Why Trent Dilfer said Auburn football QB Hank Brown has 'all the skills' to reach the NFL

AUBURN — Most of the attention at quarterback for Auburn football fans is on Robby Ashford, Holden Geriner and Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne.

And rightfully so; one of those three is likely to start for the Tigers in 2023. But there's a fourth scholarship QB on the roster: Hank Brown, a true freshman out of Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, Tennessee. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Brown was coached in high school by former Super Bowl champion Trent Dilfer, before the 51-year-old accepted the UAB job in November.

"They got a great recruit," Dilfer said of Brown at the Regions Tradition pro-am golf tournament in Birmingham on Wednesday. "He’s a very talented player but he’s a better human. He’s one of the finest humans I’ve ever been around; his family is incredible. Work ethic is second to none. He’ll know that offense as well as any person in that building after a couple months there.

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"He’ll do the lonely work, the stuff that doesn’t get celebrated, so that he’s prepared. He does need to get bigger and stronger, and he knows that. But Auburn has great resources to do that. He’ll get bigger, stronger and faster. He’ll become more of a man here shortly."

Dilfer doesn't think Brown's success has to end in college, either.

"He has all the skills it takes to become an NFL quarterback," Dilfer said. "I told him right before his senior year that if he continued to progress on the track we’re progressing him on, he’ll get drafted."

Brown guided the Mustangs to a 13-0 record and the 2022 Tennessee Division II-AA state championship as a senior. He completed 73.3% of his passes for 3,264 yards and 47 touchdowns, with the latter being the fifth most in Tennessee state history.

His performance earned him a three-star ranking in the 247Sports Composite, and he committed to coach Hugh Freeze at Liberty in June. Once Freeze joined the Tigers, Brown went back on his commitment and eventually signed with Auburn in December.

But not before Dilfer tried to persuade his former quarterback to reunite with him at UAB. Brown received an offer to play for the Blazers on Dec. 3.

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"His instincts are second to none," Dilfer said. "This is not about me, but that football team last year in Tennessee is the finest football team to ever play Tennessee high-school football. And Hank is a huge reason for that. His ability to solve problems, his ability to distribute the football, handle critical situations, handle a week of pressure and high expectations was just phenomenal."

Brown, who was rated as the No. 70 quarterback in the nation for the Class of 2022, told the Montgomery Advertiser in December that Auburn's offensive coaches − special assistant to the head coach Kent Austin and offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery − were a big draw to the Tigers.

Freeze said Wednesday he thinks he has "got some of the best quarterback coaches in the country" at Auburn.

"I do believe I'd fit very well in his offense," Brown said of Montgomery's system in December. "I think he does a great job of accommodating his offense into what type of quarterback he has; he's worked with many different styles of QBs. From RG3 to Case Keenum. So, I think he does a great job adjusting based on his quarterback's talents."

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 QB Hank Brown still has backing of Trent Dilfer