Optimism was high at Auburn heading into last season—especially at QB. Hugh Freeze rolled the dice, bringing back Payton Thorne for a 2nd year instead of dipping into the transfer portal. But that gamble didn’t quite pay off. Despite being a 5th-year senior, Thorne never found his rhythm. He struggled to command the offense and couldn’t provide the spark Auburn needed. Sure, the issues went beyond just the QB spot, but Thorne simply wasn’t the answer.
However, Auburn’s QB room hit the reset button in a big way this offseason. After three of their four quarterbacks bolted for the portal post-2024, and with Thorne prepping for the pros, Hugh Freeze wasted no time reloading the QB room. One of the first big moves? Landing former Oklahoma gunslinger Jackson Arnold. But this spring, Arnold has been sharing reps with a 5-star freshman phenom. Right now, the two have gone head-to-head in practice, giving Tiger fans a glimpse of what could be a thrilling QB battle.
The heat is on Freeze after those losing seasons, and those recruiting wins won’t cut it without victories. He’s banking on Jackson Arnold to turn Auburn around. But now, a reported $900k-worth QB just cranked up the pressure. On the April 18th episode of That SEC Football Podcast, SEC Mike hit the nail on the head when talking about Auburn. “In the SEC, they could be playoff-bound, or they could go 4–8,” he said. That unpredictability says it all. And Pat Smith of WJOX’s 3Man Front echoed the sentiment, saying, “You said it best—this team has one of the higher ceilings in the SEC.” So, high-risk, high-reward. Simply put, Auburn’s 2025 campaign could go in any direction, and that’s what makes it so fascinating.
Pat Smith shared an inside scoop from the practice field, saying he recently spoke with a coach from Alabama who got a firsthand look at Auburn’s workouts. However, the takeaway? “The wide receiver room is the best in the conference—without a doubt,” said Smith. You know, that kind of praise doesn’t come easy. If true, Auburn might be sitting on a gold mine of playmakers ready to explode this fall.
But quarterback?
It turns out the real QB hype at Auburn, and the $900k price tag, is all about future star Deuce Knight. “The biggest question mark will be: is Jackson Arnold going to be your guy that you brought in from Oklahoma, or is it going to be Deuce Knight, the freshman? Duce Knight is the future,” said Smith. Mississippi lefty quarterback Knight is already turning heads; as Smith put it, “he’s the real deal.”
But Jackson Arnold knows the SEC like the back of his hand, and he’s a proven weapon. The Gatorade National Player of the Year transferred to Auburn in December 2024 after 2 strong seasons at Oklahoma. In 17 games, Arnold racked up 1,984 passing yards and 16 TDs, adding 560 rushing yards and 4 scores. So, his dual-threat ability brings immense upside to Auburn’s QB room. But don’t count out Deuce Knight….
The high school phenom has been nothing short of spectacular, amassing 5,792 passing yards and 1,316 rushing yards in his career. So it’s Jackson versus Knight for Auburn’s quarterback crown. Now, Smith’s statement only fuels Hugh Freeze’s QB dilemma. “I’m here to tell you, Mike—he’s [Knight] special. Auburn’s got a real competition on their hands. Do you go with Jackson Arnold, the SEC veteran, or the young, talented Duce Knight, who’s got more talent than Arnold? That’s a battle worth watching.” Right now, Auburn’s main task is finding a quarterback who can get the ball to playmakers like Cam Coleman and Eric Singleton. But here’s the catch—Auburn’s head coach is facing an ultimatum, according to the national reporter.
Pressure is mounting on Hugh Freeze
Hugh Freeze has been bringing in top-tier talent to Auburn, securing back-to-back top-10 recruiting classes in 2024, 2025, and 2026, according to On3. But the results haven’t followed—Auburn is 11-14 over the last two seasons. Now, the big question: Can Freeze turn those recruiting wins into victories on the field?
There’s no doubt the pressure is mounting for Hugh Freeze. As SEC Media Days approaches, Auburn’s future is under intense scrutiny. And Smith emphasized the stakes, stating, “There will be pressure, and when we get to Atlanta for SEC football media days, that will be the team that everybody says, like you just said, Michael, they’ve got a high ceiling. But they’ve also got a floor that, if certain things don’t happen the right way, and all of a sudden that confidence that I was talking about is not available on football field.”
So far, they’ve been successful in the transfer portal, bringing in the playmakers they needed. But what if a losing season streak continues? “If you were able to keep Cam Coleman and all these other guys from going into the transfer portal, what will be the reason next year in regards to how you gonna to keep those guys for?” That’s a big question. Although Hugh Freeze’s $20.3 million buyout might appear to be a safety net, Auburn’s potential lack of level-headedness could still lead to his dismissal. “There’ll be a lot of questions with Hugh Freeze if they cannot get to eight or nine wins this year,” Smith concluded.
Auburn’s loaded up with talent; now Freeze needs the wins to match the hype. Otherwise, those Tiger dreams turn into a nightmare for his job security. And right in the middle of it all? The high-stakes Jackson vs. Knight QB showdown.
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