HUNTSVILLE — Speaking at an AMBUSH event Thursday, Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze felt the need to get something off his chest regarding his team's quarterback situation.

"I need to get this out there: I like our quarterbacks, all right? I guess I'm too honest and transparent sometimes, but I tell you the good and the bad," Freeze said. "Obviously, we need to improve that position. We do. Does improving it mean we improve the ones we have? Or does it mean getting one in the portal? I think it can mean both.

"I kind of get excited about Holden (Geriner) and Robby (Ashford) and TJ (Finley) and Hank Brown, who is coming in. Does that mean that we won't continue to look? Truthfully, I haven't seen one (a transfer QB) yet that I thought was just, 'Bam, that's the no brainer and he's ahead of the ones we have.' ... There could be one that goes in tomorrow or the next day that I'm like, 'All right, this one makes sense.' That's about as clear as I could put it, I think."

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Freeze, who hasn't been shy in critiquing his quarterbacks throughout spring practice, said after A-Day on April 8 that the Tigers would be open to adding a QB from the portal, but didn't fully commit to the idea: "Do I think we can win some games with what we have? Yes. I do," he said. "But, you know, I don't want to ever be put in a box where I say something and I do the opposite. ... I don't know if we are (adding a transfer QB)."

In terms of what traits he's looking for in his future starter, Freeze highlighted a QB's ability to bring the locker room together, consistency in moving the offense and being efficient "at whatever the skillset is that we're asking them to do."

"Truthfully, I could see us playing a few of them early in the season," Freeze added. "I don't think you ever have the greatest judge in practice. There's a lot of things you can, but I didn't know Malik Willis was going to be what he was until we started playing games.

"And I said, 'OK, we've got something.' Bo Wallace was the worst practice quarterback that I ever had at Ole Miss, and the guy turned (out to be) maybe the most important recruit I had in the first year. He takes us to a bowl game in Year 1 and beats Alabama. So, I'm not sure that in our current state, if it remains the way it is, that we don't have some game reps for several of them to kind of see."

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football: Hugh Freeze on QB battle, potential for transfer