and his priorities correctly.

 

[TeamZero77 1,785]

I watched a really good piece on Sportscenter thursday about the transfer portal and NIL. They said that 60+ QB's have already entered the portal in FBS and FCS. They also said that as of right now, 70% of the passes that have been thrown in FBS this year, have been by transfer QB's. 

An analyst that was being interviewed said that several head coaches told him that their philosophy going forward is to not worry about landing a QB out of high school. They want to land the QB the 2nd time around out of the portal. Their reasoning was that this way, you don't have to waste 2 or maybe 3 years recruiting the kid during high school and then if you land him on signing day, you then have to spend a year or more developing him. Their thinking is let another school and staff waste the resources and time recruiting him and developing him and then if he eventually hits the portal, get him then and you've pretty much got a turn-key QB ready to start.

The piece didn't name those coaches but that kinda seems like what Lane Kiffin has started to do. 

Edited December 1, 2023 by TeamZero77

[Gowebb11 9,362]

On 11/29/2023 at 9:19 PM, TeamZero77 said:

I agree 100%. One other thing people don't really give Thorne credit for is his legs. With a good Bowl game performance, he could get to 600 yards rushing this season. He is over 500 now. So if Hugh replaces Thorne in the portal, that's something he will need to think about. Does this new QB have some wheels if things break down?

In monday's presser, Hugh talked a bit about the portal and said he has no idea what he will need because he doesn't know exactly what players on his team will enter the portal. He said he never had to deal with the portal at Liberty because his players all stayed. So last year was really his first real venture into portal recruiting and he said he isn't a fan and that this first portal window is WAAAY too long. He said the NCAA should make it 1 week. He had to use it last year but just listening to him speak about it, he gives off vibes that he won't use the portal unless it's just an absolute must. 

Good points. The most underestimated impact of the portal in my opinion is how it impacts team chemistry. The portal places the spotlight on individuals but football is very much a team sport. A coach can, over time create a strong chemistry amongst guys who care deeply about their team, coaches, and the school. It’s much harder to do that bringing in a large number of one and dones every year. Imagine busting your rear end for 2-3 years earning your spot at a school and team you chose, only to have a complete stranger show up in August and take that spot immediately. Or imagine the difficulty of a Payton Thorne moving to a state you’ve never visited and walking into a room of guys you’ve never met to play for coaches whose names you barely know. And expected to be the leader of that team in an 4 week span. Over time I believe the impact of this will lead to the portal losing some (not all) of its appeal. I hope we get to the point of needing 3-4 guys from there each year and not 10-15. All my humble opinion.  

 

Edited December 1, 2023 by Gowebb11

[EagleEye67 1,944]

9 hours ago, keesler said:

The word on the street is it’s going to take +$1.5million to buy a top QB out of the portal.  🤑

It's an "arms race"...no pun intended 

[AU9377 5,024]

Riley Leonard would be such a natural fit... and I believe his gf is at Auburn.  Texas A&M is his likely landing spot, but I'd make the call.

He is from Fairhope, AL.

https://www.wkrg.com/sports/college-football/former-fairhope-duke-qb-riley-leonard-enters-transfer-portal/

Edited December 1, 2023 by AU9377

[toddc 13,194]

2 hours ago, Gowebb11 said:

Good points. The most underestimated impact of the portal in my opinion is how it impacts team chemistry. The portal places the spotlight on individuals but football is very much a team sport. A coach can, over time create a strong chemistry amongst guys who care deeply about their team, coaches, and the school. It’s much harder to do that bringing in a large number of one and dones every year. Imagine busting your rear end for 2-3 years earning your spot at a school and team you chose, only to have a complete stranger show up in August and take that spot immediately. Or imagine the difficulty of a Payton Thorne moving to a state you’ve never visited and walking into a room of guys you’ve never met to play for coaches whose names you barely know. And expected to be the leader of that team in an 4 week span. Over time I believe the impact of this will lead to the portal losing some (not all) of its appeal. I hope we get to the point of needing 3-4 guys from there each year and not 10-15. All my humble opinion.  

