Two Changes That Could Make Jackson Arnold Elite At Auburn

There’s a lot of buzz around the Auburn Tigers’ new quarterback, Jackson Arnold. Arnold transferred from Oklahoma in what was a much-needed change of scenery after a disappointing 2024 campaign which saw him benched in the game against the Tennessee Volunteers. He would return a month later. However, some thought it was unjustified. With a new team, new coach and plenty of weapons, Arnold has the potential to have his best season at the college level since coming out of high school as a five-star recruit. 

Arnold will be in an entirely new offensive scheme. Knowing his own success, he feels he’ll be a good match for Freeze. 

“I feel like I fit very well,” Arnold said back in April. “That was one of the things Coach Freeze told me out of the portal, too. He knows what we did in high school and in college and our schemes. My scheme has always been very similar to what Coach Freeze runs. I know what he expects out of the RPO system, and just his system in general.” 

In his two seasons at Oklahoma, Arnold played in 17 games, completing 198 passes on 315 attempts for 1,984 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has averaged 116.7 yards per game. This all happened without any significant weapons. Looking at the Plains, everywhere Arnold looks, he has someone that could help him. 

He’ll have the electric sophomore wide receiver Cam Coleman, a former five-star who had a strong first season on The Plains. He made 37 catches for 598 yards and eight touchdowns. He averaged 16.2 yards per reception. Arnold will also have Eric Singleton Jr., who transferred over from Georgia Tech. Singleton tallied 754 yards and three touchdowns for the Yellow Jackets last season. Sophomore Malcolm Simmons should also be expected to take a step forward this upcoming season.  

For Freeze and Arnold, this opportunity represents both hope and perhaps their last chance. Freeze has struggled to find the quarterback that will take the program to the next level. SEC programs don’t give their head coaches a lot of time to develop players these days. He enters year three this upcoming season. This past offseason, he believes Arnold will be the guy to do it. 

“If you go back to his high school days, you don’t get to become the Gatorade Player of the Year without a great skill set,” Freeze said at Senior Bowl practice Wednesday. “And when I see the way, he functions with the fundamentals of that position with what we want to do. It’s a pretty natural fit.”

With the best team that Auburn has had in years of football, the Tigers look to improve on their 5-7 finish (2-6 SEC) record from last season. They missed out on a bowl game for the second time in three years. 

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