Auburn Football: Top 5 transfer portal QB options

After a tough season at the QB position, Auburn football will likely be using the transfer portal to find a new passer. Who are the Tigers’ best options?

As the 2023 season progressed, the Auburn football offense got better and better. The offensive line seemed to gel, Jarquez Hunter excelled at the other tailbacks grew into their roles, and a new weapon was found in Rivaldo Fairweather.

If there was one aspect of the offense that held it back, it was the passing game. Payton Thorne, like the rest of the offense, improved as the season progressed, but the holes in his game remained.

While he should be commended for leading Auburn football to bowl eligibility in the first year of Hugh Freeze’s rebuild, and taking Alabama down to the wire, the Tigers need to upgrade at the position.

Honorable Mention: Riley Leonard, Duke

The transfer portal is a murky space. It seems to be a done deal that Leonard is headed to Notre Dame, but there is also reporting that schools like Ohio State still have Leonard at the top of their transfer portal priority list. So, while this move appears unlikely for Auburn, it’s worth a mention.

Leonard is from Fairhope, AL, one of the tea leaves that had early predictions eyeing Auburn football as his landing spot.

His 2023 campaign was shortened by injury, but he was tremendous when he was on the field. He’s the kind of dual-threat player that Freeze’s offense thrives with, throwing for 24 touchdowns and rushing for 19 scores during his three seasons at Duke.