The Auburn Tigers' 2025 season will mostly be QB Jackson Arnold's show. Hugh Freeze has the highest expectations from Arnold, and he completely understands the downside that could come with that level of confidence.
Realizing that, Freeze publicly declared, particularly aiming at Arnold, his urgent need for the season from his QB, and that the QB room needs to absorb his advice.
"I think it's vital that Jackson and all of the quarterbacks are hearing my thoughts. I like what I've seen from Jackson, and we need him to have success early on. I think he could really catapult from that," Freeze told ESPN.
Freeze's sky-high expectations for Arnold stem from his conviction that the QB will fit in perfectly in Auburn's offence.
In other words, Arnold is the missing piece Freeze was looking for in his offense.
"I know it didn't go the way he wanted at Oklahoma, but you watch him spin it and the way he can extend plays, and he's exactly what we were looking for," the Tigers' HC continued.
Considering these expectations, Arnold already has minimal room for error. Having freshman Deuce Knight ready to go as his replacement whenever he disappoints will only add to that pressure.
"But I’m really confident with what I saw, in him and Deuce, throughout the spring. I thought he and Deuce [Knight] was, we were able to just – we only had those two guys here so they got all the reps and I think that was a good thing," Freeze updated the Auburn fans on Knight's practices during spring.
We'll see how Arnold fares and whether Knight gets a chance to steal the show this season.