Charles Barkley on Auburn football: 'Please pray for better quarterback play'
Notable Auburn basketball alum Charles Barkley doesn’t just keep his hot takes on the hardwood, opening up about football from time to time as well.
Barkey showed support when athletic director John Cohen and the Auburn program decided to hire new head football coach Hugh Freeze, but now that four weeks of the season have been completed, Barkley does have one hilarious request.
“Mr. Cohen decided to go with Coach Freeze and I told both of them hey, I’m all in on Coach Freeze. Now I will say this,” Barkley exclaimed. “If y’all gonna be down there baptizing people, please pray for better quarterback play. Let’s get these three quarterbacks and baptize them and maybe the Lord can make them play better.”
Barkley is referring to Freeze’s involvement in massive worship and baptism event on campus a few weeks back, but also Auburn’s current debacle at the quarterback position.
The Tigers are off to a 3-1 start but haven’t seen consistent play at the quarterback position all season. Their starter, Payton Thorne, has struggled against both of Auburn’s Power Five opponents this season, completing just 65.3% of his passes for 561 with three touchdowns and four interceptions on the season.
Meanwhile, Auburn backups Robby Ashford and Holden Geriner each saw playing time in their most recent loss to Texas A&M. And although Barkley made a funny remark at the top of his rant, he did follow with some insight regarding his personal philosophy of the quarterback position.
“Because the one thing you can’t do as a coach, you can’t have your quarterback playing scared. You can’t have your quarterback playing scared or looking over his shoulders. You can’t play three quarterbacks, you can’t play two quarterbacks,” Barkley explained. “Because that’s the most important position in sports, but the number one thing you have to have as a player is confidence in yourself to make good plays and bad plays. If you are scared to make bad plays you can’t make good plays, and right now they are in no mans land.
“You gotta make a decision and live with it, then if you give that kid a chance, he can’t do it, go to the next guy. But you can’t be playing three quarterbacks, you can’t play two quarterbacks. Maybe around the goal line you can do a package.”
Ashford does have his own run-first red zone package that has been successful this season for the Tigers, as he’s rushed for 101 yards and four touchdowns already. But inconsistent play at the position has many both inside and outside of Auburn’s building curious if he or Geriner should have a fair shot as the team’s starter.
“Kenny Smith called me to talk to one of his kids yesterday, because he always has me call talking to kids. Because I say this when I talk to his kids all the time, he’s a big AAU guy. A coach and give you confidence, but he can take your confidence,” Barkley concluded.
Regardless of who lines up under center or if Freeze takes Barkley’s advice, whoever plays quarterback for the Tigers this Saturday will have their work cut out for them, as Auburn host No. 1 ranked Georgia this weekend at 3:30 p.m. ET.