Ashford never got any consistent playing time this year. After the Ole Miss game, they changed up the offense to suit Thorne, and he got seemingly more comfortable each game. Ashford was:
Passing: 14/27 51% 145 yards 2TD and 2 INT
Rushing: 46 for 217 yards and 5 TD (3 against UMass) 4.7 average
He was a 49% passer last season with 7 TD and 7 INT.
With his quickness, I believe he could have become a very effective read option QB, but I think they would have to have run it with the frequency that Malzahn did with Marshall and Mason. It's part of U's offense, but not the focus. I'm assuming from my armchair QB La-Z-Boy, that Freeze had enough sample size from last year and this, to know that Ashford is what he is. A 50% passer with a 1/1 TD to INT ratio. He knew Thorne was just better.
The calls to move him to receiver....meh. Just because he's athletic doesn't mean he could automatically make the transition to SEC wide receiver. Well Kodi did it. Yeah, he had a whopping 11 catches in 14 games.
I hope the guy finds the right fit for his skrillz.