Auburn football's offense requires some athleticism from the QB position to open up the passing game. Payton Thorne effectively sold it in the second half of the season, and that facilitated Hugh Freeze landing former Oklahoma QB Jackson Arnold in the transfer portal.
CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli acknowledged the situation upgrade Arnold will have from Norman to the Plains following the John H. Guyer High School product's underwhelming freshman season under Seth Littrell and Joe Jon Finley.
"The highlight of Arnold's Sooners career came late in the season when Oklahoma adopted a new offensive philosophy against Alabama. Arnold dropped back to pass only 11 times in the game but carried the ball 25 times for 131 yards in a stunning 24-3 upset win," Fornelli wrote.
"Still, while Arnold is mobile, it's his ability as a passer that made him attractive to so many programs out of high school, and it's likely what makes him attractive to Auburn now. On the other side, Auburn and Hugh Freeze are an attractive destination for a QB who played in one of the SEC's least effective passing offenses in 2024."
Freeze's offense was better than the results often depicted. Arnold saw that, likely imagined himself being able to run the sets Thorne did better, and signed with the Tigers on the first quiet college football Saturday since August.
Fornelli never mentioned Deuce Knight throughout his piece. After being called out by Cam Newton for wearing the No. 2 jersey, Knight then saw a major competitor enter the QB room and likely take away the QB1 role he unofficially had beforehand.
How Freeze's offense looks in 2025 is less clear with Arnold competing with Knight for the QB1 role. But regardless of who's running it, Freeze's play-calling at least still has the respect of the college football world.