Where Does Deuce Knight Stand in Auburn's Quarterback Situation?

Many different factors play a crucial role in an effective second-half offense, including play-calling and the offensive line, but there’s no doubt Jackson Arnold has been a liability under center in a few ways for the Tigers in important moments.

Thus, Hugh Freeze and company are forced to look at the quarterback situations and make tough decisions that ultimately give Auburn the best chance to win games. It’s hard to know whether the quarterback position is the missing piece to this Auburn offense or not, but Freeze is exploring all potential options moving forward.

"Both [Jackson Arnold and Ashton Daniels] have looked really good, preparing well like they always do. Jackson's looked like a million bucks at the start of the last two games, and you're just hopeful that we can get a game that is consistent with that,” Freeze said in the SEC teleconference on Wednesday.

“
Ashton is ready to go, as is Deuce, and we'll just have to see how the game goes,” Freeze added. “Hopefully, Jackson can get off to a fast start like he's done the last two games and maybe continue that."

Freeze revealed on Monday that he no longer plans to redshirt Stanford transfer Ashton Daniels, which he originally planned to do this season. He said the Tigers “are going to play to win,” meaning if Arnold isn’t getting the job done on Saturday at Arkansas, there’s a solid chance fans will see a different quarterback trot out to provide a spark.

Freshman Deuce Knight hasn’t been mentioned as much as Daniels in regards to the backup quarterback situation, but Freeze says both will be ready to take over if a change at the position is necessary.

"Deuce is, man, he's handled everything extremely well. He's so talented and young, and he knows his time is coming,” Freeze said. “
It's just a matter of when. But yeah, we will have all three ready to play, including Deuce and Ashton and Jackson."

Interestingly, Knight has cleared everything from his Instagram account, including all content related to Auburn, which has sent fans into a panic, prompting them to raise concerns that Knight could potentially intend to transfer in the future. A social media account is certainly not important nor a good source for speculation, as there could be an alternate reason for this, but it’s something worth noting.

Knight has seen the field just once against Ball State in Auburn’s home opener earlier this season, where he went 2-for-5 passing for 20 yards. He also compiled 16 yards on the ground on four carries versus the Cardinals.

He had a few rough incompletions in “garbage time”, but he was playing with other Auburn reserves at wide receiver and offensive line. Knight didn’t necessarily perform exceptionally well, but there’s no telling what he could do with the Tigers’ elite receiving core on the outside to support him. 

Overall, Auburn’s situation certainly isn’t one that Freeze had envisioned nor hoped for coming into the season, but something has to change. The Tigers are riding a four-game losing streak, and so far, it looks like Freeze may have missed on another quarterback.

If he makes another wrong decision at the position in Fayetteville on Saturday and the offense looks as poor as it has over the past month, there’s a small chance Freeze survives the weekend as Auburn’s head football coach.