Breakout JMU QB compared to Cam and Nick Marshall, tabbed Auburn target

James Madison’s Jordan McCloud was not only deemed an Auburn football transfer portal target, but he was spoken of in the same breath as dual-threat Tigers signal-calling legends Cam Newton and Nick Marshall by Saturday Blitz’s Jake Mitchell — who made the important distinction that he has not yet reached those lofty heights, but has the profile of those Plains heroes.

“James Madison’s Jordan McCloud is the runner that Auburn is more accustomed to,” Mitchell prefaced before saying, “He’s not Cam Newton or Nick Marshall, but in 2023 he carried the ball 92 times for 311 yards and 8 touchdowns.

“He was especially great through the air, compiling 3,413 yards, 32 touchdowns compared to just 9 interceptions, and a passer rating of 167.4. This would be the 4th stop for McCloud, a senior who previously played at USF and Arizona before getting to James Madison. He’s been good everywhere, but 2023 was his breakout. What better way to cap off his career than a special season at Auburn? If they were able to hang with Georgia and Alabama on defense and the running game, imagine what they’ll do with a player like McCloud at quarterback.”

Hugh Freeze’s Auburn football program must bring on more proven winners

Much of Hugh Freeze’s Tigers roster had one or two years of Bryan Harsin-induced drama affect their careers and psyches. Many of the transfers Freeze’s first transfer haul featured were winners, like former 11-win Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne, but endured one of AU’s worst-ever losses to New Mexico State and two heartbreaking losses to Georgia and Alabama lost in the fourth quarter of each.

Bringing on players from winning organizations to take the lead in certain instances would do Freeze and Co. well, especially a player like McCloud, who led the Dukes to one of the 2023 season’s most impressive seasons from any school at any level of college football.

Freeze has already begun to change the culture through recruiting, but he needs his standout 2024 class, especially its blue-chip receivers, to see what winning for Auburn means.

And having McCloud under center would likely lead to plenty of that.