Hugh Freeze Declares Open Competition for Auburn Starting QB Job

It’s been a wild ride for Auburn football fans this year, as many believe both the team’s head coach and quarterback have been detrimental to the Tigers’ 2025 campaign. Of course, the show still goes on, and Hugh Freeze announced Monday that he’s still not decided who the Tigers’ starting quarterback will be going forward.

Jackson Arnold, the junior Oklahoma transfer, has started every game for the Tigers this season, being pulled just twice: once in a blowout game against Ball State, and once this past Saturday after throwing a pick-six against Arkansas. 

Arnold’s thrown just two interceptions on the year, but he’s been horrifically inefficient on third and fourth-down dropbacks, as well as the most sacked quarterback in the SEC. 

Many Auburn fans have been calling for his backup, Ashton Daniels, to see the field, and they got their wish this past Saturday as the Tigers found themselves down 11 points to the Hogs at the half. Daniels strung together longer drives, never went three-and-out, and completed the comeback with an assist from the Auburn defense.

Auburn had planned to redshirt Daniels this season, but Coach Freeze has reportedly changed his mind, stating that he’s more concerned about winning games than maintaining redshirt statuses. 

Daniels’ stat line, though seemingly unimpressive, doesn’t tell the whole story of his game. In his first game in an Auburn uniform, Daniels was 6-8 passing for 77 yards, good for a passer rating above 155. He also rushed seven times for 35 yards and was the Tigers’ second leading rusher behind Jeremiah Cobb, who had his best game of the season.

Daniels, a senior, was sacked twice, but his two sacks combined for just four yards lost, compared to Arnold’s one sack, which lost nine yards. Daniels made a habit of stretching out plays, rolling out much more while holding the ball in the pocket for much less time than Arnold. 

Simply put, Arnold’s struggled with sitting in the pocket too long and taking sacks, an issue Daniels doesn’t seem to have. 

Freeze also stated that the playcalling, another issue Tiger fans have been quite vocal about, doesn’t change with the quarterback. Interestingly, with Daniels in the game, the Tigers pulled out a new play against Arkansas, a famous Gus Malzahn trick play nicknamed “Woody.”

The two veterans will split reps in practice this week, Coach Freeze announced, and the team will come to a decision later this week.

The Tigers, led by either Arnold or Daniels, will take on the struggling Kentucky Wildcats this Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium. The game will be played at 6:30 p.m. CDT and broadcast on the SEC Network.

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