When Jackson Arnold found himself a spot on the Auburn Tigers, it broke him free of the shackles. After all, back at Brent Venables’ Oklahoma Sooners, he felt trapped under a defensive-minded coach. So, Arnold has to prove himself more than ever in the Tigers camp. And things do not look easy as he now faces a head-to-head competition with Ashton Daniels. What about Hugh Freeze? He keeps favoritism at bay. When asked whether he would entrust Arnold with the fight against Kentucky, the head coach presents an ultimatum.

On October 29, The Auburn Observer analyst Justin Ferguson tweeted, “Auburn HC Hugh Freeze said the staff will make a decision Friday on who still start at QB vs. Kentucky between Ashton Daniels and Jackson Arnold.” After starting all eight games this season, Arnold’s run hit a snag last week when a costly pick-six against Arkansas led to Daniels taking over late in the second quarter.

After two weeks of discussion, Freeze finally made a switch, benching Arnold less than a minute before halftime. The swap paid off. Daniels stepped in to finish the job, sealing a 33-24 victory. Cut to Arnold, who was 7-for-12 passing against the Razorbacks, totaling 73 yards and a touchdown pass to go with his interception. So, Freeze is now fighting a dilemma.

After the practice, the confusion just got bigger. “Both looked really good. They really did. They both, I thought they prepared really well, split reps, and a lot of good stuff from both of them. That’s kind of been what practice is like, though, and so it’s obviously, we believe in both of them, but you’ve got to give us the spark we need to win, and we’ve got to figure out exactly what that is,” said Freeze.

He added, “Jackson’s been incredible on those drive ones, so we’ll get together probably tomorrow and make a decision.” Here arises the issue with Arnold, which is limiting Freeze and Co. from handing him the baton for the Kentucky game. Arnold’s struggles to sustain drives past the first quarter have kept Auburn’s scoring grounded, no more than 17 points in any SEC outing, and only 10 on the board when he got the hook.

Daniels wasn’t dazzling, but he was dependable. With the offense producing only field goals, he let the defense, fueled by three second-half interceptions, carry Auburn to its first conference win. Auburn is predicted to win against Kentucky, regardless of whether Arnold or Daniels plays quarterback. It’s just them turning this matchup into a tune-up for the brutal stretch that lies ahead, as an inevitable reality awaits Freeze.

Josh Pate rang an alarm for Hugh Freeze’s long run with Auburn

The Auburn head coach may become busy during the process of scrutiny to find the best fit between Arnold and Daniels. But deep down, he, too, is worried about losing his seat. The 2025 season of college football has now hit a trend of ‘fire and revamp.’ Almost 12 head coaching positions are currently vacant. Having not exactly entered 2025 with a sail full of wind after previous seasons of 6-7 and 5-7 results, Freeze already faces tough waves. 

Four consecutive losses, even though against ranked opponents, are a tough pill to swallow for Auburn. More so when Brian Kelly got booted from LSU with a much better win rate than Freeze has ever seen. Many fans must be seeing their latest win against Arkansas as the lifejacket to keep Freeze afloat. That’s when Josh Pate came up with a wake-up call. 

On his podcast, the analyst said, “I don’t think anything’s changed with Hugh Freeze there. If anyone was watching this thinking, well, if he loses, he’s fired, but if he wins, job saved. From what I hear, I don’t think anything changed.” Freeze now stands on a 15-18 slippery ground across three seasons. That made Pate drop the blunt take, “My guess is there will still be a change at Auburn.”

Auburn’s first SEC win of the season gave Hugh Freeze a breather for now. But according to Pete Nakos, the sigh of relief might be short-lived. Freeze’s record sits at 6–15 in the conference, and with a $15 million buyout hanging over his head, sources say the heat is still cranked up in Auburn.

The faster Freeze locks in his quarterback, the better chance he’ll have at building a cohesive offense and salvaging the remainder of the season.