As the Auburn football team inches closer and closer to its season-opener against Alabama A&M on Aug. 31, the need to establish who will backup starting quarterback Payton Thorne becomes greater.

Asked about the importance of having a backup named sooner rather than later, Auburn head coach kept it simple.

“Big,” Freeze said.

“I think they need those reps, and you’ve got to settle in on who’s getting the majority of those,” he added.

With Thorne the clear-cut starter heading into the first week, the Tigers have redshirt sophomore Holden Geriner, redshirt freshman Hank Brown and true freshman Walker White behind him vying for the QB2 spot.

And by the sounds of it, Freeze and Auburn’s offensive coaches are close to having the pecking order mapped out — if it isn’t already.

“I haven’t told the quarterbacks yet, so I won’t say, but I kind of know in mind where we’re headed next week, but I’d rather tell them before I say it,” Freeze told reporters on Friday.

“I was going to get through tomorrow, but I feel like I know where we’re headed with the reps.”

During the first scrimmage of Auburn’s fall camp on Aug. 10, the order of the quarterbacks was as follows: Thorne, Geriner, White, Thorne again and then Brown.

While White looked every part of a freshman, struggling during his first series with a few overthrows before finally settling in, Geriner and Brown both showed flashes of promise, while each throwing a touchdown pass.

As such, it’s expected that either Geriner or Brown be named Auburn’s backup quarterback, though Auburn quarterbacks coach Kent Austin recently told reporters there is very little — if any — separation between the two.

“Right now they’re probably on the same level,” Austin said on Aug. 8. “I mean, if you were to hold a gun to my head and made me choose one of the two categories, you know, I’d say they’re probably at the same spot.”

Last season, Brown was the the more efficient of the two vying for the backup job as he went 7-for-9 for 132 yards — all of which came during relief in the Music City Bowl.

Geriner, on the other hand, appeared in more games last fall, going 5-for-15 for 75 yards and an interception.

Regardless of who gets the backup nod this season, Freeze says he, Austin and offensive coordinator Derrick Nix are in agreement.

“I’ll let you guys know next week, for sure, but I’d like to tell them first,” Freeze said. “But I do think we’re all on the same page, Nix, I and Kent on kind of who is going to get majority of the second reps.”