After two seasons on The Plains, Auburn sophomore quarterback Robby Ashford intends to hit the transfer portal, per reports. The news makes Ashford the 11th Auburn player to hit the portal this season.

Ashford’s decision comes on the heels of the 2023 regular season in which Ashford appeared in 10 of Auburn’s 12 regular season games, went 14-for-27 through the air for 145 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, while adding 217 yards and five touchdowns with his legs.

The decision also comes on the heels of Ashford being caught in the middle of a funky, two-quarterback rotation that featured himself and junior Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne cycling in and out through much of the season.

That rotation finally slowed on Oct. 28 as Hugh Freeze put his foot down and decided to go with a more one-dimensional approach. Unfortunately for Ashford, that decision came at the expense of his playing time.

So Ashford will now look for greener pastures as he enters the transfer portal for the second time of his college career. Ashford transferred into Auburn after spending the 2020 and 2021 seasons playing football and baseball at Oregon.

What does Ashford’s departure mean for the Auburn quarterback room?

Who’s left?

With Ashford transferring, the Auburn quarterback room will return the following scholarship quarterbacks:

• Payton Thorne, rising fifth-year — In 2023, Thorne recorded 1,671 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions on 149-for-239 efficiency; added 520 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 125 carries
• Holden Geriner, rising sophomore — In 2023, Geriner recorded 67 passing yards on 4-for-9 efficiency
• Hank Brown, rising redshirt freshman — Did not play in 2023

Auburn is also set to welcome 4-star quarterback Walker White in 2024. White will officially sign to Auburn during the early signing period on Dec. 20 and will enroll at Auburn in January.

Will the Tigers add another quarterback?

This might be the million-dollar question — perhaps even literally.

The college football transfer portal has been buzzing since it officially opened on Dec. 4. And it will likely continue to do so until it closes shop on Jan. 2.

By Dec. 5, one day after the portal’s opening, quarterbacks like Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel, Duke’s Riley Leonard, Coastal Carolina’s Grayson McCall, Ohio State’s Kyle McCord, Mississippi State’s Will Rogers and Washington State’s Cam Ward had all entered the transfer portal.

Ten days later, and quarterbacks are still hitting the portal left and right.

The question of whether Auburn will look to the portal to snatch up another quarterback is yet to be answered.

While there have been confirmed offers from Auburn to transfer wide receivers, transfer offensive linemen and transfer defenders, such hasn’t been seen for a transfer quarterback. However, that’s not to say the Tigers aren’t working behind the scenes to talk to available signal callers.

All that said, however, in the new age of college football and name, image and likeness, transfer portal quarterbacks don’t come cheap.

Referring to NIL money, Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule said in late November that “a good QB in the portal costs $1 million, $1.5, $2 million.”

And considering NIL money not only goes toward transfers, but also high school prospects, whatever NIL money Auburn has coming in, there’s likely a lot of strategy involved in divvying it up — especially with all the talent Freeze and the Tigers have coming through their 2024 recruiting class.