The Auburn football program moved on from Bryan Harsin and hired Hugh Freeze. In his return to the SEC, there are a lot of expectations for Freeze and the Auburn Tigers. Unfortunately, the program took a hit when TJ Finley decided to enter the transfer portal, throwing a massive wrench in the team's plans under center.

As of now, Auburn is deciding between Robby Ashford, Holden Geriner, and Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne, who joined the program shortly after Finley's departure. During SEC media days, Hugh Freeze opened up on the competition and revealed his plan while also mentioning he is optimistic (h/t Barrett Sallee of CBS Sports).

“I’m truly more optimistic than a lot of people are.”

Freeze also mentioned that he plans on bringing the competition down to two by the time fall camp rolls around. Ashford played in 12 games for Auburn last year, throwing for 1,613 yards with seven touchdowns but adding another 710 yards and seven scores on the ground, so his dual-threat ability is intriguing for Freeze.

Ashford, however, seemed excited when Thorne decided to head to Auburn, although the competition could eventually push Ashford to backup duties to begin the season. Thorne played in 12 games last season for the Michigan State Spartans, throwing for 2.679 yards with 19 touchdowns, so he should be the favorite to earn the job.

Geriner is a redshirt freshman that has yet to play, so he is probably the longshot to win the battle.

Nonetheless, Freeze has a plan in place, and he is optimistic about the state of the Tigers' QB room.