Change Brings Optimism to Auburn Tigers Football for 2025

As the Auburn Tigers baseball season comes to a close, the spotlight now shifts to Hugh Freeze and his loaded quarterback room as the pressure grows for a much-needed revival. 

Since arriving at Auburn and trying to rebuild Auburn’s program from the ground up, Freeze hasn’t been as successful as he hoped for in his first two seasons with the Tigers. 

In 2023, Freeze went 6-7 (3-5 in the SEC), earning Auburn a trip to Nashville to the Music City Bowl, but was unable to secure his first bowl win for the Tigers. In 2024, the Tigers failed to even make a bowl game, going 5-7 overall. 

Despite going 2-6 in SEC play last season, Auburn fans saw their first glimpse of hope in the Freeze era when the Texas A&M Aggies came into town. In a high-pressure, four-overtime game under the lights in Jordan-Hare, the Tigers came out on the other side with a win. 

A feeling Tiger fans hadn’t felt in a while– and it’s those intense, defining wins that Freeze needs to push this Auburn football program forward. 

Which is why in his third season, results matter, and all eyes are on him. 

This past off-season, the college football world has seen Freeze’s ability to recruit, landing Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold along with Stanford’s Ashton Daniels. Arnold will enter the season as starter, but Daniels offers experienced insurance with true freshman Deuce Knight lined up as the future of the program.

Having the assets, it’s time for the recruiting success to transfer onto the field.

Jackson Arnold, a former Gatorade Player of the Year coming from Oklahoma, is ready to be the change for the Auburn family. Having spent two seasons with the Sooners, he’s gained SEC experience, but he also brings with him something that Auburn fans haven’t experienced in five seasons: beating Alabama. 

A win that Auburn fans surely won’t be forgetting when looking at who is leading their team this season. 

Against Alabama, Arnold rushed for 131 yards on 25 carries while completing 9 of 11 passes against the Tide defense. Having exhibited speed and mobility on the ground, Arnold looks to be a powerful fit for the type of offense that Freeze is known for: the run-pass option. 

While Arnold is the immediate future for the Tigers, Knight, another dual-threat quarterback, looks to be the future of the program. Flipping from Notre Dame to Auburn last October, Knight understood he could use at least a year of seasoning behind Arnold before taking over. How patient he remains will depend a lot on how Auburn’s season plays out.

Auburn fans have felt frustration and exhaustion over the last two seasons.  Whether it’s from having a win snatched away from their rival in the final seconds of the Iron Bowl, or suffering an embarrassing home loss to a non-Power Five team, the Tigers needed change. 

With a quarterback room as strong as Auburn’s, being known for their speed and quick decision-making skills, those same moments may now turn into good play calls, standout wins, and bring Auburn back to national relevance.

Hugh Freeze has the quarterback talent to make this Auburn program great, but now he’s on the clock.