The Auburn Tigers are feeling the heat after a rough season. Hugh Freeze can’t afford to wait another year to turn things around. So, he took a bold risk in the portal—and Jackson Arnold’s name popped up. The No. 8 overall athlete is looking like a key piece in the Tigers’ comeback. Freeze believes he’s the perfect successor to Payton Thorne. And Arnold’s stats? They speak for themselves. The pressure is on…

Hugh Freeze is all in on Jackson Arnold, calling him a perfect fit for his offense. “You don’t get to become the Gatorade Player of the Year without a great skill set. When I see the way he functions with the fundamentals of that position, with what we want to do, it’s a pretty natural fit,” said the head coach. On top of that, Arnold brings SEC experience to Auburn, and with a slightly easier schedule this year, he’s primed to make waves. Add in weapons like receiver Cam Coleman; Arnold’s set to cause chaos in the SEC! The Tigers are ready for a major shake-up.

Here’s the dilemma: Will Jackson Arnold usher in a new era at Auburn, or will he continue where he left off at Oklahoma? Last season, he was benched by Sooners head coach Brent Venables in favor of Michael Hawkins Jr. As a result, Arnold missed facing his new team, Auburn, in Oklahoma’s 27-21 victory. Despite fighting their way to bowl season, the Sooners fell to Navy 21-20 in the Armed Forces Bowl. And Arnold wrapped up the season with 1,421 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and just three interceptions. Is he gonna get over it, or stay stuck?

The pressure on Hugh Freeze just ramped up, thanks to two CFB insiders, SEC Mike and Steven Lassan, who raised an alarming concern on That SEC Football podcast. Mike questioned Arnold’s consistency, saying, “I just don’t know how to grade him. Some people talk about how he was really good against Alabama; maybe he started to figure it out a little bit. Not as good the next week, but at times, it’s almost like they took him off the field too late. You know what I mean? They should’ve probably removed him earlier from the Tennessee game. So, I don’t know, man. This is so baffling to me. Everybody knows my thoughts on Hugh Freeze, but it’s baffling to me that the man who could lose his job because his quarterbacks turn the ba-l over too much ended up with a quarterback that turns the ba-l over as much as Jackson.”

But the insider didn’t hold back, adding, “I mean, this is playing with fire. It’s almost like he’s got a stick of dynamite, and it could blow up in his hands, or he could throw it at his target and blow it to smithereens. This all could work, or it could blow up in his face. I don’t know if there’s anywhere in between; it’s one or the other. And Lassan totally agreed with this and added, “I mean, if this hits, Auburn should be a top 25 team. If it doesn’t hit, Auburn’s probably got a new coach in 2026.” Now, it’s all about hitting the mark or facing the consequences.

The potential? Huge. The uncertainty? Just as big. The big question is: Which one do you believe? In the Alamo Bowl against Arizona, Arnold showed sparks of brilliance—over 300 yards—but also struggled with turnovers. Yet, you could see why he was one of the top QB recruits. He’s a wildcard, for sure. There might be another QB in Auburn who tops the wildcard list. But Arnold’s right there!

Hugh Freeze set an elevated bar for his new QB

Freeze has a strong belief in his intangibles, which include having an exceptional football IQ, regardless of how the scoreboard seems. After a little neglect of the 2023 gateway, Freeze has had enough. He has enough players in the receiving and quarterback rooms. Despite all of the skills he has acquired, Freeze seemed most thrilled to have Jackson Arnold on board. He sees past appearances and is a devout believer.

Freeze can’t contain his excitement over Jackson Arnold’s maturity—he’s beyond his years. “He’s a perfect fit for our offense and for Auburn,” Freeze beamed. And it’s not just his maturity—Arnold’s dual-threat potential is a huge win for Freeze. With a strong arm for deep throws and a solid grasp of the RPO scheme, Arnold’s set to light up the field.

You can brush off the hype from his time at Norman, but let’s not forget: Arnold didn’t have top receivers like Deion Burks or Nic Anderson, and he had to navigate a shaky OC in Seth Littrell. Despite those setbacks, Arnold showed real promise, especially in the run game. Now, with a more promising system at Auburn, there’s no reason not to keep fueling that hope. The potential is there—he just needs the right pieces.

In fact, Auburn’s QB room is getting crowded. They’ve got three quarterbacks heading into 2025, and it looks like Arnold has the inside track to the starting job. And we have 5-star 2025 recruit Deuce Knight and transfer Ashton Daniels (from Stanford), who could be a solid backup option if Arnold goes down. But here’s the kicker: the rumor mill is buzzing that Coach Freeze might already be looking ahead to the 2026 class and 5-star quarterback Jared Curtis. Looks like a QB battle is about to brew…