"Keep some sh** to yourself": CFB fans roasts Hugh Freeze for revealing practice strategy for Jackson Arnold

Auburn coach Hugh Freeze has confirmed that Jackson Arnold will be the starting quarterback for the 2025 season, with Ashton Daniels and freshman Deuce Knight competing for the backup role.

Following a 5–7 finish last season, Auburn fans are hoping for a turnaround. Freeze sparked controversy on Wednesday when he said he asked defensive coordinator DJ Durkin to ease up on Arnold during spring practices.

“The number one priority for practice is for our quarterback to leave that field confident," Freeze said. "I’m going back to that this year. DJ has been awesome. The respect I have for him and the job he’s gonna do. "I just think we’ve got to be really intentional about, ‘what are we doing in this period?’ And making sure that our quarterbacks have an adequate chance to really be prepared and have success. And not try to win a drill but try to get better in every scenario."

Freeze's statement drew criticism for potentially undermining confidence in Arnold, while some fans felt he revealed too much.

"Brother Hugh is way too honest with the media who will skew his words at every chance given for a bigger story. You are allowed to keep some shit to yourself Hugh," a person wrote. "I totally understand this effort and I’m all for building confidence in our QB. However - why go tell the press?? Arnold shouldn’t even know about it if this will be effective," a fan wrote. "Hugh should keep some things under his hat," one added.

Auburn’s quarterbacks have struggled during Freeze’s time, with the school posting back-to-back losing records in the Southeastern Conference.

Some fans believe his cautious approach with Arnold may backfire and lead to another poor season.

"That's going to work until they get smashed in the mouth during real games. That's pathetic," a person wrote. "Y’all wonder why Auburn has been irrelevant for years with multiple losing seasons…there’s your sign," a fan wrote. "So they have no confidence in their QB," one added.

Jackson Arnold will start his Auburn career at Baylor on Aug. 29.

Hugh Freeze reveals the biggest concern he had regarding Jackson Arnold

After a rocky stint at Oklahoma that saw him benched for several games, Jackson Arnold transferred to Auburn in search of a fresh start.

Hugh Freeze praised Arnold as the ideal quarterback for his system, but admitted on the podcast "See Ball, Get Ball" with David Pollack that he was concerned initially:

“I think the biggest question I had, though, was, can we restore the confidence that I saw and the swagger that I saw with that guy that was the Gatorade Player of the Year coming out of high school that all of us wanted when he came out?"

According to Freeze, that question has now been answered. Throughout spring practices and summer player-led 7-on-7s, Arnold’s confidence steadily returned.

“I think we’ve gotten it back,” Freeze added. “His swagger grew and grew through spring, and he continues to lead.”

Jackson Arnold will have a lot to prove, as most media outlets have predicted Auburn to finish in the bottom half of the SEC in the 2025 season.

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash