Jackson Arnold to 'spend every minute' with Auburn, skip Manning Passing Academy

The Manning Passing Academy usually serves as one of the summer’s top events. Quarterbacks from all across college football come together in Louisiana for the camp. Unfortunately, Auburn appears as if they will not have a representative this year.

Jackson Arnold will not be attending the Manning Passing Academy. Instead, the goal is to “spend every minute” with his new Auburn teammates after transferring in from Oklahoma. Working on team chemistry appears to be big for Arnold, wanting to make sure they hit the ground running this season.

“QB Jackson Arnold wants to spend every minute he can with his @AuburnFootball WRs this summer, so much so that he doesn’t plan to attend the Manning Passing Academy,” ESPN’s Chris Low said via X. “Arnold was honored to be invited, but Hugh Freeze said Arnold didn’t want to miss key time building chemistry.”

Auburn is still going through a quarterback competition. Freeze has yet to officially announce a winner but from the outside, Arnold appears to be the favorite. Two others are involved in Deuce Knight and Ashton Daniels. Knight is just a true freshman while Daniels, another transfer via Stanford, is not yet on campus.

Of the trio, Arnold is the only one with experience inside the SEC. Ten appearances in 2024 for Oklahoma, six of which were against conference foes, saw Arnold throw for 1,421 yards, 12 touchdowns, and three interceptions.

His feet were certainly a weapon too, with 444 yards and three touchdowns on 150 carries. Auburn fans will love the performance against Alabama as Arnold guided the Sooners to an upset victory due to 131 yards on the ground.

June 26 is when the Manning Passing Academy will begin, running for three days through June 29. A full list of camp counselors has not yet been released. It always has big-time names from the sport and for now, we know Arnold’s name will not be present.

All attention appears to be on the upcoming season, set to begin Friday, Aug. 29, with a road game against Baylor. The Tigers lost last season’s marquee nonconference game to Cal, something Freeze hopes to avoid in 2025.

Arnold knows his goal is to eventually be named Auburn’s starting quarterback. Not many programs are slated to have a wide receiver room quite like the Tigers. Getting accustomed and on the same page will be at the top of the quarterback’s priority list this summer.