It’s no secret. Auburn will be home of, what sounds like, an intense quarterback battle this fall.

We knew that would be the case when first-year head coach Hugh Freeze dipped into the transfer portal and plucked junior quarterback Payton Thorne from Michigan State.

When Thorne’s transfer was announced in December, Auburn’s returning quarterback, Robby Ashford, took to Twitter.

“Let’s work. Iron sharpens iron!!,” Ashford tweeted.

When Freeze arrived at SEC Media Days in Nashville on Tuesday, it didn’t come as a surprise when the first question he fielded was in regards to the quarterback situation on The Plains.

Local media wanted to know what Freeze had seen out of Thorne. To which Freeze said he hadn’t seen Thorne throw yet, but that he was impressed by the transfer’s leadership.

But what about Ashford — the in-state kid who first went to Oregon before transferring to Auburn and being named the starting quarterback by the opening of SEC play last fall.

In 2022, Ashford passed for more than 1,600 yards, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions. He added 710 yards on the ground with seven more scores.

And it’s Ashford’s multi-dimensional skillset that’s bound to have him seeing the field again this season, regardless of who wins the starting gig.

“We’ve challenged Robby since I’ve been here to elevate what comes with being the quarterback at Auburn. And I think he’s responding, mostly positive with that,” Freeze said.

The Tigers currently have seven quarterbacks listed on their roster, including true freshman Hank Brown, who received high praise from Freeze Tuesday.

However, Freeze hopes to narrow the battle down to two quarterbacks within the first 10 days of fall camp.

“On great teams, you’re never going to be the only guy that should be competing,” Freeze said. “Hopefully, (Ashford) handles it well because I do think Robby Ashford helps us win football games.”