For the third time in the 2024 offseason, the Auburn Tigers football team has bolstered their quarterback room, this time by adding Tanner Bailey via the transfer portal. This move marks another step in the Tigers’ ongoing efforts to strengthen their roster and build for the future. Bailey, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound redshirt freshman from Gordo, Alabama, had a relatively low-profile stint at South Carolina, where he played for two seasons before sitting out the 2024 season. However, his decision to come out of retirement and transfer to Auburn signals his desire to return to the field and potentially earn a starting role with the Tigers.
Bailey’s path to Auburn has been anything but conventional. Although he was a highly-regarded recruit coming out of high school, his college career has not yet yielded significant playing time. In his freshman year at South Carolina in 2022, he was listed as the third-string quarterback and did not appear in any games. In 2023, he made a single appearance during a 47-21 victory over Furman, where he was sacked and recorded no other notable stats. His only moment of action came when he was strip-sacked for a seven-yard loss, a play that is far from what most quarterbacks would hope to be remembered for.
Despite the lack of playing time at South Carolina, Bailey’s potential has not been forgotten. Coming out of high school, he was a four-star recruit, ranked as the No. 220 player nationally and the No. 15 quarterback in the class of 2022, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. His high school career demonstrated his skill and talent, which led to scholarship offers from several prestigious programs, including Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Indiana, LSU, Michigan, and Oregon. It was South Carolina that ultimately won the battle for his commitment, although programs like Indiana and Oregon put up strong competition for Bailey’s services.
Bailey’s decision to transfer to Auburn marks a fresh start for the young quarterback, and he will now join a highly competitive quarterback battle for the starting job. Since the portal opened, Auburn has added two other quarterbacks, former Oklahoma signal-caller Jackson Arnold and former Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels. Together, these three quarterbacks will compete for the coveted starting spot, making the race for the top job wide open. The competition will also include incoming freshman Deuce Knight, who is a highly-touted prospect in his own right.
Knight, ranked as the No. 33 player nationally and the No. 5 quarterback in the class of 2025 by 247Sports’ composite rankings, is a four-star recruit who could provide strong competition for the transfer quarterbacks. With such an impressive incoming talent in Knight, the quarterback battle at Auburn will be one of the most intriguing storylines heading into the 2024 season. It will be interesting to see how Bailey, Arnold, Daniels, and Knight all stack up against each other and how the coaching staff, led by head coach Hugh Freeze, manages the competition.
Bailey’s addition to the Tigers’ quarterback room provides depth and potential, but it also raises questions about the future of Auburn’s quarterback position. Will Bailey, who has yet to make a major impact in his college career, be able to rise to the occasion and prove he has what it takes to lead Auburn’s offense? Or will one of the other transfer quarterbacks or the highly-rated freshman, Knight, emerge as the leader of the group?
While it’s too early to predict who will ultimately win the starting role, Bailey’s experience, even if limited, could prove beneficial as he battles for playing time. His time at South Carolina, albeit as a backup, exposed him to a high level of competition and the pressures of playing in the SEC. Even though he didn’t see much action, he still gained valuable knowledge and experience from practicing with the Gamecocks and learning from the coaching staff.
Auburn has had its fair share of quarterback struggles in recent years, making it even more crucial for the Tigers to find a leader at the position who can guide the team to success. After multiple seasons of instability at quarterback, it’s clear that the Tigers are looking for a fresh start at the position, which is why they’ve turned to the transfer portal for reinforcements. With multiple quarterbacks vying for the job, the 2024 offseason will be critical in determining who emerges as Auburn’s long-term answer at quarterback.
For Tanner Bailey, this transfer to Auburn represents a significant opportunity to reset his college career. With a fresh start and the chance to compete for the starting quarterback job, he will look to prove that he is worthy of a leading role. Bailey has shown that he has the talent to succeed at the highest level, but the next step will be for him to prove that he can adapt and thrive in the fast-paced, competitive environment at Auburn.
One thing is for certain: the quarterback battle at Auburn will be one of the most closely-watched storylines in college football this offseason. With a mix of experienced transfers and promising young talent, the Tigers are building a strong quarterback room that could set the stage for success in the upcoming seasons. Whether Tanner Bailey will emerge as the starter remains to be seen, but his addition to the program has certainly added an interesting layer to an already competitive situation. As the offseason progresses and spring practices begin, the race for the starting job will be one of the most exciting developments to follow in Auburn football.
