Auburn Tigers QB Room changes with dedication from Deuce Knight

Auburn received a commitment from quarterback prospect Deuce Knight of George County (Lucedale, Miss.) High School on Wednesday night.

Knight’s commitment wasn’t unexpected news for Auburn. He had been committed to Notre Dame since September 2023, but had been to Auburn several times since this summer. The young talent from Lucedale grew up just northwest of Mobile, Alabama, and less than a four-hour drive, and visited Auburn for several games, including his official visit to Auburn this weekend.

Hugh Freeze and staff primarily recruited Juju Lewis from Carrollton, Georgia, High School for the QB of the 2025 signing class until this summer, when rumors started circulating on the message board about NIL requests and demands.

Around that time, Freeze and Co. founded. their attention on Knight, whose commitment to Auburn on Wednesday lifted the Tigers to the No. 3 recruiting class in the country behind Ohio State and Alabama, and marginally ahead of SEC foes LSU, Georgia, Texas and Tennessee. Texas A&M and Oklahoma round out the top 10, giving the SEC an eight out of 10 in the 247 Sports Industry Composite.

So what impact will Knight’s commitment have on the Auburn program? It certainly makes for an already impressive recruiting class for Freeze. The Tigers have a lot of talent in their class at all three levels of defense. Adding to the incredible amount of receivers signed last year, the class of 2025 will bring in five offensive linemen, a running back, two tight ends and now a 5-star quarterback so far.

It opens the door for other talents around the country, like Caleb Cunningham and Andrew Babalola, to think harder about playing with Knight and an incredible class in general.

What impact will Knight’s use have on the quarterback room? The 6-4, 205-pound lefty adds competition to a room that will certainly be better than the on-field product of recent years.

After this season, provisional starter Payton Thorne will be gone. The following are today’s QBs projected to be in spring training for Auburn in 2025.

Henk BrownRedshirt sophomore
Holden GerinerRedshirt Junior
Walker WhiteRedshirt freshman
Deuce KnightTrue freshmen

In terms of Freeze, Nix and the offensive system, Brown is the odd man out when it comes to his ability to hold and run, or get many drafted quarterbacks to read and potentially execute plays. It is undoubtedly part of the system. But because the system relies heavily on downfield passing, the ability to pass out of the pocket is the ultimate talent differentiator.

Hank Brown will likely have the edge in getting first snaps with the first-team offense in spring drills, as it remains to be seen whether Knight will enroll in December or be on campus in the summer of 2025 arrive.

As athletic and talented as Knight is, quarterbacks coach Kent Austin, Nix and Freeze will give Knight every opportunity in August 2025. But to start the offseason, give Brown favorable odds to be the starter from here on out.

As a backup for Thorne, Brown has put up impressive film in limited game action. However, in his only start, he threw three interceptions in the first half against Arkansas but was pulled at halftime in favor of Thorne. Brown could have a bright future, but he wasn’t yet good enough to hold down the starting job as he was given a chance this season.

If he isn’t good enough when he gets the chance to beat Thorne, how ready is he for the SEC?

Auburn’s quarterback competition through September and heading into the Georgia game in Athens on Saturday has been a fluid situation, but it appears Thorne has the job at least until he has another four-interception game or more throws a pick-six to win it a second time. other team. If he does that, Brown will get more reps.

Geriner may be the best athlete with the best arm among QBs, but is behind Brown, who has an extra year of eligibility left. Geriner, a potential fourth-year player in 2025, could be behind more than just Brown by the summer of 2025. And on transfer portal day, he will be faced with a decision.

White served as scout team quarterback as a true freshman this fall. He arrived at Auburn in December, practiced well enough to make significant snaps in Auburn’s August scrimmages, but was ultimately demoted to fourth behind Thorne, Brown and Geriner.

White has no game action yet in 2024, and his offseason work in December through August 2025 could ultimately determine his fate. He was a highly recruited prospect, ranked as the No. 5 quarterback nationally by 247 Sports and No. 3 by ESPN. While it’s certainly not common or easy for a true freshman to move up, what does it say about White that he didn’t beat Brown or Geriner?

For White, and for Knight, the 2025 offseason will tell what direction their careers will take. If White is defeated by the younger player, he will be in the same situation as Geriner. Knight has the size and athleticism, and his ceiling is incredibly high. Auburn fans will find out next summer if it’s enough to move him up and compete for the 2025 starting job.

If Knight can earn his way to No. 2, it will certainly provide optimism for his future.