Auburn QB target shows Hugh Freeze didn't learned anything from Payton Thorne debacle

Fact: Auburn needs to be aggressive in the transfer portal this offseason. Hugh Freeze is entering year three down on The Plains. While he did get Auburn back to a bowl game in year one, the Tigers finished this past season at 5-7 as one of three SEC teams who did not achieve bowl eligibility. One of the areas he has to rectify would be the quarterback position. Payton Thorne mostly held them back.

While I wrote about this yesterday in how Freeze and Auburn need to beat out Kirby Smart and Georgia for Jackson Arnold's services now that the former Oklahoma starter has entered the portal, you are not going to like who On3's Steve Wiltfong and Pete Nakos have forecasted coming to Auburn. That would be Buford, GA native and former Stanford Cardinal starter Ashton Daniels.

Buford is a regional football power and Daniels won state championships there. While it is not always the case, Buford has a reputation in the State of Georgia of being a place where Power Four teams can poach top-flight recruits out of Kirby Smart's backyard. Many of the best players in state still Commit to the G, but Buford has long been a honeyhole when it comes to landing Georgia talent.

Daniels just spent the last three seasons playing for David Shaw and Troy Taylor over at Stanford.

If Wiltfong has put his name to this with a 60-percent confidence level, then that speaks volumes.

Hugh Freeze may have brought in the next Payton Thorne for Auburn

Look. I don't know if Arnold will prove to be any bit good in the SEC. He started one game two years ago for Brent Venables at Oklahoma and he was sort of okay. The idea of him appears to be greater than the real thing. If you don't believe me, then why is Dillon Gabriel playing at Oregon? Now that Ben Arbuckle has replaced Seth Littrell as the offensive coordinator, no wonder Arnold got out of Norman.

My concern for Auburn in the Tigers supposedly being tied to Daniels is he is essentially the same player Thorne was. Daniels may have been a bit more run than throw at Stanford when compared to Thorne at Michigan State, but neither quarterback ever seemed like the type of guy who could separate and elevate against the best competition the SEC has to offer, such as Alabama or Georgia.

Then again, what do I know about Auburn? Every so often, the Tigers have a season worthy of celebrating that comes seemingly out of nowhere. Nobody could have forecasted them having as much success as they did in the 2010, the 2013 and the 2017 seasons. Unfortunately, the last one of those three was nearly a decade ago. Maybe Daniels can be the guy to unlock everything for Freeze?

All I know for sure when it comes to Auburn is if they do not go bowling next year, Freeze is so toast.