Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold has confidence from the Tigers' football coaching staff, enough to be named the team's starter for the 2025 season opener.
But Bama Hammer's Ronald Evans believes Arnold needs to be aware of Hugh Freeze's penchant for throwing his starting signal-caller under the bus last season, Payton Thorne. Evans did so while ranking Auburn as the SEC's No. 10 team post-spring practice.
"Hugh Freeze has improved his roster considerably. Auburn will not have a back-to-back losing season. The Tigers will likely win a big upset game, but winning consistency will be a challenge. Oklahoma transfer QB Jackson Arnold is hoping for a more positive environment in Auburn. Obviously, Arnold missed Hugh's multiple 'throw his quarterback under the bus' routines last season," Evans wrote.
Thorne and Freeze had a complicated relationship before the former found an NFL home with the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason.
While Freeze would often throw Thorne under the bus -- and to be fair, flinging criticism wasn't exclusive to Thorne, as running back Jarquez Hunter was a frequent target of criticism --, the head coach stuck with the Michigan State transfer far longer than many would have hoped.
There were calls for Robby Ashford in 2023. Last year, calls for Hank Brown to get a shot were so loud that the redshirt freshman actually got it -- and subsequently fumbled it against Arkansas with three first-half interceptions. Thorne got his job back against the Razorbacks in the second half and never ceded it after that.
Thorne was given a fair chance in year one and even won the narrative back as the 2024 season went along. Arnold will have similar confidence from the fanbase and even the media, with many projecting the Tigers to end up ranked in 2025.
Evans simply believes Arnold should be warned about how things went for his predecessor under center.