Analyst Phillip Dukes had predicted Auburn’s College Football Playoffs fate. “The script wouldn’t be that complicated, really the script would be stop turning the ball over.” Turns out the year 2025 is on a special mission to make Hugh Freeze’s life tougher. Already, the Auburn Tigers head coach is battling prostate cancer. But that did not dim his fervor. He is all set to write a success story in 2024. But turns out that the universe has some other plans. This spring is now going to be all easy-breezy, but it would usher in some costly losses and a mass exodus for Hugh’s army. Now, if Freeze thinks that his quarterback Jackson Arnold will be the lifeboat, here comes a big update.

The Tigers have claimed two national championships- 1957 and 2010. However, they have never made the College Football Playoff (CFP) since its inception in 2014. The closest call came in 2017, but it ended in heartbreak. Now the Tigers fans are hopeful of Freeze flipping the script. Last season, the 55-year-old head coach saw enough. Wrapping up with a disastrous 5-7 overall record, this is going to be a make-or-break year for Freeze. However, for that, he needs to have a healthy team. That’s where the transfer portal is haunting the Tigers. But the HC is no stranger to such mass exodus either. In 2024, Freeze had lost 23 players to the portal. However, he managed things by bringing in 16 transfer additions in the winter portal. And now, the spring portal is no different.

The Top Button podcast host, Kyle Rush, sheds light on the current situation in Freeze’s squad. “Auburn has had three so far defensive backs declare their intentions… They plan to enter their name into the portal when the portal period opens tomorrow. CJ Johnson, who’s a safety, JC Hart, cornerback, and then I believe it’s Tyler Scott.” The 6-foot-2, 206-pounder CJ Johnson signed with Auburn as a three-star recruit in the class of 2023. The Houston, Texas, native did not see the field over his first two seasons. Now, this might not be surprising for Freeze. That’s because the safety has flirted with transferring, as he previously entered the portal during the December window. But later on, he decided to stay with the Tigers.

Johnson is the fifth safety and the 21st Auburn player to enter the portal this cycle. The flipping urge is plaguing Freeze’s cornerback room as well. Redshirt freshman JC Hart is seeking a new home. He played in three games in 2023 and 12 in 2024. His best performance was against Alabama A&M, when he finished with a season-high four tackles. But Freeze will have to let go of him. The next one in line who has expressed interest is cornerback Tyler Scott. The player missed the entire 2024 season due to an ACL injury and might opt for a fresh start. But Rush also sprinkled some dust of positivity.

“You’ve even had some of the younger corners start to step up. You had the emergence of Jay Crawford last year, you got guys like Blake Woodby. That’s getting a lot of run, Guys like Donovan Star that are getting a lot of run. So, it’s no surprise to see guys like JC Hart go into the portal,” Rush said further. So, can the Auburn fans now count on Jackson? 

A bitter blow in Hugh Freeze’s Auburn

Already, this season’s A-Day has been a victim of minimization. Hugh Freeze had opted to go from being a televised spring game to a non-televised practice. However, the Tigers’ fans still had some hope left. It was none other than their favorite quarterback, Arnold. But just like Freeze, the fans’ luck was not in their favor. April 10th’s practice came with a bitter surprise. The quarterback left the practice, pulling up with what appeared to be a left hamstring injury. This robbed the fans of a good night’s sleep.

But they will have to accept the bitter truth. Freeze is too protective of Arnold. The head coach told the media, “I thought he had a really solid spring, and he’s feeling fine. He just didn’t need to run today and risk. There’s no defect in the hamstring. You certainly don’t want to create one with one day left, going into an offseason that he needs to be ready to go. So, no need in risking that same thing with Eric Singleton, you know.” Just like Arnold, Freeze’s new Georgia Tech transfer, Eric Singleton Jr., also missed the practice because of an injury.

While Jacskon Arnold is still nursing an injury, his $950,000 threat Deuce Knight is already occupying his place, little-by-little, in Hugh Freeze’s heart. During the A-Day practice, the quarterback left a deep mark. Freeze sent some gold stars in Knight’s way. “I thought he made some really nice throws putting the ball. We talk about all the time, trust our receivers, and put the ball in the position for them to make a play. There was some three or four in that skelly period that were just really nice throws.”

So, will he have a fair chance in the Auburn quarterback picture? Nope. The Tigers head coach came with the best praise for Arnold, “Jackson obviously has all the tools to be one of the top quarterbacks in the nation.” Now, let’s hope he does not catch any more blessings from the injury gods.