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.

Freeze said that he plans to spend more time with the quarterbacks at Auburn on the field in the practices. It’s an added step he is taking to not let those past season woes come back. Moreover, the head coach has even bolstered his QB room with several QB additions. These include the recent transfer Ashton Daniels from Stanford, who comes after passing for 1,700 yards and rushing for 669 yards. But the most exciting player after Jackson Arnold is probably the true freshman Deuce Knight, and the head coach is confident in the guy.

Expectations are high for Deuce Knight this season, and the head coach even acknowledged Knight’s performances in the spring games. “I think it’s vital that Jackson and all of the quarterbacks are hearing my thoughts,” said Hugh Freeze. The head coach, however, stressed the importance of Arnold for the 2025 season. “I like what I’ve seen from Jackson, and we need him to have success early on. I think he could really catapult from that.”

Deuce Knight, being the 5-star QB in the 2025 class, is a dual-threat southpaw with a top-notch passing arm. His 2,067 yards passing and 450 yards rushing performance for George County High School is a testament to that. He was also named in the Mississippi Squad for the annual All-Star game in 2024, and his talent surpasses the sport, with the QB also being a track and field athlete. As for Arnold, we still saw some positives like his performance against South Carolina and leading the offense against Oklahoma’s upset of Alabama. So, the talent is there; Arnold now just needs to level up a notch.

Hugh Freeze set to fail miserably in the 2025 season?

Hugh Freeze has multiple times reiterated that he needs at least three full recruiting classes for Auburn to perform where they want. So, the 2025 season will be the time when he will be coming in with his third recruiting class, and it’s quite good, too. The class is ranked 8th nationally, with players stacked up like Deuce Knight and Malik Autry. Freeze has also brought in 20 transfers, so there won’t be any excuses for him at last in the 2025 season. So, can he finally win 10 games at least in 2025?

SEC Mike didn’t look quite optimistic about Freeze’s 2025 season. The host harshly remarked that the only thing that Freeze is building is a roster for the “next coach” and then went on to predict less than 8 wins for him. “Yeah, two things that don’t go well together, Landrum, that’s expectations and Hugh Freeze…He’s built his reputation on beating Nick Saban 10 years ago. What have you done for me lately? I would be surprised if Auburn wins eight games this year.”

The back-to-back top 10 recruiting classes might not be too optimistic for the head coach, since he even acknowledged the pressure. “I’m not a fool. I think we have to go to a bowl game.” Moreover, Auburn’s 2025 schedule isn’t exactly a cakewalk with fixtures against teams like Georgia, Alabama, Texas A&M (on the road), and Oklahoma (on the road) stacked up. It will be a truly herculean task for Hugh Freeze to finally take that 10-win step.