Thursday’s news out of Auburn that junior Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne was named the Tigers’ starting quarterback didn’t come as a jarring surprise.

If anything, it always felt like Thorne’s separation from the rest of the quarterback room wasn’t so much a matter of ‘if’, but a matter of ‘when’.

Even when incumbent starter Robby Ashford had a “really good Saturday” during Auburn’s first scrimmage of the fall, which might’ve led to the comments questioning his initial thoughts about the quarterback race, Freeze said he still “felt like it was Payton”.

And it was Payton.

After confirming the buzz about naming Thorne the starter, Freeze went on to double down on Thorne getting the nod.

“The quarterback situation is set going into UMass unless something happens,” Freeze said. “It’s set, it’s done. He’ll (Thorne) get all the reps with the 1s.”

But where does that leave Ashford and Holden Geriner — the redshirt freshman who made what many believed would be a two-man race a three-man race?

First, in true coach speak, Freeze wasn’t going to shut the door on Ashford and Geriner completely.

“Let me say this first: I totally believe that Robby (Ashford) and Holden (Geriner) — we can win games with any of the three. A lot of that would depend upon, you know, how we play defensively and how the supporting cast play. I believe in all three of those guys, and there are days that there’s been very little separation,” Freeze said.

“I’m not saying my gut is right that Payton is the guy for all 12 games, but my gut is saying it’s the time to do this to get us best prepared for the opening of the season.”

But just as there’s gotta be a starting quarterback to jog out onto the field in with the starting offense in Week 1, there’s gotta be a guy Auburn will turn to in the event Thorne isn’t available.

And by the sounds of it, Freeze is once again set to give the nod to the more experienced of the two.

“Robby (Ashford) will get most of work with the 2s,” Freeze said Thursday. “Holden (Geriner) will get his share some, but I feel like that’s where we are and that’s not going to change unless injury or something happens.”

Ashford started nine games for the Tigers in 2022, after eventually beating out Week 1 starter TJ Finley.

During his freshman campaign on The Plains last fall, Ashford passed for more than 1,600 yards, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions. He added 710 yards on the ground with seven more scores. Ashford’s seven touchdowns put him at No. 3 in Auburn football history for the most passing touchdowns from a freshman.

However, struggles with accuracy and ball security left Freeze feeling unsettled on Ashford.

Ashford completed just 49% of his throws in 2022, which is quite a dip from Thorne’s 63% rating at Michigan State last season.

But it’s Ashford’s ability to create and extend plays with his legs that gives him an upside that begs not to be ignored.

“I believe with all my heart Robby Ashford gives us an absolute better chance to win the game if he accepts this news and continues to work and develops himself,” Freeze said. “Because he might be the most freakish athlete I’ve ever had at quarterback.”

That said, when asked about the prospect of Ashford having his own designed packages with the Auburn offense, Freeze responded in the affirmative.

“I want to say this about Robby he will always have a package,” Freeze said.

“Robby is not just a runner — he’s a dynamic runner, but he can throw. Certain things, he throws better. Hopefully, his consistency in that will continue to improve to where if we, whatever package he is in, they have to respect the pass off of it as well.”

With it sounding like Ashford has locked in the backup spot at Auburn, it leaves Geriner as the likely No. 3 guy.

Prior to redshirting last season, Geriner came to Auburn as a 4-star prospect out of Savannah, Ga., where he passed for more than 7,000 yards and 71 touchdowns in high school. He also won a state title his senior season.

“Holden’s the most natural passer of all of them, truthfully, in my opinion,” Freeze said. He’s still absorbing. There’s a lot of times where he’s not made the right decision, maybe, in the RPO game or in his reads or if the protection is set the right way. But he’s just a young kid. He’s got a bright future; there’s no doubt in my mind.”

But as everyone is aware, cementing the decision on a starter in a crowded quarterback room can lead to guys entering the bustling transfer portal in today’s college football landscape.

As of Thursday, Freeze hadn’t heard any grumblings of guys leaving the program. And he surely hopes it stays that way.

“Everyone doesn’t always gets the prize that they want,” Freeze said. “But how you respond to that is going to really determine more about you and probably play more dividends for you longer term in life and in football. If you just accept it, don’t like it, but go back to work.”