The 2024 Auburn Tigers suffered from poor quarterback play during the disappointing 5-7 2024 season.

Senior Payton Thorne was benched after just two games after throwing five interceptions. However, his stint on the sidelines didn’t last long. Hank Brown replaced him and threw three interceptions in the first half of a 24-14 loss to Arkansas.

Thorne threw a crucial pick-six in the next week’s loss to Oklahoma. Head coach Hugh Freeze publicly criticized Thorne during the season, criticizing everything from his decision-making to his accuracy.

Despite the difficulties, Freeze stuck with Thorne instead of turning to a third quarterback, true freshman Walker White.

When Auburn fell to 3-6 after a home loss to Vanderbilt, the obvious question was, “If White can’t beat Thorne in a losing season, what future does he have at Auburn?”

It turns out, not much.

White is reportedly entering the transfer portal. This comes after Auburn landed a commitment from former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold on Saturday.

Thorne’s eligibility has expired in Tuscaloosa and White is the third Auburn quarterback to enter the portal, joining Hank Brown (Iowa) and Holden Geriner.

According to ESPN, White was the third-best dual-threat quarterback in the country and a top-50 player at Auburn according to 247Sports. However, Rivals did not include him in their Rivals 250, and despite the high position ranking, ESPN still only considered him the No. 161 prospect regardless of position.

Still, his time at Auburn wouldn’t have changed his assessment of the staff that signed him in 2024, and he should have no trouble finding a home in 2025. Clemson and Ole Miss were also heavily considered by White before signing with Auburn.

There won’t be a single familiar face in Auburn’s quarterback room in 2025. After watching the quarterback play in 2024, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. That’s not to say Freeze and his coaching staff are completely unhinged. The three-headed, game-dominating monster was always doomed to failure, and Freeze’s timing management left a lot to be desired.

The old saying goes: If you have two quarterbacks, you don’t really have one. What does it say about three different people calling plays on game day?

Arnold joins highly touted freshman Deuce Knight as the only quarterbacks on scholarship at Auburn. Freeze said earlier this month that he would like four. He could look for a graduate transfer from a small school to add depth to the position, but he likely has his best two guys in Arnold and Knight.

Now he needs some depth.

Having gone 5-7 in his second year on the job, Freeze was always on the safe side for an experienced starter. He has to win in 2025 if he wants to be there in 2026, and doing that with a freshman quarterback like Knight was a tricky proposition.

Quarterback play on the Plains has been poor in 2024. One factor in this equation, the quarterbacks, has been completely changed. Now Freeze and his staff have to trust that they got this December right and get themselves out of the way when it comes to game decisions come September.