Hugh Freeze analyzes Deuce Knight's play in Auburn's A-Day

Deuce Knight had the quarterback spot to himself on Saturday during A-Day. With that, the former five-star freshman turned in a so-so outing in his first time playing for the fans at Jordan-Hare.

Hugh Freeze commented on Knight’s performance afterward to close out the spring period for the Tigers. Simply put, the freshman was fine with what all he did on the field.

“Um, he did okay,” Freeze said.

On the negative, Knight threw a couple of interceptions late that Freeze said were not reflective of what he, or any of their quarterbacks, had been during spring practice. He did, though, understand why they happened as he continues to grow and adjust.

“You know, he threw a couple late picks in the, uh, in the skelly period that wasn’t, uh, that wasn’t – he hasn’t done that all spring,” said Freeze. “He hadn’t, he hadn’t thrown the ball late. He has a real good instinct when, um, the pocket is collapsing, to keep his eyes downfield and, and extend plays and then either throw away or run and he’s done well all spring. He and Jackson both have taken care of the ball well. So that was a little out of, uh, out of character for him, truthfully, with the fifteen, the days we’ve had in practice. And just hadn’t seen that so those were – he immediately knew and that’s the great thing about him. After every play, man, he’s, he’s giving you feedback.”

However, on the positive, Freeze did think Knight put the ball where he needed to in their playmaker’s hands. He also did well procedurally in getting the calls out how he did to his offense.

“I thought he made some really nice throws, putting the ball – we talk about all the time, trust our receivers and put the ball in a position for them to make a play. There was some, three or four, in that skelly period that were just really, really nice throws that, um, gave our guys chances to make plays and the fifty-fifty contested catches. And then, in the team stuff, I thought he, thought he managed it pretty well, um. He was making some of the calls that we need down in the red zone on, getting himself protected if he knows he’s going to throw it and that’s good to see him picking that up.”

Knight, their highest-rated signee as a top-five quarterback prospect, is in an open competition with Jackson Arnold, who didn’t participate at A-Day with a leg injury involving his hamstring. That battle will then add Ashton Daniels this summer for by the time that fall camp comes around.

Knight still has a lot to learn at the college level. As for his first time on the field, Freeze thought he did fine with much for him to now take away from it going into his first season.

“I thought it was a solid day for him,” said Freeze. “He’ll look at the film and there’ll be things that he’ll wish he would have done differently. But, um, it’s nothing like that experience for him to help prepare him for the fall.”