Two months ago, before he ever coached a practice at Auburn, Hugh Freeze was anxious to get on the field and evaluate the Tigers’ trio of returning quarterbacks — Robby Ashford, T.J. Finley and Holden Geriner — firsthand.

After accepting the job on the Plains, Freeze only had the opportunity to review cutups of each quarterbacks’ film, the good and the bad. It was hard to gauge just what he had to work with at the most important position on the field. Fast forward to A-Day, the last of 15 official spring practices, and Freeze is feeling a bit more at ease about Auburn’s quarterback situation heading into Year 1, though the position is far from settled.

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“I feel better than I did 15 practices ago,” Freeze said Saturday after his first spring game with the Tigers. “I really think that from this point now until the end of fall camp, there’s so much that needs to happen for somebody to solidify being the guy. And I think all have improved. I think all are still inconsistent with some things.”

It was another blunt assessment from Freeze, who has not minced his words when it comes to critiquing and praising the progress of Auburn’s quarterbacks this spring. He reiterated Saturday that the competition will wage into fall camp, that the offseason months will be a critical piece of the puzzle for determining QB1 and that Auburn won’t shy away from adding another quarterback option in the post-spring transfer portal that when it opens in a week.

For as much attention as Auburn’s quarterbacks have received over the last six weeks, though, little could actually be gleaned from Saturday’s rain-soaked spring game. Auburn attempted a total of 12 passes — with two more designed pass plays that resulted in “sacks” (albeit noncontact for the quarterbacks — across the duration of the A-Day scrimmage, which ended in a 24-24 tie after the defense was spotted a 24-0 advantage at the onset of the day.

Ashford, as has been the case for much of spring, was the first quarterback to get his crack with the offense. He led a touchdown drive on his first possession, capping a 10-play, 65-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown run. His lone pass attempt on the drive was incomplete, but he ran the ball four times for 23 yards as Auburn’s run game showed signs of promise.

Ashford completed just one of his three pass attempts on the day, with the lone completion a 39-yard seam down the field to Tar’Varish Dawson Jr. down to the 9-yard line. That led to a field goal as time expired in the second quarter.

“I think you saw today that he’s got the capability of making some plays,” Freeze said of Ashford, who earned offensive MVP honors for the second consecutive A-Day.

Finley was the second quarterback in the rotation again on A-Day. The offense went three-and-out on his first possession on the field, but he led a pair of field goal drives in the second half, including the one that resulted in Alex McPherson’s 33-yard game-tying kick as time expired in the weather-shortened scrimmage, which was called after three quarters.

Finley finished the day 1-of-4 passing for 4 yards, and while it wasn’t much, he has received credit this spring for his improved accuracy this spring and his understanding of how to play within Freeze’s offense.

“I believe I can compete with anybody in the country, and that’s why I transferred here from LSU,” Finley said. “I felt like I can compete with Bo Nix (in 2021). Competition doesn’t scare me. I know who I am. I know what I can do, and with the right coaches, I know who I can grow into and hopefully this is the place. Competition brings the best out of everybody, and if you can’t handle competition, you don’t need to be in this industry. That’s how I look at it. I serve a great God, and God has put me here for a reason, and I’m going to fulfill my destiny here.”

Geriner was third in the rotation at quarterback, though his second possession included some work with the first-team offensive line. The redshirt freshman, who took a step forward in his development midway through the spring, had the best passing numbers of the trio Saturday, though that wasn’t saying much considering how little Auburn did in the passing game under the conditions at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Geriner completed 3-of-5 passes for 17 yards and led a touchdown drive late in the third quarter. He also converted a 2-point attempt at the end of that drive to get the offense within a field goal late. After appearing in just one game with limited snaps last season, Geriner said he feels confident and calm this spring despite the coaching change.

“I feel like I’ve grown tremendously from a physical aspect as well as mental,” Geriner said. “I feel like I’m in a lot better place mentally and just confidence-wise. Then along with the physical aspect of that, it helps me going out there every day and having the confidence in there to make all the throws I know I can. I definitely feel good and ready to play.”

Freeze may feel better about Auburn’s quarterback room than he did upon taking the head coaching gig late last year, but he wants to see more from each of them in the coming months. Consistency will be key, as will leadership. Summer months, with individual workouts and player-only practices, will factor into the decision come fall, and it remains to be seen whether any of the three quarterbacks who took the field at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday will be the guy for the Tigers when they open the season against UMass.

The spring transfer portal opens in a week and runs from April 15-30. Freeze has been upfront with the trio that he plans to explore the options in the portal, and if he can find the right fit, he’ll pursue adding a quarterback to the room — just as he will for any position on the roster.

“I know people make a big deal out of that, but the bottom line is you’re constantly — I think competition is helpful for those that handle it right,” Freeze said. “And for those that don’t, they’re probably not going to be winners for you anyway. And so, we’re open. Do I think we can win some games with what we have? Yes. I do. But, you know, I don’t want to ever be put in a box where I say something, and I do the opposite. I don’t know the answer. I don’t know if we are. I know that I would be open to it.”

Ashford, Finley and Geriner have appreciated Freeze’s honesty throughout the spring — from his “brutally honest” evaluations of them both publicly and privately, to not hiding his desire to explore the portal for any potential additions to the room.

“That’s the best way to be,” Finley said. “There’s no sugarcoating it when you want to get better, and as a competitor you want that out of a coach. You want to be criticized, you want to be coached hard, I think we’re all — like I said — responding to it well.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.