The Auburn Tigers’ quarterback room looks much different than it did during 2024. But the interesting thing is that there still might be a few more new faces on the way! The Tigers recently landed Jackson Arnold, a former 5-star recruit from the Oklahoma Sooners. Last season wasn’t the best for the quarterback, and Freeze would hope his struggles were just a small jitter along the way and not something more.

With that being said, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze has been urged by followers to emulate the recent success of Ohio State and Ryan Day. How? Well, the Buckeyes won the national championship last night, and even though many might argue a huge factor in their incredible run was their star-studded $20 million roster. It leads us to an interesting conversation about whether other teams should follow Day’s steps and recruit players wisely.

Zac Blackerby and Kyle Rush discussed Freeze’s quarterback recruiting policy on the Auburn Tigers Podcast. “I mean, you look at who competed for the national championship, both with the folks that played last night and obviously all throughout the college football playoff-like. They didn’t hit either, and so what did they do? They adjusted. They got their new starting quarterback from the portal, and then they competed, and you know, in the case, for one, you know, won a national championship. So for me, you wanna, you want to give yourself the best chance.”

Who are they talking about? Well, let’s talk about the winners first. Ohio State’s resurgence to the top was led by Will Howard, who transferred to the Buckeyes from Kansas State in 2024. Similarly, Notre Dame, continuing the tradition of finding their quarterback in the portal, picked Riley Leonard from Duke, and it worked like a charm. So, the transfer portal was a big boost to both the programs.

In the same vein, Auburn should stick with Jackson Arnold and incoming highly-rated freshman Deuce Knight. Furthermore, it would make sense to land an under-the-radar talent, like Travis Burgess who is visiting the Tigers this week. To maintain the depth of their roster, and if things don’t work out, they can splash their money in the transfer portal. With that being said, let’s see the Auburn Tigers’ new quarterback room.

How does Auburn’s new quarterback lineup look like?

Auburn has completely rejuvenated its quarterback room from the 2024 season. All four of their QBs are no longer among the Tigers. Starting with Payton Thorne who’s out of college eligibility, then backups Hank Brown, Holden Geriner, and Walker White all have entered the transfer portal.  This called for some change to the Auburn QB room. So, Who did they get? Firstly, Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold is expected to call the shots this season for the Tigers. Jackson’s 2024 season was a rollercoaster ride!

He started the season as the favorite and was benched mid-way through the season. He then regained his position and passed for 1,421 yards and 12 touchdowns. Earlier, he was touted to be a superstar, and Auburn and Hugh Freeze will hope he regains his form and hits the strides for them this season. Ashton Daniels is the second QB added to the Tigers’ ranks. The Stanford transfer adds a layer of experience to the roster, given he’s suited up for two years at Stanford.

Last season. Daniels passed for 1,700 yards and ten touchdowns, making him a good addition to the lineup. Next up, Tanner Bailey, the former South Carolina QB, isn’t a seasoned player but brings in much-needed depth at the position. Moreover, Bailey didn’t play much last season, and neither is he expected to do much this season for the Tigers. That is unless they are bitten by the injury bug. Last but definitely not the least is the highly-rated Deuce Knight!

The Mississippi native is ranked as the 5th best QB of the 2025 signing class. He’s coming off a stellar high school season where he passed 2,067 yards for an impressive 25 touchdowns. Knight also rushed for 450 yards and 12 touchdowns while being named the MVP of the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star game. This is the current picture of the Auburn Tigers’ QB lineup for the upcoming season. Does this look like a great one? Or should they add someone? We’ll have to wait and see.