Jackson Arnold is manhandling Auburn’s offense in 2025 like a guy who knows what it means to get knocked down and still get back up swinging. After last season at Oklahoma, where they benched him, second-guessed him, and hit him with the kind of “turnover machine” label no quarterback wants, most guys would shrink under that kind of a microscope. He openly credits the offseason at Auburn for helping his mindset, calling it “great for me mentally.” He visibly resets his energy, pushing aside the old ghosts from Norman with an opportunity too good to squander.

And with only 43 days until Auburn opens the season with Baylor, Arnold needs to come out of his old Norman routine of being under-confident. And, rather than bringing the baggage of Norman along, he has come out in Auburn with something to prove. He worked tirelessly to become a speedy-trusted leader, even listing it as one of his goals to get voted onto Auburn’s leadership council. That fresh start has momentum, but it also places real pressure on producing in a hurry, and that’s where national analyst Cole Cubelic scooches in and identifies a glaring flaw in the Arnold system.

“The one thing Jackson Arnold could not do last year was let go of the football,” Cubelic said in the Josh Pate show on the July 17th episode. Arnold would linger in the pocket, looking for the ideal pass or waiting for something to develop, and this lingering resulted in Arnold losing a whopping 34 sacks last year, being the sixth-most sacked among FBS quarterbacks. In spurts, the tentative nature appeared: during the hideous loss to Tennessee(25-15) at home, he completed only 7-of-16 passes for an interception, and the coaches eventually pulled him for a freshman.

Cubelic adds, “Not many guys do we sit here and say he couldn’t throw the ball. And that was a real issue with Jackson Arnold. If he gets through some of these hurdles, he can be great. That offense can be great.” At OU, Arnold finished dead last in the SEC in passing yards per attempt, rating, and production, and outside the top 100 nationally in nearly every category you can think of. A vicious stretch of turnovers, blown reads, and nerves caused the Sooners’ offense to disintegrate, leading to his replacement. Even his head coach, Brent Venables, cited inconsistency and a lack of rhythm with Arnold at quarterback.

But Arnold has spoken candidly of those errors since getting to Auburn. Utilizing that lost season not as something to hide from, but as fuel to propel his next performance. He has acknowledged he required a “fresh start” and is taking tough lessons from not one, but three offensive coordinators and a revolving door of injuries, particularly at receiver and offensive line, that undermined his confidence in Norman. At Auburn, the pressure’s heavy, but now Arnold is meeting it with eyes wide open.

Arnold expressed that he’s “extremely excited” to play against his former team and that he feels “no animosity,” just a hunger to show how far he’s come. And while nobody’s expecting perfection overnight, the energy at Auburn is unmistakable. Insiders like Jeff Lebby (Oklahoma’s former OC) raved about Arnold’s raw skills. “He’s the most talented quarterback I’ve ever worked with.” So if Arnold can finally let loose, trust his eyes, and play fast, there’s a real shot at a breakthrough season. And not just for him, but for Auburn’s whole offense.

How defensive coaching changed Jackson Arnold’s offensive mindset

Jackson Arnold’s experience under Brent Venables at Oklahoma was a crash course in the distinction between a defense-first head coach and the all-gas, no-brakes method you find at the Auburns of the world. Venables pounded his quarterbacks with one thing more than anything else: don’t turn over the ball. The Norman message was easy but unrelenting: guard the ball, be safe, and if faced with an option where there was a choice between risking a fumble or a sack, take the safe route. Arnold described on the McElroy & Cubelic show.

“He [Venables] was big on protecting the ball. Coach V was big on the turnover margin and things like that. Um, coaches think differently. It’s just part of the game.” For Arnold, who excelled in high school by making big plays on the move, the new way of thinking left him second-guessing, and often gun-shy about unloosening the ball downfield. Sooners’ offense with Arnold slowed. He got benched at one point, and the team’s general attitude was tense and conservative. Constantly moving between starting, redshirting, and again starting in one year didn’t improve things.

And rather than developing into his potential, a defensive-minded coach’s inherent conservatism frequently held Arnold back. Compare that to Hugh Freeze’s offense at Auburn, where coaches instruct quarterbacks to attack, be creative, and keep the defense guessing with shot plays and tempo. Arnold’s move to Auburn is an opportunity to once again play freely, let go, improvise, and play on instinct.