5 questions Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze will have to address at SEC Media Days

AUBURN — Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze probably missed a lot about the SEC in the five years he was out of the conference.

The competition. The camaraderie between coaches. The high stakes. The list goes on.

But one thing he probably didn't miss was being peppered with questions at SEC Media Days, and that's exactly what he'll soon have to deal with, as the Tigers are set to take the stage at the Grand Hyatt in downtown Nashville on Tuesday. Freeze will be joined at the microphone by a group of seniors in offensive lineman Kam Stutts, tight end Luke Deal and jack linebacker Elijah McAllister.

Here are a few of the biggest questions surrounding the program that Freeze will have to address.

LATER THIS MONTH: Where Auburn football recruiting sits with Big Cat Weekend approaching

RECRUITING: 'As good as I've seen': What recent 4-star commit Malik Blocton brings to Auburn football

How are the QBs looking?

After spring practice wrapped up with a tie at A-Day, Freeze left the door ajar for the possibility of acquiring a quarterback from the transfer portal: "We are open to any position that'll help us improve our team, as long as they fit within the culture," he said April 8. "That includes the quarterback room."

Freeze landed on his portal QB about a month later, as Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne announced his commitment to Auburn on May 5. Thorne, who compiled nearly 6,500 passing yards through 29 appearances with the Spartans, stepped into a QB room on the Plains that featured incumbent starter Robby Ashford, redshirt freshman Holden Geriner and true freshman Hank Brown.

The competition, headlined by Ashford and Thorne, is on. How does Freeze assess where his QBs are at?

Do you have any players suspended?

AU executive director of public affairs Jenifer Adams released a statement May 18 saying that the university had issued "indefinite suspensions ... for violation of applicable Auburn Athletics department policy" in relation to a situation that the university was aware of. In a subsequent email exchange with the Montgomery Advertiser, Adams said the situation was related to "videos that were posted on social media."

Earlier that month, a since-suspended Twitter account posted explicit videos and claimed running back Jarquez Hunter was in them. However, it's unclear whether or not Hunter or any players on the football team are among those suspended, as the university has yet to specifically name anyone that may be involved.

"We don't comment on individuals and their status with any disciplinary issues within our school," Freeze said at the SEC meetings in Miramar Beach on May 30 when asked about possible suspensions. "I really don't have a comment on that."

Are all of this offseason's additions set to join the team?

The Montgomery Advertiser reported in May that two of Auburn's offseason additions − junior college pickup Quientrail Jamison-Travis and three-star receiver Daquayvious Sorey − were not yet qualified to join the team.

At an AMBUSH event in Georgia before the report came out, Freeze said there were two players who were "not finished up (with) everything that would make (them) a qualifier yet."

"I feel good about one of them," Freeze added. "The other, truthfully, I have a hard time knowing what to feel, really."

Were you contacted by Tennessee in 2021?

Freeze was one of 16 names on former Tennessee athletic director Phillip Fulmer's shortlist of candidates to replace Jeremy Pruitt at UT in 2021, according to an internal email obtained by Adam Sparks of the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Fulmer ultimately retired Jan. 18, 2021, though, three days before the Vols hired coach Josh Heupel. It's not completely clear whether Freeze, who had just finished his second season at Liberty at the time, had any communication with Tennessee about potentially getting back into the SEC.

Who's impressed you the most?

With a new coach essentially came a new team for Auburn, as the Tigers turned over about half of their roster this offseason. Between working the transfer portal and landing commitments through traditional recruiting, Freeze added more than three dozen newcomers this offseason ranging from the offensive line to the linebacker corps, and nearly everywhere in between.

We've heard some of Freeze's thoughts on the latest additions during spring practice, but what's his take on them now with fall practice set to soon begin? Who's shining brightest?

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: 5 questions for Hugh Freeze at SEC Media Days