Auburn football didn't get the flashiest QB names in the transfer portal, but bringing on Jackson Arnold and Ashton Daniels has gotten the Tigers' brain trust some kudos. On3's Peter Nakos was excited about the QB additions, not to mention Hugh Freeze's marquee transfer portal WR addition, Eric Singleton Jr., and deemed AU winners of the current portal cycle.
"Auburn and Hugh Freeze learned from a year ago it needed to add a portal quarterback. The Tigers landed two in the process this year. (Jackson) Arnold has starting experience in the SEC and will now play in Freeze’s offense, and (Ashton) Daniels is a proven starter from his time at Stanford. Auburn did not stop there, adding three wide receivers highlighted by the No. 1 player in the On3 Industry Transfer Portal Rankings in (Eric) Singleton. Next to a few other programs, the Tigers will have one of the top wide receiver rooms in the nation in 2024," Nakos wrote.
QB has been a sore spot since Bo Nix's rookie season in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic's protocols, and perhaps Chad Morris, stunted Nix's growth in 2020 before Bryan Harsin scapegoated him further by teasing TJ Finley as the starter in 2021. 2022 was a half Finley/half Robby Ashford season that saw the latter make a major run at the end of the season -- only to be benched by the start of the 2023 season. Of course, Payton Thorne was a polarizing presence during his two seasons running the show.
It seems the narrative is changing. Although to be fair, many expected Thorne to do plenty in 2023 after contributing to an 11-2 campaign for Michigan State.
For now, Arnold, and even Daniels, have prognosticators optimistic. Freeze wins another offseason, but winning offseasons won't continue keeping him employed for long.