Auburn Tigers have Darkhorse Heisman Hopeful, According to CBS Sports

With the football season starting in two months, the buzz around players begins to form. As a result, watch lists and way-too-early award article prognostications flood the environment. However, when one crosses your desk or phone, you want to dig in and test the validity of the research. When you see an Auburn Tigers player generate super early Heisman buzz before the first game, you cannot help but stop and take notice.

CBS Sports' Brad Crawford listed quarterback Jackson Arnold as an undervalued Heisman longshot. Arnold comes in at +6000, according to Fanduel, or roughly 60-1. Crawford thinks Arnold is being undersold.   

"Hugh Freeze must get this one right on The Plains following last season's quarterback troubles at Auburn,” Crawford wrote on CBS Sports. “Arnold began the 2024 season as the starter at Oklahoma, but inconsistent play led to a short rope from Brent Venables. 

“The Sooners' offensive front struggled, the wideout room was a mash unit, and Arnold looked for greener pastures in the portal. The Tigers' primary strength will be their wide receiver corps following heavy offseason acquisitions, and Arnold should benefit from those elite targets in the passing game. Arnold can run, too."

After the Peyton Thorne nightmare of 2024, Freeze's reputation as a quarterback whisperer took more than its fair share of hits. Remember, he chose to bring Thorne on board and went back to him after Hank Brown kept connecting with the open defender. Now, Arnold could be his final chance to win on The Plains, and he put all of his money into the middle of the table with the Oklahoma transfer. 

While at OU, Arnold did receive a rather quick hook, replaced by a true freshman, only to re-enter the lineup and defeat Alabama. Arnold completed 81% of his passes and ran for 137 yards on that day. Beating Alabama again doesn't look like that daunting of a task when you've done it before. The weapons, including Cam Coleman and Eric Singleton Jr., are a big upgrade over what Arnold had with the Sooners.  

If you are a defensive coordinator, how do you scheme for an offense that can roll out five above-average wideouts whenever they feel like it?

Arnold holds the immediate fortune of the football program in his hands. Can he live up to the early praise?

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