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4 hours ago
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This season, Hugh Freeze is not settling for less.
The Auburn head football coach has made his expectations from his QB room loud and clear: a hardworking, competitive room.
"Do I want Jackson feeling like it's his and him getting that confidence and swagger? Yes," Freeze said. "Do I want him looking over his shoulder saying, 'Dang, Deuce (Knight) and Ashton (Daniels) had two really good practices today'? Yes. I want both."
The need to emphasize the obvious comes from Freeze strongly hinting that Jackson Arnold is his favorite in the QB room and very likely the Tigers' starting QB for 2025.
"Jackson’s our No. 1," Freeze stated about the Oklahoma transfer back in January.
Freeze's unequivocal confidence in Arnold could be a byproduct of his urgent need to win, or at least have a winning season in Auburn.
The Tigers' head coach has been on the hot seat for a while, and their 5-7 record in 2024 only made that seat hotter. So much so that several reports have the 2025 season as Freeze's last shot at proving himself in Auburn.
ESPN's Adam Rittenberg placed Freeze on the list of their top hot-seat head coaches for 2025.
"Freeze's return to the SEC in late 2022 sparked widespread reaction, but few could deny he fit Auburn's vision for improvement/Auburn's personnel had dropped off, and Freeze had the roots and results in the deep South to turn things around," Rittenberg wrote.
"But Tigers fans are still waiting, as Freeze sits at 11-14 overall and 5-11 in SEC play. His tenure includes home losses to New Mexico State, Cal, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, and Oklahoma."
Freeze's demand for wanting the backup QBs to be in perfect shape, despite being confident about Arnold, is another indication that he needs the 2025 season to work.
If Arnold gets injured at any point, he needs Knight and Daniels to be prepared enough to step in and save the day.
It is safe to say that his job could come down to one bad game, and this is Freeze's way of precautioning.
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