In his second year at Oklahoma, things did not go smoothly for quarterback Jackson Arnold. Oklahoma's offense was dealing with a lot of injuries and ranked last in the nation in sacks allowed, and Arnold was benched for two games early in the season.
He ultimately returned to the field and finished out the year for the Sooners but transferred to Auburn following the end of the season. His former offensive coordinator, Jeff Lebby, is now the head coach at Mississippi State but was heavily involved in the recruitment of Arnold, who was the No. 4 quarterback in the class of 2023 and the Gatorade Player of the Year.
Now, as Arnold is preparing to take the field in orange and blue this fall, he says he is extremely confident, and Lebby has strong opinions about the abilities of his former QB.
"He was my No. 1 guy coming out of the class," Lebby said Wednesday at SEC Media Days, per Auburn Undercover. "Gatorade Player of the Year, all that. He had all of it, and he still does. He's the same young man.
"I'm excited for him to get to be starting. Physically, a young man that had every single tool you wanted to be an elite player."
There is a lot of pressure riding on the success of Jackson Arnold as head coach Hugh Freeze enters his third season on the Plains. After back-to-back years ending in losing records, the Tigers have more than enough talent to win games and they now have a new quarterback.
Auburn football returns to action on August 29 against the Baylor Bears in Waco, Texas.