Hugh Freeze discusses development of QB Jackson Arnold

Since head coach Hugh Freeze got to Auburn in 2023, he’s been looking for a long-term solution at quarterback to lead the Tigers offense. Now, the hope is that they’ve found that answer in transfer Jackson Arnold.

With spring in the rearview mirror, Freeze shared that he’s excited about Arnold. In particular, his development has been something that coaches at Auburn noticed since he landed with the program.

“Really excited about Jackson,” Hugh Freeze said on The Paul Finebaum Show. “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. And, uh, Jackson, obviously, has all the tools to, to be a, one of the top quarterbacks in the nation, in my opinion. I think he, you know, coming out of high school, obviously, was Gatorade Player of the Year.”

Coming out of high school, Jackson Arnold was one of the most highly-touted recruits in the country. A five-star recruit in the Class of 2023, he was the eighth-ranked player overall and the fourth-ranked quarterback in that recruiting cycle.

Initially attending Oklahoma, Arnold flashed his talent at times. Other times, however, his youth and need to develop did stand out. Benched at one point during the 2024 season, Arnold completed 62.6 percent of his passes in 10 games for 1,421 yards and 12 touchdowns to three interceptions. He also rushed for 444 yards and three touchdowns.

“Just needed, probably, a restart for whatever reason,” Freeze said. “And, um, I’m just excited about what I saw. He’s got the arm talent, he’s got the legs, he’s got the football IQ. And I think he just needs confidence and I think that confidence grew this spring, um, along with our, his rapport with our receivers. But, um, truthfully, you probably don’t, you know, regain or gain that confidence and swagger until we really get into the bows and have success. But I’m really confident with what I saw, in him and Deuce, throughout the spring.”

Hugh Freeze stopped short of declaring Jackson Arnold Auburn’s starting quarterback. However, it’s clear he’s put himself in a good position moving forward.

This spring, Jackson Arnold did miss Auburn’s A-Day Game while dealing with injury concerns. It was a minor leg injury that he suffered shortly before the spring game and Hugh Freeze made the decision not to play him because of it. However, that was mostly precautionary.

On3’s Sam Gillenwater contributed to this article.