Hugh Freeze didn’t want to offer any sweeping judgments or single out any one player. After all, it was just Day 1 of Auburn’s first spring practice under its new head coach.

There are still months before Auburn will narrow down its quarterback battle and even consider naming a starter for the 2023 season, but Monday afforded Freeze and offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery with their first up-close look at the Tigers’ trio of returning candidates — Robby Ashford, T.J. Finley and Holden Geriner — at the most important position on the field.

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“I think they’re hungry,” Freeze said Monday evening after the Tigers’ first day of practice. “They want to learn a different way; they want to learn a different system. I think they all have been like a sponge in saying, ‘Just help me, coach. I want to get better. I want to be the guy.’ They’re all a little different, and we have to figure out how to play to the strengths of those guys.”

Assessing Auburn’s options at quarterback will take time. Freeze offered no sort of timetable for identifying a starter, and he emphasized that there will be no established depth chart during spring practices. He wants these 15 practices over the next six weeks to be about development for the players and an opportunity for the coaches to become familiar with their personnel as Auburn works to lay the foundation for Year 1 under Freeze.

Freeze spent Monday’s practice bouncing around from position group to position group, aiming to spend time with every unit on Day 1. While he had yet to have an opportunity to break down the film from practice when he met with the media afterward, he offered a frank assessment of the Tigers’ three quarterbacks on the first day on the field.

“I thought our quarterbacks threw some decent balls, at times, and other times where our mechanics were really bad,” Freeze said. “But I kind of expected that.”

It’s early still, and Monday was just the first day back on the field after a whirlwind offseason for Auburn’s program. Attention will be on Auburn’s quarterbacks throughout the spring, as Freeze, Montgomery and offensive analyst Kent Austin thoroughly assess the position, try to see how far each quarterback can progress over the next six weeks and determine whether the Tigers need to explore adding another quarterback in the transfer portal come May.

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Until Monday, the new staff only had last year’s film to judge the quarterbacks on, and that only provided so much intel; it was more of an incomplete picture. As Freeze noted earlier this month, it’s hard to gauge the position when they don’t have ample time to throw in the pocket, so he didn’t want to enter spring with any preconceived notions about each quarterback. Instead, he wants to be able to evaluate them himself — with the help of Montgomery and Austin.

“I think that’s going to be invaluable for us to have those two guys who I trust a lot offensively,” Freeze said.

Each of Auburn’s quarterbacks will have to prove himself throughout the spring and into fall camp when it comes to vying for the role of QB1, and Monday was the first step in that prolonged process and evaluation period. During the 20-minute window of practice that was open to the media on Day 1, Auburn’s quarterbacks worked in pairs throwing split routes to receiver tandems. Ashford and Finley rotated together, while Geriner worked alongside walk-on Sawyer Pate. All got equal reps, according to Freeze.

While Freeze isn’t tracking a depth chart throughout the spring, the Day 1 order was a logical one. Ashford gets the benefit of the doubt as the incumbent starter, having started nine games for the Tigers last season. Finley, who won the starting job in fall camp last year, started the first three games of the season before a shoulder injury derailed his year. Geriner, a former four-star recruit, appeared in just one game while redshirting last season.

Last season, Ashford completed just 49.2 percent of his passes for 1,613 yards while throwing as many touchdowns (seven) as interceptions and running for another 709 yards and seven scores. Finley completed 62.3 percent of his passes for 431 yards, just one touchdown and four interceptions, while Geriner attempted just three passes in his lone appearance.

None of those numbers really popped, as quarterback play was one of the many issues Auburn faced during its 5-7 campaign. But Monday marked the official start of a new chapter, a fresh start for each of the returning quarterbacks in their quest to earn the starting job under a new regime.

“If they’ll keep giving the same energy and effort that they gave today, we’ll get better throughout spring,” Freeze said. “So, I’m leaving today’s practice feeling very positive and optimistic.”

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