Performing in the SEC, probably the most competitive conference in college football, isn’t easy, and Auburn lately has found it hard despite some of the best recruiting moves under Hugh Freeze. For starters, just last season, the head coach pulled off an 8th-ranked class nationally, but these numbers didn’t show in their results. The team finished 5-7 last year with losses against some unexpected opponents. The problems were many, including their QB, Payton Thorne, who didn’t look to provide enough. But this year, with Jackson Arnold coming in from Oklahoma, the problems seem to be going away, right?
Last year, Jackson Arnold played in 10 games for Oklahoma as a red-shirt freshman but navigated himself in a struggling offense and inconsistent plays. Although the QB finished with 1,421 passing yards and 444 rushing yards, his performances were more or less erratic. He only had one 200+ yard game amongst the 9 he started and struggled against opponents like Missouri, where he finished with 74 yards. Oklahoma lost that game 30-23, and the problems of Arnold were quite visible.
So, Hugh Freeze, in a recent interview with ESPN, was asked the same about Arnold’s struggles at Oklahoma last season. The head coach acknowledged that there were some problems at Oklahoma but didn’t doubt the QB’s abilities. “I know it didn’t go the way he wanted at Oklahoma, but you watch him spin it and the way he can extend plays, and he’s exactly what we were looking for,” said Hugh Freeze.
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