Having just learned that he’d be starting his first college football game, Auburn redshirt freshman Hank Brown had a phone call to make.
“The first person I called was my dad,” Brown told reporters on Saturday night after his debut as Auburn’s starting quarterback.
Brown says both his dad Eric and his mom Lesley have walked alongside him in his journey to becoming a starting quarterback in the SEC. But he and his dad are “very similar,” Brown says.
“Just knowing that he was so happy with me and proud of me was just a great feeling,” Brown said. “Getting to tell him was a special moment.”
And if simply getting to tell his family he was going to start Saturday’s game against New Mexico was special for Brown, it’s hard to imagine what it was like for the redshirt freshman to take Auburn’s Pat Dye Field as the Tigers’ starting quarterback with his family in the stands.
Rated a three-star quarterback in the class of 2023 and Auburn being the only SEC program to offer him, Brown being a starting quarterback in the SEC seemed like a stretch coming out of high school.
However, the championship-winning high school quarterback out of Nashville always felt like he had the skillset.
“I definitely had the confidence that I would be able to start here,” Brown said.
All he needed was a chance to prove it.
And on a rainy night in Auburn, that chance finally came.
When Brown was announced as the Tigers’ starting quarterback on the stadium videoboards, the sellout crowd at Jordan-Hare Stadium roared. The ovation was likely a mixed bag of excitement for Brown to have his opportunity and relief that Hugh Freeze had decided to make a change after Auburn’s initial starting quarterback, Payton Thorne, threw four interception’s in a loss to Cal the week prior.
Brown, a close friend of Thorne’s, admits the way in which he earned the starting job was bittersweet.
“Me and Payton are super close and obviously we’re competing, but we’re also human,” Brown said, adding that the two continued to support each other in their new, respective roles.
But like Brown said, at the root of it all, he’s a competitor who wasn’t going to let Saturday’s opportunity go to waste.
In his first drive as Auburn’s starting quarterback, Brown went 4-for-6 through the air, including a 10-yard touchdown pass.
However, it was a 50-yard bomb to KeAndre Lambert-Smith during the next drive that really helped Brown stake his claim.
“It’s a great feeling, no doubt. You know, hearing the crowd roar, it’s a surreal feeling. Just definitely exciting getting that first long one in,” Brown said of his connection with Lambert-Smith in the first quarter.
In the latter part of the first half, heavy rain seemed to hinder Auburn’s passing attack.
“The rain bothered him a little bit. It bothered all of us, I think,” Freeze said. “Right before half, he had a couple of incompletions that were iffy.”
Heading into the locker room at halftime, Brown had passed for 115 yards and a touchdown on 8-for-15 passing as he and the Tigers held a less-than-impressive 17-13 lead over the Lobos.
Come the second half, however, Brown and the Tigers came out firing with a much more effective and balanced offensive attack.
While Auburn’s running backs rushed for an average of 8.6 yards per carry in the second half, Brown opened the half 9-for-9 through the air with three touchdowns.
As the Tigers finally found separation from the Lobos on the scoreboard, Brown saw his night end a bit prematurely as junior quarterback Holden Geriner checked in for the final drive of the night.
In his debut as Auburn’s starting quarterback, Brown went 17-for-25 for 235 yards and four touchdowns in what Freeze called a “solid, solid first game.”
However, solid or not, Brown walked away knowing he’s got plenty to improve on.
“I think a lot of people are saying it was a great performance. I think it was a good debut, but there’s a lot of things I need to clean up,” Brown said. “Me and coach obviously talked throughout the game. There’s definitely a lot of things I need to clean up and not allow those mistakes to happen next week.”
Auburn is back at home next week and is set to open SEC play against Arkansas.
“Tt’s definitely surreal,” Brown said of being Auburn’s starting quarterback heading into SEC play. “It’s encouraging, but I think I’ve got a lot to build on from this week and from this game. I’m excited.
“Like I said earlier, I love when the competition level is raised and I think that’s where I’m at my best – when we’re playing the best of the best. I’m excited for SEC play. I’m excited to dominate Arkansas.”
