Auburn’s failed QB pursuit could put Deuce Knight on the fast-track

Auburn was predicted to land Troy transfer quarterback Matthew Caldwell, after the veteran starter entered the portal during the spring window. But on Monday, the former Sun Belt starter opted to back up Arch Manning in Austin for his final season of eligibility, leaving Hugh Freeze with just three quarterbacks on his roster heading into the summer before Stanford transfer Ashton Daniels’ arrival. 

Oklahoma transfer and former five-star Jackson Arnold will enter the 2025 season looking for career redemption after a failed stint in Norman as the Tigers’ starter, but with Caldwell landing at Texas and Daniels’s truncated onboarding process with a late arrival, four-star freshman Deuce Knight could enter the year solidified as QB2. 

While Arnold sat out with a hamstring injury, Knight impressed at “A-Day” while he and sophomore John Colvin were the only two scholarship quarterbacks on the field. The 6-foot-4, 213-pound dual-threat QB is an elite athlete, but still has a long way to go as a passer. However, he may not get much time to develop if Arnold falters in Freeze’s make-or-break third season. 

Transfer QB Mathew Caldwell chooses Texas over Auburn, leaving Knight with chance to be QB2

Arnold was benched last season at Oklahoma in favor of true freshman four-star Michael Hawkins Jr. His shaky redshirt freshman season saw offensive coordinator Seth Littrell be fired in Norman and the arrival of new OC Ben Arbuckle, along with his quarterback at Washington State, John Mateer. However, if Arnold fails to develop under Freeze, after two losing seasons with Payton Thorne leading his offense, the Auburn head coach will be the scapegoat, not one of his assistants. 

If Freeze has a short leash, so does his quarterback, no matter what guarantees and NIL packages were offered to Arnold to land him out of the transfer portal. So, if Arnold struggles, Freeze likely won’t hesitate to turn to his backup, and his QB2 could be Deuce Knight. 

Ashton Daniels has started 20 games over the past two seasons at Stanford, but the results have been uninspiring. Last season as a junior, Daniels completed 62.7 percent of his throws for 1,700 yards but managed just 10 passing touchdowns to 12 interceptions, and his 6.3 yards per attempt was a career low. That’s not the type of player Freeze should let decide his fate if Arnold falters or suffers an injury. 

Caldwell’s arrival may have unnecessarily complicated Auburn’s quarterback room, but without him on the roster, Knight could see the field much earlier than anticipated, so Freeze better take the summer to make sure that his highly-touted freshman is ready in case that moment comes.