Hugh Freeze is getting a major, surprising helping hand in his Auburn Tigers football program's pursuit of Class of 2026 Jackson, Alabama quarterback prospect Landon Duckworth: freshman blue-chip Deuce Knight.
As Rivals' Caleb Jones relayed, Knight was among the four main recruiters for Duckworth during his latest Plains visit.
"The No. 7 quarterback in the country, who took his official visit to Auburn May 30-June 1, returned to the Plains to spend more time with the coaching staff and get more familiar with everything surrounding the program," Jones wrote.
"Duckworth spent more time with quarterbacks coach Kent Austin, assistant Jesse Stone, head coach Hugh Freeze and freshman quarterback Deuce Knight. All four have been instrumental in Auburn's recruitment of Duckworth and the main reasons why he's considering the Tigers."
Duckworth doesn't view having a quarterback who will likely have four year of eligibility remaining by the time he reaches campus as a hindrance to committing to the Tigers.
"I'm not going to say it impacts," Duckworth said. "I mean, I don't really think about it that way because you've got to compete everywhere you go."
Jackson Arnold has been deemed the team's starting signal-caller for the 2025 season. If everything works out with the Oklahoma transfer, who struggled mightily last year in Norman, Knight will still have several years of sitting behind Arnold.
Will Duckworth want the same?
It all depends on Arnold. His future could be a few years or a few games. Certainly, Freeze cannot afford the latter. And if Arnold plays well, maybe Freeze will have trouble affording the former too.