Tensions Rise for Jackson Arnold as Hugh Freeze Pressured to Do the Unthinkable After $900K Revelation

Jackson Arnold’s arrival at Auburn this spring has surely made him one of the biggest stories on the Plains. Transferred in from Oklahoma, Arnold immediately walked right into the limelight as the probable starting quarterback, and the hype surrounding him only increased with every practice. Head coach Hugh Freeze has been publicly bullish about Arnold’s contribution in practice. Regarding his 2024 Oklahoma statistics, Jackson Arnold was promising in his limited time, going 64% for 1,220 yards, 11 scores, and five picks, with a further 180 rushing yards and two rushing scores.

Auburn’s trio of Jackson Arnold, Deuce Knight, and Ashton Daniels is the college football version of a reality show in the making. Jackson Arnold, a transfer with a five-star résumé and battle-tested experience from Oklahoma, has already earned the nickname “another coach on the field” from his teammates. Deuce Knight, meanwhile, is the electric true freshman five-star who spurned blue-blood programs just for a chance at the Plains. Then there’s Ashton Daniels, the Stanford transfer-—consider him Auburn’s “break glass in case of emergency.” He has taken a lot of snaps, but his career touchdown-to-interception ratio reflects a performance that is more about being “serviceable, not spectacular.”

With Jackson Arnold, Deuce Knight, and Ashton Daniels already on the table, should Freeze include a fourth guy? Kyle Rush of “The Barn” podcast host discussed the same with Brendan.

“Hugh has always talked about having four scholarships.” Kyle further said, “Auburn would maybe look at bringing in a fourth quarterback in this spring portal.” Because heaven forbid the first or second QB catches a sniffle, right? Freeze’s past at Liberty gave him some PTSD about running out of quarterbacks, so now he’s hell-bent on not having that nightmare again.

But let’s face it: if you’re working with your fourth-string quarterback, the season’s already in the hole. Nevertheless, Freeze is about having alternatives. Kyle questions Brendan in the podcast, “What’s the best type of quarterback, I guess, to fill that fourth role, like what do you think Hugh needs to be looking for?”

Hugh Freeze is rather set on having four quarterbacks on Auburn’s roster this season. Freeze desires a certain kind of QB for that fourth position, a young fellow with eligibility remaining, someone who can stay around and develop more than just a one-and-done veteran. Brendan responds, “I think you bring in a young guy. I’m with you. I could see that, and I could also see maybe a guy with one year of eligibility who’s local or something.”

Auburn recently shelled out $4.3 million on Arnold and gave him the keys to a program starved for a turnaround following last season’s quarterback circus, so the anticipation is sky-high. However, preparing for the worst outcome is not really a bad game. During a season, a head coach navigates a lot of what-ifs. What if Arnold doesn’t work? What if his other options get injured? You can prepare for that scenario.

Deuce Knight’s $900K price tag explained

Freeze has already signed Jackson Arnold, an established SEC-tested dual-threat with respectable numbers out of Oklahoma and plenty of game experience. Surely that should soothe the QB controversy, though? Step up, Deuce Knight, the 5-star redshirt freshman phenom with breathtaking high school numbers—more than 5,700 passing yards and 1,300 rushing yards.

As reported by insiders such as WJOX’s Pat Smith, Hugh Freeze’s $900K roll of the dice on Deuce Knight isn’t all about down the line; he’s already making waves in practice and may possess more untapped talent than Arnold. That $900K number is not an indication of how much Auburn is counting on Knight’s ability to be a game-changer. Freeze finds himself in a classic SEC conundrum. The stakes are high, as Auburn’s offense boasts talented players like Cam Coleman and Eric Singleton, and the quarterback who steps up must consistently deliver the ball to them.

Hugh Freeze’s quarterback musical chairs is Auburn’s new go-to hobby. By investing $900K in Deuce Knight, he effectively tells Jackson Arnold, “Hey, don’t get too comfortable!” It’s as if Freeze is assembling a QB Avengers team, eager to see who will rise as the hero of the day. Whether Knight swoops in to steal the spotlight or Arnold holds onto the reins is still up in the air.

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