 

The first window is the key here. Getting to go through spring practice and summer workouts will give them time to get used to each other. Thorne is an outlier in my opinion, being the qb and the face of the program.

[CR 2,446]

11 minutes ago, AU9377 said:

Riley Leonard would be such a natural fit... and I believe his gf is at Auburn.  Texas A&M is his likely landing spot, but I'd make the call.

He is from Fairhope, AL.

https://www.wkrg.com/sports/college-football/former-fairhope-duke-qb-riley-leonard-enters-transfer-portal/

Notre Dame

[au701948 1,005]

2 hours ago, Gowebb11 said:

Good points. The most underestimated impact of the portal in my opinion is how it impacts team chemistry. The portal places the spotlight on individuals but football is very much a team sport. A coach can, over time create a strong chemistry amongst guys who care deeply about their team, coaches, and the school. It’s much harder to do that bringing in a large number of one and dones every year. Imagine busting your rear end for 2-3 years earning your spot at a school and team you chose, only to have a complete stranger show up in August and take that spot immediately. Or imagine the difficulty of a Payton Thorne moving to a state you’ve never visited and walking into a room of guys you’ve never met to play for coaches whose names you barely know. And expected to be the leader of that team in an 4 week span. Over time I believe the impact of this will lead to the portal losing some (not all) of its appeal. I hope we get to the point of needing 3-4 guys from there each year and not 10-15. All my humble opinion.  

 

I personally believe that Thorne deserves to be QB1 next year. As mentioned above, he came into a dire situation last year and has shown complete dedication and respect for his coaches and the system.

Given AU’s current shortcomings in so many other areas, number wise and talent wise, our best bet is to do everything possible to provide a more complete supporting cast around the existing QB Room. Meaning, upgrade the Off and Def Line and Receiver Rooms.

Thorne has one year of eligibility left, I believe, and will provide a perfect on ramp to help White and Brown to develop along with any other HS QB recruits. Then we can hopefully get back to a normal QB recruiting and depth rotation.

JMO

[autan 748]

If PT has a spring and summer to work with our receivers, especially the new ones, I think we'll see a very different Auburn offense.

[johnnyAU 3,639]

I heard Notre Dame for Leonard as well. 

[Paladin 3,305]

 

[Paladin 3,305]

 

[Paladin 3,305]

 

[pikecracker 45]

DJ Uiagalelei just entered the portal and people are mentioning Auburn as a fit. Only has 1 year, so that would send a clear signal that we would be moving on from Thorne. We may very well be considering moving on. The report on Cameron Ward is that he already has ten $1mil+ NIL offers and Auburn is one of them. 

[Mikey 16,713]

1 hour ago, pikecracker said:

The report on Cameron Ward is that he already has ten $1mil+ NIL offers and Auburn is one of them. 

It's come to pass that the old wisecrack "Best team that money can buy" is no longer a joke. I'm not one who minds the kids getting some money but $ 1 Million plus is just all out of reason.

I'd a lot rather the pool of NIL money be used to make the baseball, softball and and athletes in similar partial scholarship sports whole but that ain't happening.

[bishoptf 692]

30 minutes ago, Mikey said:

It's come to pass that the old wisecrack "Best team that money can buy" is no longer a joke. I'm not one who minds the kids getting some money but $ 1 Million plus is just all out of reason.

I'd a lot rather the pool of NIL money be used to make the baseball, softball and and athletes in similar partial scholarship sports whole but that ain't happening.

I guess I am more of a free market, people should be paid what they are worth, many of these kids will not go on to play NFL ball and this money will help them on there career outside of football. They are putting there physical bodies on the line every time they go out there and why should the university, or espn or anyone else make the boat loads that they have been getting for some time and the kids not get a piece of it. I don't disagree that I wish more money could be used for some of the less popular sports but the football program bringing in money does help provide those other sports to be played. QB and some positions will also just draw higher prices since they are a key piece, just my humble opinion. 

All these years working for my corporate overlords kind of has changed my outlook on things...

[Paladin 3,305]

 

[AU9377 5,024]

6 hours ago, CR said:

Notre Dame

They are out front, but until he is signed.... My point is that we have things to offer, in addition to $.