Why Hugh Freeze can't repeat Bryan Harsin's mistake with Auburn football quarterbacks | Toppmeyer

An ominous warning? An advertisement to potential transfers? A motivational ploy? Or, a sneaky way to lower Year 1 expectations?

Hugh Freeze’s unfiltered assessment about Auburn’s quarterbacks could be intended to achieve one or more of those goals.

“Truthfully, I wish we were further along,” Freeze said last week of his quarterbacks.

AU’s quarterbacks and wide receivers have “a long way to go,” he added.

Uh-oh.

That sounds troublesome, and familiar.

Poor quarterback performance crippled Auburn in 2022. Languishing quarterbacks were one of about 94 facets that toppled Bryan Harsin’s tenure.

Freeze brightened his view on Monday, saying the quarterbacks "took a step forward" during the past week. Still, he's offered a mostly unflattering assessment of a situation that requires improvement.

Quarterback personnel and development remain pressing concerns that will determine the direction of Freeze’s debut. Auburn’s new coach boasts a track record for tutoring quarterbacks like Bo Wallace, Chad Kelly and Malik Willis. But changing coaches does not morph a Barry Trotter or a Clint Moseley or a Kiehl Frazier into a Cam Newton. Upgrading personnel remains the quickest way to quarterback improvement.

"We are open to the portal," Freeze said Monday.

Of course they are.

See what LSU achieved last season with transfer Jayden Daniels in Brian Kelly’s first season. Kelly knew enough to know he needed better options. Insert Daniels, the Arizona State transfer who propelled LSU to the SEC Championship.

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A coach’s honeymoon is brief, and Harsin speeded from introductory press conference to pressure cooker, and he didn’t help himself enough by upgrading talent at key positions – quarterback, chief among them.

A new coach who inherits a weak position group or limited depth must fish in the portal for more talent. Freeze has plundered prizes to upgrade multiple positions, but a transfer quarterback eludes him.

Of course, Freeze’s March quarterback assessment does not necessarily signal alarm.

There’s what coaches say, and there’s why they say it.

Here are a few possibilities why Freeze offered such a forthright assessment of Auburn’s quarterbacks.

1. Hugh Freeze is signaling potential transfers.

Auburn should be first in line to see what this next round of transfers holds when the portal reopens on April 15.

Much of the top-end transfer movement unfolds during the winter, and the Tigers did not secure a quarterback during that period.

That left Robby Ashford and T.J. Finley atop AU’s depth chart after they shared starts last season. Redshirt freshman Holden Geriner also returned.

That trio has split first-team reps this spring. Finley is the most accomplished passer, but he’s coming off a shoulder injury. He’s resembled more of a quality backup than a desirable starter throughout his career, which began at LSU before he transferred to AU in 2021.

Ashford is an electric runner but an erratic passer. Handing him the reins might equate to spending a season in the Wildcat formation. The elusive Ashford is harder to evaluate in spring practice, when quarterbacks are protected from contact and scramble situations are whistled dead.

A transfer quarterback could accelerate Freeze’s rebuild. Kelly and Tennessee’s Josh Heupel used transfers to catapult their program’s trajectory. Alternatively, Harsin and now Florida’s Billy Napier deteriorated while whiffing on marquee transfers.

Freeze can’t repeat Harsin’s failure to upgrade at quarterback. His comments are the equivalent of a “Help Wanted” sign for transfer quarterbacks to see.

2. He’s keeping Auburn's Year 1 expectations in check.

Expectations are always high on the Plains. The hire of a proven winner could send those expectations into overdrive, even while the roster is not built to reach such a lofty bar.

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By sending the early message that the quarterback room he inherited leaves something to be desired, Freeze may be tamping down expectations. Auburn’s schedule is manageable, including an inter-division game against Vanderbilt. An eight-win season is plausible.

That will be a celebrated debut if Freeze can convince Tigers fans that he inherited a team – and, in particular, a quarterback room – otherwise bound for mediocrity.

3. He’s motivating incumbents Robby Ashford and T.J. Finley.

Not only is Freeze alerting transfers that Auburn is open for business, but his assessment ought to light a fire under AU's quarterbacks.

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Freeze is saying the status quo isn’t good enough. This job remains up for grabs, and that should motivate the contenders.

4. He’s telling the truth.

It’s possible no ulterior motive exists, and Freeze is simply offering an honest assessment: Auburn's quarterbacks aren't where they need to be. That’s believable, considering Auburn suffered from the worst passing offense in the SEC last season.

Freeze came armed with no magic dust, only a reputation for constructing good offenses. He’ll need to spur development in the quarterbacks he inherited or upgrade the personnel.

Blake Toppmeyer is an SEC Columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Hugh Freeze can't repeat Bryan Harsin mistake on Auburn football QBs