Auburn's Hugh Freeze Doubling Down on Glowing Jackson Arnold Review

At times, Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze sounds like a man reborn - it's funny what a new quarterback does for a 50-something year old grizzled veteran of the football profession.

In all fairness, the upgrade to the Tigers' quarterback room was welcomed by not just Freeze but fans alike. 

Transfer portal addition Jackson Arnold was also in need of a fresh start, and the 20-year-old has obviously impressed Freeze during the Tigers' spring practice sessions. 

"There were no weaknesses,” Freeze said at SEC Spring Meetings. “There was a reason he was the Gatorade Player of the Year. Everything I saw in the spring validated what I knew of him as a recruit."

Clearly, there remains a great deal of work to be done to fully restore the confidence of Arnold as everyone works through the process. Nobody within the Tigers' inner circle has ducked the issues of rectifying Arnold's faltering confidence levels, but sometimes a change proves to be the fresh start a player needs.

"He's got the arm strength, he's got enough mobility, he's got a high enough football IQ, a competitive spirit," Freeze continued to enthuse. "He just needed some confidence, I think our receiver room helps him with that... I'm excited to see what he's going to do this fall."

A deep and talented wide receiver room helps amp up the buzz that is surrounding the Tigers' anticipated resurgence, but what really matters when the rubber meets the road will be that Arnold can continue to be put in the best possible position to succeed by Freeze when the lights get switched on for real.

Freeze and former quarterback Payton Thorne had a chilly (no pun intended) relationship at best. Thorne wasn’t fully to blame for his many mistakes the last two seasons, but he took more than his share of vitriol from Freeze. 

As for the here and now, it's still refreshing to hear some positive things about a Tigers quarterback. It will need to continue through the fall if Auburn is going to reach its goal of returning to national relevance.