The native from Texas with Gatorade National Player of the Year honors—maybe that was enough to catch the eye of Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze. Former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold is now Freeze’s new hope, but let’s be real: the QB situation at Auburn hasn’t exactly been sunshine and roses lately. Freeze has had some tough luck with quarterbacks, and stepping into Peyton Thorne’s shoes won’t be easy for Arnold. Truth be told, Arnold’s time under Brent Venables at Oklahoma was a bit… underwhelming. Now, Freeze is walking a tightrope, trying to convince a restless Auburn fanbase—fresh off a 5-7 season—that Arnold is the guy to lead the turnaround. Expectations are sky-high, and Freeze is betting on Arnold to be the answer.

He believes that Arnold, a former 5-star recruit, can return to form and light up Pat Dye Field—even after a couple of “meh” seasons with the Sooners. Their time together starts fresh, with Arnold looking for a second chance and Freeze needing one just as badly. Enter college football analyst Josh Pate, who’s setting the bar in a more grounded way. He’s not buying into the hype machine. Actually, he’s got just one concern for Arnold. Okay, maybe two.

Arnold comes with an impressive high school résumé. He played at John H. Guyer High School in Denton, Texas—prime football territory. In his senior year in 2022, he balled out: 3,476 passing yards, 33 touchdowns, only two interceptions, plus 921 rushing yards and 24 more scores. No wonder he was named MaxPreps Texas Player of the Year. The kid was elite. But Pate isn’t here to pile on the pressure.

On the March 23 episode of the On3 podcast, Pate made that crystal clear. “Jackson Arnold does not have to live up to what he was as a high school recruit. Five-star plus kind of guy for Auburn to be successful,” he said. “My guy just has to lock in and not turn it over.” Sounds simple, right? But there’s some baggage that comes with Arnold’s Oklahoma chapter—and it’s enough to raise eyebrows.

Pate gets it, though. “I don’t hold the Oklahoma thing against him too much,” he added. At Oklahoma, Arnold played in seven games in a backup role and got his lone start in the Alamo Bowl. His numbers were decent: 44 of 69 passes (63.8%) for 563 yards and four touchdowns. Not eye-popping, but not terrible either. The real issue? The Sooners’ offense was a mess.

“How am I supposed to know if you’re a good cook at all when the fridge is full of moldy milk, bread that’s hard as a rock, it stale…all we got is like some Gushers and some orange juice?” Pate joked. It was his way of saying Arnold didn’t have much to work with. Oklahoma’s offensive line was shaky, their pass protection inconsistent, and the run game didn’t get going until midseason. The result? Arnold got sacked 34 times.

Still, there’s hope. As Pate put it, “There’s enough around him at Auburn to where they have a chance—if he can keep them from having those massive turnover kind of games that they had a season ago.” Yeah, turnovers are a big worry. But even if the tools are there, Pate still has one more worry to add.

Josh Pate is concerned about whether Jackson Arnold can handle the pressure 

Pate is not doubting Arnold’s physical talent. Not one bit. “I don’t question the physical traits for him as much. Five-star guy out of high school—don’t just hand out five stars just because you got a good high school résumé. You actually have to have earned that kind of an accolade from a physical ability standpoint.” So what’s the holdup?

“The question around me with Jackson Arnold in 2025, along with the turnovers, is: where is he at psychologically? Because it’s got to be tough being the next great one.” And fair enough—last season didn’t exactly go smoothly. Arnold got benched after a rough first half against Tennessee where he fumbled twice and threw a pick. But he bounced back in a big way. He came off the bench to lead the Sooners to a 24-3 win over Alabama, rushing for a career-high 131 yards on 25 carries. That game showed heart—and reminded people of the old-school Barry Switzer option QBs more than the five-star pocket passer Arnold was supposed to be.

“I wonder where his confidence is at,” Pate said. “Because if Auburn can get him to be a confident quarterback, confident people make definitive decisions in this offense for Hugh Freeze—that’s what wins you football games.”

Freeze seems to be giving Arnold every reason to feel confident. He’s trying to build a fortress around his new QB with a strong offensive line. He’s got Isaac Boulger, Tai Buster, and Xavier Chaplin on the 2025 roster while already planning to lure Darius Gray (a 5-star interior O-lineman), offensive tackle Dominic Harris, Wilson Zierer, and IOL Dalton Toothman for a full-on wall of protection. Once Freeze provides the safety net, all that’s left is for Jackson Arnold to fly.