Paul Finebaum Names Major SEC QB That Was 'Absolutely Terrible' Last Season

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jaron Spor | Last updated Apr 11, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The 2024 college football season did not go as planned for several teams and players. As a result, some athletes have chosen to continue their collegiate careers at different colleges.

One such player is Jackson Arnold, the quarterback for the Auburn Tigers. The former five-star recruit was the starting quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners last year. However, his season did not go as expected; he threw for 1,421 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions while also rushing for 444 yards and three touchdowns.

Arnold's inconsistent performance led to his benching in the fourth game of the season against the Tennessee Volunteers. However, he regained the starting position a few games later after the backup, Michael Hawkins, had a poor performance against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

On "The Paul Finebaum Show," SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum stated that the young quarterback's season was not good.

"If you saw him play last year, you don't think he's one of the better quarterbacks," Finebaum said. "He was absolutely terrible."

The junior quarterback was highly regarded coming out of high school, where he was a consensus five-star prospect and ranked as the No. 3 overall player. In his first season, he served as a backup to Dillon Gabriel, and after Gabriel transferred to Oregon, the 2024 season was anticipated to be his breakout year as he was set to take the reins of the team.

The challenges he faced weren't solely due to his performance; he was missing his top five wide receivers for much of the season due to injuries. Additionally, the offensive line was makeshift and also struggled with injuries throughout the year.

Now, he is joining an Auburn program that has experienced four consecutive losing seasons. He aims to help turn the program around and lead them to their first season with 10 or more wins since 2017.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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