The ink isn’t even dry on the 2024 season, but there’s no standing on ceremony. The transfer portal has served as a great spin-off series while the canon events are on pause. It’s spewed plenty of activity to keep College Football discourse rolling. The advent of the portal has enabled do-overs. Enabled athletes who are seeking a change in scenery, a fresh start with an opportunity. QB Jackson Arnold became a proponent of this. However, his foray into a new stomping ground sees him tag along with some previous baggage.

Jackson Arnold moved across the southeastern faction from the Oklahoma Sooners to the Auburn Tigers. Now, at face value, this may come across as a bit of a fall from grace for this former 5-star recruit. Going from the blueblood Sooners to a program perennially in the shadow of its in-state rival Alabama. But Jackson Arnold had an underwhelming time at OU. After deputizing behind the NFL-bound Dillon Gabriel in 2023, he got his break atop the depth chart last season. 4 games in, he got benched. Now, Arnold did gain his starting spot back down the stretch, but this was clearly a fractured dynamic.

OU had the worst passing offense in the SEC, although reasons for this went beyond Jackson Arnold. The O-line and receiver play was substandard to put it lightly. Now that he’s at Auburn, one would think it would temper expectations a little. Let Arnold get his feet wet with some continuity in a team that’s also not coming off a great year. However, that high school tape and reputation still seem to be vividly projected in the minds of some. On3’s “way-too-early” CFB top 25 for next season is putting a lot of weight on Arnold’s shoulders.

The rankings, conjured by prominent analysts Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman, put Auburn at no.11. This is a team that finished last season 5-7. Clearly, the tandem is expecting their new QB acquisition to turn things around. This sentiment was also relayed over on the “Locked on Ole Miss” podcast. “Oh Boy, you are putting a lot of stock in Jackson Arnold, goodness gracious!” said host Michael Katz. For context, the Rebels are unranked. That’s how high this placement of the Tigers perceivably is. Katz also noted, “It’s part of [the] hype machine. I mean, [Arnold] was a huge recruit…Hugh [Freeze] has this reputation as a quarterback whisperer…[But] they were going a little bit too big brain here.” 

Katz’s take on affairs can be taken with a pinch of salt, owing to his rooting interest in a conference rival. That said, there are analysts of a neutral persuasion that agree with his overarching discernment. Fansided’s Chris Landers made his own power rankings. One about the starting QBs across the entire SEC, from 1 through 16. His decree of Jackson Arnold may well be perceived as a sign of undermining, inching toward disrespect.

CFB media torn on the impact Jackson Arnold will have on his new environment

Fansided’s list turned heads and created a divergence in opinion right from the outset. It ranked Florida’s DJ Lagway as the No. 1 QB in the SEC. Bold, but not completely irrational by any means. Lagway is like that. The rest of the upper echelons included LaNorris Sellers at two ahead of Garrett Nussmeier. Which is definitely more eyebrow-raising. OU’s Jackson Arnold replacement, John Mateer, came in 4th, and Arch Manning closed out the top 5. 

Arnold himself came in at a lowly 13th. The only signal callers he was judged to be “better” than, if you will, were Mississippi State’s Blake Shapen, Kentucky’s Zach Calzada, and Mizzou’s Beau Pribula/Sam Horn. The ones right in front of Arnold were Arkansas’ Taylen Green at #10, Georgia’s Gunner Stockton at #11, and Alabama’s Austin Mack/Ty Simpson at #12. Putting Arnold behind the Bama QBs, whoever gets the starting spot, is nasty at this juncture. Certainly didn’t go down well with the Auburn faithful. You could easily make an argument that Jackson Arnold deserved a top 10 berth at the very least.

This list naturally caused a stir in Auburn circles, and perhaps rightfully so. You may think they’re receiving damaged goods. In some ways, you may be right. Jackson Arnold still boasts of a lot of talent and a very high ceiling. If his new HC Hugh Freeze and OC Derrick Nix can permeate some experience and confidence in him, things can transpire very favorably. Watch this space as one of those underlying storylines within the much-discussed SEC.