The game’s result was already far from in question when a white jersey with a navy blue No. 15 sewn on jogged between the lines at Nissan Stadium. His first snap Saturday was the first of his college career, and all done so in his hometown.

Yet freshman quarterback and Nashville native Hank Brown came out slinging as if his team didn’t trail by a massive margin, as if he wasn’t in the lights of an NFL stadium and as if the moment of his first-ever playing time wasn’t any bit too big for him. On the second career pass attempt of his career, Brown flicked one of the best deep balls thrown by any Auburn quarterback this season — hitting wide receiver Caleb Burton in stride for a 53-yard gain which set up a touchdown.

Auburn was losing 31-7 when Brown entered the game in an eventual 31-13 loss.

But the two quarterbacks ahead of him on Auburn’s depth chart — Payton Thorne and Holden Geriner — both struggled mightily against Maryland. Thorne was 13-27 for 84 yards and Geriner was 1-6 for eight yards. Both Thorne and Geriner threw interceptions. If not for a penalty calling it off, Thorne would have thrown a second interception.

Only one quarterback gave Auburn any sort of a spark in the Music City Bowl. And albeit it coming late in the game with a slew of backups around him, that player was Hank Brown.

After the loss, head coach Hugh Freeze said Auburn’s starting quarterback position would be “wide-open” heading into 2024. That comment came hardly two weeks after he seemingly committed to Thorne as his starter going into next season.

Yet after just one short flash of excellence, could Brown factor into that competition?

While he may not be likely to win the job, being a name in the rotation for snaps in upcoming spring ball and fall camp practices is not far-fetched.

“But Hank is just, I like the way he plays,” tight end Rivaldo Fairweather said after the Music City Bowl. “He’s really calm and composed and he’s just a good kid, man. You just got to keep going and keep playing hard and hopefully, he’ll get a shot.”

Brown spent the 2023 regular season essentially fourth in line behind Thorne, Robby Ashford and Geriner. Thorne and Geriner will both be back next year. Ashford entered the transfer portal. Auburn will also be adding four-star signee Walker White to the room.

Freeze’s initial assertion when backing Thorne was a belief that if he could put the pieces in around the Michigan State transfer, then Thorne’s play would improve as a result. What Freeze realized Saturday is that the incoming wide receiver class with two five-star and two four-star recruits will not be enough by itself to fix the quarterback play.

Yet when Freeze mentioned getting the right talent around Thorne, Brown’s name came up there too.

“I believe that if we get the right pieces around him and Holden and Hank, I think our quarterback room is going to be fine next year,” Freeze said as Auburn opened practices for the Music City Bowl on Dec. 16. “I believe in Payton. I believe in Holden. I believe in Hank. I believe in (White). If I’m wrong, I’m wrong, but that’s my belief.”

In fact, Brown’s name has always hovered around the quarterback battle even going all the way back to SEC Media Days in July.

“Hank Brown, I love,” Freeze said in July of whittling down his fall camp quarterback competition. “He can make every throw. But realistically you can’t get four kids reps in camp.”

Brown has been one of Freeze’s longest-tenured quarterback selections on the current roster. Brown — a three-star high school recruit from the nationally regarded Lipscomb Academy team in Nashville, Tennessee — originally committed to Freeze while he was still the head coach at Liberty. When Freeze left Liberty for Auburn, Brown de-committed. Newly appointed Auburn offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery recruited Brown to follow Freeze to Auburn and in December 2022, Brown signed his letter of intent for the Tigers.

Brown and White are Auburn’s only two quarterback signees out of high school under Freeze.

Thorne was a quarterback picked out by Freeze, but one taken late out of the transfer portal after spring practices had already ended. From a pure development standpoint, Brown and White are far more tied than Freeze than Thorne — albeit Freeze has on multiple occasions been willing to put his full stance behind his transfer quarterback.

It still does not appear as if Auburn will change course and add another transfer quarterback. Maybe Brown’s flash of potential alleviates a concern over depth following Ashford’s departure.

Freeze brought Brown along to Auburn for a reason. Whether he’s the answer at quarterback is another question. But will he get a shot?

Yeah, seems like it.

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at [email protected]