Holden Geriner "taking big strides" in practice since Auburn's Pro Day

There's been a serious discussion surrounding whether or not the Tigers' starting quarterback for the 2023 season is currently on roster.

TJ Finley, Robby Ashford, and Holden Geriner - all three of which were with Auburn last season during the program's 5-7 campaign - are back.

It doesn't take a leak about what's going on at practice or an insider's opinion to believe that the room isn't performing during spring practice under Hugh Freeze. Both Finley and Ashford had their struggles under center last season, and with Robby still nursing a sore shoulder after injuring it late last year it's no surprise that Hugh Freeze has had a lot of criticism when discussing the unit.

Freeze has publicly wished the quarterbacks were "a little further along" with his RPO game and bluntly stated he "has no idea" who the starting quarterback will be in the fall.

No one has separated themselves. No one has made strides. No one has stood out to Hugh Freeze and OC Philip Montgomery.

Until this past week.

Freshman quarterback Holden Geriner - who appeared in one game last season for the Tigers - has been catching Freeze's eye.

“"I thought he really, really, really stood out all week with his improvement and his play,” Freeze said on Monday. “Not that the others didn’t improve, but I thought his grasp of what we were trying to do, he was impressive with it last week.”

During the media viewing window of practice, Holden Geriner ran the first-team offense during the pacing drills. While struggling with inconsistencies alongside the other two signal-callers on roster, Geriner has turned things around since he threw at Auburn's Pro Day last Tuesday with Cam Newton.

Zac Blackerby, host of the Locked On Auburn Podcast and writer for us here at Auburn Daily, tweeted out a text he received from a source within Auburn:

"Text I just received from a source within the Auburn Football program," Blackerby wrote. 'I definitely believe Pro Day did something to Holden.' Added he’s taken big strides in practice since Auburn’s Pro Day."

If Geriner has found his rhythm in spring, and he shines on A-Day, what will the fanbase (and the coaching staff, for that matter) think about adding another quarterback through the transfer portal during the post-spring window?