Hugh Freeze optimistic on QB Jackson Arnold's 2025 success, as his Auburn football job largely depends on it

Hugh Freeze is on the early hot-seat list heading into the 2025 season, and he will need at least an eight-win season with the Auburn Tigers to get his name off of it. 

His saving grace at this time seems to be how well his QB room does, especially how Jackson Arnold leads the team.

Earlier in April, Freeze issued an update on how Arnold's training is looking.

So far, the Tigers' head coach has had a positive review of his practice sessions.

"Really excited about Jackson," Freeze told Paul Finebaum on his show. "Just needed, probably, a restart for whatever reason. And 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 along with his rapport with our receivers.

"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. But truthfully, you probably don’t, you know, regain or gain that confidence and swagger until we really get into the bows and have success."

Duece Knight is another QB that Freeze will rely on. Although a freshman, Knight is ranked the fifth-best QB in the Class of 2025, who joined the Tigers' QB room in October 2024 after flipping his commitment from Notre Dame. 

Interestingly, Knight's drills have been going well too.

"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 said.

That said, Auburn's 2025 schedule looks relatively doable.

We'll see how easy — or tricky those wins would come for Freeze's program.