For the second time within three seasons, Auburn football finds itself gearing up for another intense quarterback battle. Payton Thorne's eligibility has come to an end, leaving Hugh Freeze with the task of scouting for a new passer during the offseason. Despite having a promising duo in Walker White and 2025 signee Deuce Knight in the quarterback room, Freeze views the addition of a quarterback as both a necessity and an opportunity.

QB INCOMING: Auburn football's pursuit of transfer portal quarterbacks

Conner Weigman

Once a highly regarded five-star recruit, Weigman started the 2024 season as Texas A&M's starting quarterback. However, a history of injuries resurfaced, and he missed a month due to a shoulder injury. This opened the door for Marcel Reed to take on the starting role. Now, after playing 15 games and making 13 starts in three seasons at College Station, Weigman's untapped potential makes him an enticing prospect. His passing stats in 6 games this season show 64-114 (56.1%) completions, 819 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. On the ground, he has 101 rush yards with a 3.6 yards per carry average and 28 carries.

Jackson Arnold

Similar to Weigman, Arnold was once a consensus five-star recruit and the 2022 Gatorade Player of the Year. His time at Oklahoma didn't live up to the initial expectations as he was benched in 2024 but eventually regained the starting role. He started Oklahoma's final five games, going 2-3 with a win over FCS Maine and an upset over then-No. 7 Alabama. In 10 games this season, he had 154-246 (62.6%) passing, 1,421 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, 444 rush yards with a 3.0 YPC average, 50 carries, and 3 rushing touchdowns. He also had 2 receptions for 16 receiving yards and 1 receiving touchdown.

Kaidon Salter

There is a connection between Salter and Auburn coach Hugh Freeze as Salter played for Freeze at Liberty for two seasons. After starting his college career at Tennessee, he transferred to Liberty and played for the Flames for four seasons. He entered the transfer portal last offseason and was a highly sought-after prospect before deciding to stay at Liberty. In 2024, he took a step back, throwing for nearly 1,000 fewer yards and 17 fewer touchdowns with the same number of interceptions. He also had 579 rush yards after a 1,000-yard rushing season in 2023.

Miller Moss

Moss' first three seasons at USC were relatively uneventful, but he had a breakout performance at the end of 2023 with a 372-yard, six-touchdown performance in a Holiday Bowl win over Louisville. However, his 2024 didn't meet the expectations set by that effort. Statistically, he was one of the better passers in the Big Ten this fall with 233-362 (64.4%) passing, 2,555 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. He also had minus-18 rush yards with a minus-0.9 YPC average and 21 attempts, along with 2 rushing touchdowns.

Thomas Castellanos

Castellanos was one of the most productive passers in the ACC in 2023. But like Salter, his 2024 performance was underwhelming. Boston College's incumbent starter was eventually benched in a win over Syracuse. In 8 games this fall, he had 99-161 (61.5%) passing, 1,366 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. He also had 194 rush yards with a 2.1 YPC average and 93 carries, along with 1 rushing touchdown.

Other names Hugh Freeze, Auburn football should know

When the transfer portal officially opens, there will likely be more names entering. Until Freeze and the Tigers find the right quarterback, here are a few other names to keep an eye on who have made their transfer intentions clear. Anthony Colandrea from Virginia, Cade McNamara from Iowa, Devon Dampier from New Mexico, Justyn Martin from UCLA, and Matthew Sluka from UNLV.Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.