Not everyone had a lucky 2024 like Ryan Day. That man was able to drag Ohio State up from rock bottom. Meanwhile, some head coaches, like Auburn’s Hugh Freeze, saw their playoff hopes dashed by a dismal 5-7 record. Last season, the Tigers were the third-worst team in the SEC. Sadly, Auburn too does not have an option other than sticking with Freeze, who had signed a six-year deal back in 2022.
As the Tigers fans might pin their hopes on their quarterback Jackson Arnold to flip the script, there awaits big trouble. Maybe it’s not the right time for Freeze to experiment. But he has already invited more dilemmas.
Hugh Freeze’s gamble leaves Jackson Arnold in the hot seat
No doubt in the fact that the Tigers had a mediocre 2024 football season. But even then Freeze took the risk to land someone who was benched by the Oklahoma Sooners HC Brent Venables. Yes, Arnold got benched in the middle of the season in favor of Michael Hawkins Jr. In the 2024 season, he racked up just 1,421 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and just three interceptions. However, Freeze still counted on Arnold in the hope that the QB would be bringing in some SEC experience to the Tigers. But looks like the QB’s future in Auburn hangs on a thread. Why so?
That’s because the Auburn HC wants to experiment with the George County five-star quarterback Deuce Knight. Formerly a Notre Dame commit, Knight was part of the Irish class from September 2023 to Oct. 2 of this fall. In the 2024 season, the QB completed over 60 percent of his passes for 2,082 yards and 24 touchdowns. So maybe Freeze decided to roll the dice. On the Locked On Auburn podcast, analyst Lindsay Crosby shed light on how things are heating up in Freeze’s QB room: “Just all of the football stuff that they’re trying to do like everything that we heard is the QB specific stuff.”
He continued, “They’re working on the different drills all the different things… a little bit off base if I say there legitimately could be a like a legit quarterback competition in Spring and in fall like obviously Jackson Arnold’s the favorite but there is a world where Deuce Knight just looks fantastic and gets into the conversation.” Why Freeze might bet on Knight and not Arnold?
As SEC football podcast host Mike stated, “So Jackson Arnold, you don’t have to do a whole lot of deep dives into stats to realize that things su—- last year in Norman. Dead last in the average depth of target and dead last in the percentage of throws beyond 10 yards downfield, and as a result dead last in explosive pass rate and adjusted net passing yards per attempt.” On the other hand, Freeze is already dreaming big about Knight.
Too many cooks in Hugh Freeze’s QB room?
Going into the 2025 season, the Tigers have four new quarterbacks: Arnold, Knight, Ashton Daniels, and Tanner Bailey. Now that calls for too much chaos, isn’t it? Earlier in a podcast, analyst Zac Blackerby pointed out how Freeze lands himself in hot waters. “I want as many five-star quarterbacks on the roster as possible. But it’s just that can you keep three five-stars on the roster at the quarterback position?” Blackerby said. Looks like the HC is not quite bothered about his QB room getting overcrowded.
Rather, he is on cloud nine to have landed the 5-star QB Knight. After all, he shares a similarity with a former Auburn QB. Back in December, the Tigers signed Knight, who has been the highest-rated quarterback Auburn has signed since Jason Campbell, another Mississippi native, joined the Tigers in 2000. This came as a breath of fresh air for Freeze and Co. Why not? After all, they watched Payton Thorne struggle for two years.
Meanwhile, with this recruitment, they unlocked a bonus too….
Standing tall at 6 feet 5 inches, the QB’s profile compares to Campbell. Meanwhile, his running ability is drawing comparisons with Cam Newton. However, Hugh Freeze sees him as the next Malik Willis, who later transferred to Liberty. “I think he (Knight) has the demeanor about himself, like Malik did, that people gravitate to and want to follow. He makes people around him better. Malik had this humility about him also, even though he carried this great confidence.” So what about Jackson Arnold’s grip on the wheel? It’s loosening fast.
The post Auburn Insider Confirms Hugh Freeze’s Self-Inflicted Dilemma as Jackson Arnold’s Future Faces Unexpected Crisis appeared first on EssentiallySports.
