Hugh Freeze reveals which positions are the 'furthest away' early in spring

Head coach Hugh Freeze’s first spring practices at Auburn have resumed as his team returns from spring break this week. The Tigers picked back up where they left off putting on the pads and competing for the first time under a new regime.

Freeze was asked about the play of wide receiver Camden Brown during spring practice, but flipped the script, actually revealing which specific position groups need the most improvement thus far this offseason.

“He scored a touchdown that was a really nice play on a back-shoulder ball. Again he’s just an adjustment period, I think the two positions that stand out to me right now of we just have a long way to go is the quarterback room and the wide receiver room,” Freeze admitted. “Not saying we’ve arrived at other spots yet, but those are the farthest off because we ask them truthfully and it’s brand new to them.”

There’s no doubt that the quarterback and wide receiver positions struggled last season for Auburn. The Tigers undoubtedly had the SEC’s worst passing attack last season; their 172.7 passing yards per game were the worst in the conference, along with conference lows in completion percentage (51.6%), total passing yards (2,072 yards), and passing touchdowns (9).

Auburn’s foundation in the passing game is not strong, as Freeze looks to build it up through extensive reps of his new offense.

“Which RPO should we run based on what coverage I see, and how do I properly get off the technique that the DB’s playing? We’re very very raw at that right now,” Freeze said.

Auburn’s passing game woes may be an alarming sign for Tiger fans, but time is on the side of Freeze and his squad. There’s plenty of time between now the Auburn’s September 2 kickoff versus UMass to polish and get up to speed.

The Tigers are having an open quarterback competition according to Freeze between Robby Ashford, TJ Finley, and Holden Geriner. But regardless of who looks best now, it sounds like whoever is under center for Auburn this season could have a potential go-to target in the making with Brown.

“I think Cam has great potential and I’m excited about having him for sure, I love his attitude also but we’ve got a ways to go, not just him, but he still flashes,” Freeze said. “I want to say he had three really nice catches in the team situations Friday.”