Hugh Freeze marches into his third year at Auburn under immense pressure and with no room for missteps. That’s exactly why he stacked the deck with blue-chip recruits and portal standouts with 26 commits and 20 portal additions. With Payton Thorne gone, Freeze has revamped the quarterback position, too, relying on Jackson Arnold, but it looks like throwing all eggs in his basket might backfire fast. Auburn fans are anxious, and there’s no way they can bear another 5-7 seasons. Even Freeze can’t afford to gamble on a shaky hand.

Things didn’t go as planned with Payton Thorne last season. His inconsistent performance and their 6th loss of the season against Vanderbilt worked as the last nail in the coffin. That very moment was when Hugh Freeze seriously considered a change at quarterback. “When you start thinking big picture, as opposed to one of your players (Payton Thorne) that really hasn’t done anything wrong, but we certainly aren’t winning. And so we’re debating all of that this week,” Freeze said. Sure, the change didn’t happen last season, but Hugh Freeze bought Oklahoma’s transfer, Jackson Arnold.

But look, even though he’s not that solid, he can be a game-changer for the team. And this anonymous SEC coach didn’t think twice before saying it loud, and The Barn’s host, Charlie 5, read the entire thing: “They finally have a quarterback. Jackson Arnold is not a world beater. You can rattle him, but he’s a day-one upgrade, and that receiving room is really deep. The Georgia Tech kid is a legit baller and a big get. So a lot of things that we’ve talked about, that seems like confirmation. It’s one thing to hear it from a sportswriter. It’s another thing to hear it from an SEC coach.” 

Sure, Jackson Arnold has his own share of fair ups and downs with all the benching in his game against Tennessee, where he struggled in the first half, going 7 out of 16 with 54 yards and an interception. But then let’s not forget this is the same guy who was explosive against a team like Alabama. He cut out the turnovers and ran 25 times for 131 yards in addition to 9 out of 11 for 68 yards. That’s what NFL scouts look for in a player who pushes themselves to grow rather than staying stagnant.

Despite a shaky run, he completed 1,421 yards with 12 TDs and just 3 interceptions. That’s exactly why he is the perfect QB for Hugh Freeze’s system. “The quarterback—Jackson Arnold—is a day one upgrade, which is kind of what we all have felt ever since he’s gotten here. After everything we heard from spring, the room as a whole is a day one upgrade. And surprise, surprise—you hear a superlative about Eric Singleton Jr. I’m just—I just don’t know that we’re prepared for what this kid could be. I don’t know that we truly understand how really good this kid is. So I mean, that’s pretty high praise coming from an SEC coach,” Charlie said.

Hugh Freeze’s QB1 battle is taking a massive turn

Look, Auburn’s condition with Payton Thorne wasn’t that promising, even though he recorded 2,713 yards with 21 TDs last year; his 9 interceptions made things weird for the team. On top of that, his completion rate of 62.8% wasn’t helping either. So, that’s exactly why Hugh Freeze got three QBs. Jackson Arnold, Ashton Daniel, and true freshman Deuce Knight, who can take up the charge of his offense.

Since spring practices began, the starting quarterback question loomed large. And Hugh Freeze has declared Jackson the number one, saying, “I said this somewhere here recently: Jackson is the number one.” However, the coach added some important caveats. He wants Jackson pushed daily by Deuce and Ashton, but also wants Jackson to be confident and assertive.

Ideally, Jackson should feel pressure, knowing Deuce and Ashton could easily take his spot. “Do I want him (Jackson Arnold) to be pushed by Deuce and Ashton every single day? Absolutely. Do I want Jackson feeling like it’s his and him getting that confidence and swagger? Yes. Do I want him looking over his shoulder thinking, ‘Dang, Deuce and Ashton had two really good practices today’? Yes, I want both.” Hugh Freeze said. No wonder that’s turning out best for him, as his QB is nothing but promising this year.

Freeze raved about his quarterbacks, highlighting the trio’s depth and talent. “I would put our quarterback room up against any in the SEC,” he said. “I would say between Jackson and Deuce, and Ashton, I would say that’s three pretty good dudes. Deuce hasn’t done anything yet, but the other two were highly recruited (in the portal),” Hugh Freeze said. His confidence shows the kind of progress their QB room is making this offseason.

Although Knight’s college career is yet to begin, the coaching staff sees his potential as a game-changer. This season marks a departure from Freeze’s usual preference for more quarterbacks; Auburn will only have three scholarship quarterbacks. Despite this, he’s confident in their abilities. “Until we do something, what I say doesn’t really matter,” Freeze said. “But I do feel comfortable with those three guys.” The Tigers’ confidence will be tested on August 29th, when they face Baylor.