Hugh Freeze Preaching Patience to his New Auburn Tigers Quarterbacks

Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze spent a lot of time rebuilding his quarterback room in the offseason.

He brought in Oklahoma Sooners transfer Jackson Arnold as the starter, freshman phenom Deuce Knight as the future, and Ashton Daniels as the veteran insurance policy. 

While the quarterback position gets a disproportionate amount of attention, not nearly as much attention has been given to the supporting cast around the new signal callers.

Freeze is emphasizing that his quarterbacks don’t have to win games, but just to take advantage of the talent around them.  

"I think the quarterbacks today too, I thought the other two played really well too,” Freeze said of the quarterbacks after Saturday’s practice. “I thought there were some really good things from both Deuce and Ashton also. We had one pick, which we've got to get cleaned up. I could see it happening, and we'll get that cleaned up. The whole deal with these guys, they’re so talented with Jackson, Deuce and Ashton, is we don't have to force things." 

With an upgraded offensive line and a bevy of receivers, the Tigers should be able to establish a running game, including RPOs from Arnold, and let the quarterback be a game manager.

The phrase “game manager” carries with it some negative connotations, but it’s exactly what an Auburn offense, plagued by turnovers last year, needs. 

"We just have to make the plays that are there - because you've got good enough people around them that you don't have to try to force things," Freeze insisted. "That's really what I'm trying to get across to them is just make the plays as they come to you, and we're going to be fine."

National pundits like ESPN’s Matt Stinchcomb like the formula Freeze has built on the field, pegging the Tigers to be his turnaround team of the year. 

“They thought they were missing one piece, which was the quarterback position. They need to get better along the offensive front, I think that they actually have,” said Stinchcomb on ESPN. 

Freeze said at SEC Media Days that faster might not always be better. He is preaching a calmer, more direct offense that relies on talent, rather than the chaos of the no-huddle.

"Even if you're one that's committed to an up-tempo pace, you've just got to be careful," Freeze said. "It's hard to stop offenses these days. There's just a handful that have elite defenses that can shut down offenses. To me, it becomes a factor of, ‘All right, what do we need to win this game?’ If there's a way we can move the football and lessen the snaps on our defense, I would lean toward that method immediately."

Too many times last season, the Auburn Tigers offense looked hurried and unprepared. A slower, calmer approach of taking what the defense gives them should help limit turnovers and lead to a much more efficient unit.